As the internet continues to create a whole host of issues for today’s parents and children, Trinity is proactively trying to ensure our community can adequately deal with them. Last week, the school played host to Judy from the Alannah Madeline Foundation, who presented a workshop on cyber safety to the Years 3-6 students.
Later that evening, she would present a session to parents, ensuring the message is broadcast across the community. The Alannah Madeline Foundation is named for Alannah and Madeline Mikac who died, along with their mother, in the Port Arthur Massacre of 1996. The girls’ father, Walter, resolved to create a foundation that could ensure Australian children were free from violence and able to have a safe and happy childhood.
The internet era has seen the foundation broaden its message about violence against children. Cyber safety affects everyone, with new forms of social media and entertainment being constantly developed and offering any person with ill-intent increasingly easy access to children.
The students left the workshop commenting about how much they had learned with regards to making safe choices when using internet-connected devices, and have an increased awareness of how to be savvy when searching for information online.
Parents who attended the evening session where amazed by how much they didn’t know about the internet and technology, and remarked about how much more informed they now feel when it comes to the savvy use of technology with their children. Trinity School was fortunate enough to receive a grant from Catholic Education in order to make the workshop happen, and allow them to bring such specialised services to the school.
