From the Head of the Junior School
Dear Parents and Friends of the Junior School,
On the whole, the boys’ respect for the School in the way that they wear their uniform each day is pleasing. One aspect where there is room for improvement is in remembering to bring all appropriate items on days when boys are required to change: on PE days, after early morning practices and sometimes following training sessions on Thursdays. Packing the right items involves thinking ahead, being organised and exercising self-responsibility which are all habits we are trying to develop in each student. Please assist your son with appropriate reminders but do not do the packing task for your son, especially if he is in Year 5 or 6. Your son needs your support, but once he is used to the routines, he should be expected and able to bring his gear each day with a degree of independence.
On Wednesday, we once again had over 70 boys compete in the Australian-Chinese ‘Hello Mandarin’ Contest, an annual competition for children and adults to encourage reading and an appreciation of Chinese literature. We had students prepare and perform individual and group recitations, from both Mandarin and non-Mandarin speaking backgrounds. In preparation, all of the boys worked very hard with Mrs Wang to develop their Mandarin reading and speaking skills in their lessons and clubs. Memory and expression are also two important components of each performance that demand practice, concentration and commitment from each boy. We are grateful to Mrs Wang for her energy and initiative in making these opportunities available to boys.
I wish to remind parents of the important role you play in modelling good habits, establishing boundaries and supervising your sons regarding technology and media access. Each year, teachers are called on to resolve issues between students at school that arise from time spent on media outside school. Many issues that once played out in the playground now start, continue or escalate on media platforms via mobile phones or devices in the home. The School is clear in is recommendation that parents are vigilant and exercise caution in regards to student social media use. Whilst many younger students are yet to use social media, parents of boys who use connected devices (even for brief periods of time) should not assume that their son is too young to be active on social media. Under-age participation on social media sites is increasingly an area where young students are making mistakes. The boundaries between private and public domains on social media sites are often blurred in the minds of younger users. Many fail to realise their images or words are being launched into the public domain where they sacrifice control. Sites which often have a very personal feel about them may be accessed by anyone. Images or text sent to someone else’s device in a moment of rash excitement can be forwarded to many others and remain accessible forever. Young children do not necessarily have the judgment required to make sensible decisions in these environments and can be exposed to ideas and images that they are not mature enough to comprehend or filter appropriately. Children can be tempted into inappropriate behaviours they would never contemplate in the real world, such as bullying, verbal abuse, or sharing of inappropriate images. We seek to cultivate discerning minds and responsible choices as we teach the boys to participate safely in our on-line connected world, through regular instruction as well as special events such as our upcoming Safer Internet Week. We also continually urge parents to heed media age guidelines as the boundaries you put in place for your children can promote your own child’s safety and the safety of the other children in their network. Parents will find the e-safety Commisioner’s website (follow this link) a great place to access advice and resources. It is worth bookmarking.
This term’s ‘Cuppa’n’chat’ with the Junior School Executive (Mr Hassall, Mrs Ormes and myself) will be on Thursday 2nd June from 8:45am-9:30am. Parents are welcome to take up the opportunity to ask questions or raise matters, or simply enjoy morning tea with us and one another. Parents will be emailed a link for registration early next week.
Our next Open Day for prospective families considering a Trinity education for their son/s is on Wednesday 1st June. If you know of any families who would appreciate the opportunity to hear about and tour the Junior School, please encourage them to register for this event or future Open Days, via the website or by contacting Enrolments.
Mark Dunn | Head of the Junior School
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-45
