2021 a Year of Connection Have a ‘Heart to Heart’ About Safer Internet Day

TERM 1 - WEEK 3 FEBRUARY 2021 IN THIS ISSUE The Headmistress Junior School Chaplain Senior School Shuttle Community Time flies faster than a weaver’s shuttle. FROM THE HEADMISTRESS 2021 A Year of Connection Have a ‘Heart to Heart’ about Safer Internet Day Mrs Megan Krimmer Headmistress The internet is fabulous; 2020 certainly demonstrated that! How factors that they can put in place to stay safe when using could we have conducted lessons online and spoken with girls the internet. and parents via Zoom if the internet did not exist? How could we have maintained connections with friends and family members, Safer Internet Day is a worldwide event to raise awareness about both here and overseas, so well if it hadn’t been for the internet? online safety and encourage everyone to help create a better online community. The theme for 2021 is ‘Start the Chat’ about Technology, the internet and social media all provide incredible online safety. windows into research, knowledge and wisdom; they also provide wonderful ways in which we can connect with each I spoke to the Senior School girls at Assembly this week (Ms other. If only they could be used for good by all, all the time. Ruston will talk to the Junior School next week) about Safer Internet Day, emphasising the great aspects of the internet as Sadly, as you are only too aware, there is a dark side, and it is to well as the pitfalls. I also reminded the girls about ways to stay this dark side that we must alert our girls and protect them from safe and promote respectful relationships online. In keeping it. As such, we have used Safer Internet Day as an opportunity to with this year’s theme, I encouraged the girls to ‘Start the Chat’ remind the girls about the potential dangers and the protective so that our online behaviour is appropriate. I would like to join with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner in encouraging all parents to mark the Safer Internet Day by starting family conversations about online safety. Resources can be downloaded here and can be used to start a conversation about online safety with your family. eSafety resources include advice for parents and carers to help children have safe experiences online and information for young people with advice for reporting different types of online abuse. Find out more at esafety As Mrs Cannon states: ‘We recognise that social media has many benefits and, if used appropriately, it adds greatly to our lives. We educate and encourage our young people to use social media responsibly and respectfully as we know that overuse and misuse can negatively impact the wellbeing and mental health of the young people involved. Visit the Parent Portal to edit your profile, view the calendar and view parent notices. TERM 1 - WEEK 3 FEBRUARY 2021 ‘Negotiating with teenagers regarding social media use is strongly recommended, eg, setting limits on screen time and not using technology at the dinner table. It is also vital to set firm boundaries and rules around technology use, including not having devices in the bedroom overnight to ensure a good night’s sleep, which is vital for wellbeing. It is also important as adults we role model these good approaches to technology use. ‘It is essential that parents keep the lines of communication open between themselves and their children so that children feel confident that they can talk to their parents if there is an issue online – such as feeling unsafe or being bullied. If children fear that their parents will overreact or cut off their internet use, they are less likely to seek their help. Having said that, if you notice a change in your child’s mood or behaviour, it is important to talk with them about what may be happening and, if needed, seek professional help from the school counsellor or GP.’ In line with Safer Internet Day we encourage the girls to be aware of their digital behaviour; to always be respectful and to only share appropriate pictures or videos with consent. In its most simple form, only say online what you would say to someone face-to-face, it must be respectful. www.esafety.gov.au Chaplain Giving up on roses for the sake of daisies Rev Jenni Stoddart Chaplain What if this Valentine’s Day roses were swapped for daisies? the growth, diversity, skills and gifts of each person. In my After a year when our worlds became smaller we are able to mind, we can take Chesterton a step further when we think take part in our neighbourhoods. One of the great joys of the of young people: beginning of the school year is getting to know students and their families. ‘It must be that God makes each person separately, and has never grown tired of making them.’ Each year I am reminded of the wonderful diversity of human life that brings so much joy to our world. G K Chesterton, a At times we all grow weary, sometimes of each other! Yet philosopher who reflected deeply on the God you discover the God who made us and our Abbotsleigh students delights at the centre of the Christian faith, once pondered a field of in each one of us. It is the days that I see others with his daisies. He said: eyes of delight that I am more myself than any other. What if instead of roses you gave daisies this weekend? A reminder ‘It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies of each person’s wonder and value. alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.’ Chesterton’s point is that the God at the centre of the universe never gets tired or bored of creating. He finds joy in each new daisy. If this is so, what must his joy be like at TERM 1 - WEEK 3 FEBRUARY 2021 Community Forested 23 January to 20 February 2021 A suite of new works by Sydney based artists Jan Handel, Melinda Marshman and Lisa Woolfe In response to the practice of Shinrin-yoku or Forest Bathing; of being in nature and connecting with it through all our senses. Please note – Gallery closed Mondays in 2021 Gallery hours: Tue to Sat, 10 am-5 pm FREE ENTRY I Gate 7, 1666 Pacific Highway, Wahroonga 2076 I 02 9473 7878 [email protected] I www.gcsgallery.com.au Visitors to the gallery are asked to abide by social distancing recommendations and are encouraged to wear a mask. Forested 23 January to 20 February 2021 Artwork: Melinda Marshman Forest Panorama, Oil on polyester, 61 x 132 cm Junior School Strong Moral Fibre Ms Sally Ruston Head of Junior School Our academic year has started most smoothly with initial by conquering such fears with reassurance from peers, parents assessments and ongoing screening providing additional and staff that girls are able to emerge at the end of the camp valuable information to ensure strong and appropriate learning experience stronger, more resilient, independent and confident programs are in place. Yet equally our focus is directed to individuals. The ability to persevere, delay gratification and find ensuring a schooling environment that supports strong social an inner strength to show ‘grit’ when experiencing challenges and emotional wellbeing. For us as adults, both as educators and adversity is essential to our girls’ wellbeing. We seek parent and parents, we want our girls to be strong, courageous support in modelling a positive mindset and an enabling view individuals with the capacity to stand true to their beliefs, to so that this is the reality for each and every girl. Details of this year’s camps can be found in this edition of The Shuttle. stand up against victimisation and to stand tall with integrity and honesty. Such courage isn’t innate but comes with practice Our Junior School Counsellor, Jacqui Olsson has provided and when opportunities present for such actions to be taken. a document with strategies that you might find helpful in supporting your daughter as she prepares for the fun and action One such opportunity exists now as girls are preparing for packed outdoor education programs planned for all girls from outdoor education camps. We know that while nervous and Transition to Year 6. You may also like your child to complete the excited anticipation is mounting for many, that packing both the brave4you program for 8-12 year olds. physical and emotional kitbag for camp can cause the girls (and sometimes parents) a degree of anxiety and concern. Yet it is TERM 1 - WEEK 3 FEBRUARY 2021 • Friday 5 March – Year 2 Parent Morning Tea Morning Teas • Monday 8 March – 6G and 6O Parent Morning Tea • Wednesday 10 March – 6L and 6O Parent Morning Tea Ms Sally Ruston Head of Junior School What a delightful sense of community I encountered this morning at this year’s first Parent Morning Tea with new and past Kindergarten parents. These morning teas are a wonderful opportunity for parents to renew and forge friendships. They start at 7.45 am and are held on Bundarra Lawn. For busy mums and dads, we believe this time allows many to attend before heading off to work or other commitments. You will receive an invitation for your daughter’s year group morning tea from Heidi Grout in the Development Office. Please note the dates below for your diary: • Thursday 18 February – 5G and 5O Parent Morning Tea • Friday 19 February – Year 1 Parent Morning Tea • Monday 22 February – 5L and 5D Parent Morning Tea • Monday 1 March – 4G Parent Morning Tea • Tuesday 2 March – 4O Parent Morning Tea • Thursday 4 March – 4L Parent Morning Tea Saturday Sport Ms Sally Ruston Head of Junior School I witnessed healthy exercise, fun, skill development and • Condemn the use of violence in any form, be it by strong sportsmanship at football, FlippaBall and water spectators, coaches, officials or players.

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