Dear Parents
iPAD CHECKING
Every now and again we have a situation where a boy tries to access a site that is inappropriate in one way or another. Boys are only allowed to access the Internet via the school WiFi. We receive a security report and if we can see attempts to access sites that are not allowed, we can track down the boy and deal with him. So where the boys’ iPads can only go online via WiFi, the controls are excellent.
However, if a boy has a sim card or has downloaded a VPN, we do not have the same controls. So our rule is that he may not have a sim card at school or a VPN on his iPad. The iPad is first and foremost an educational tool, which we have explained to the boys means two things: he may not have anything on his iPad that does not adhere to school rules regardless of when or where it was downloaded or accessed – consequently the history of all sites accessed must remain on his device and not be cleared. The school can and will check his iPad from time to time in the same way we would textbooks and workbooks. It is a good idea for you to do the same at this age.
We are very strict about this but I know that we need to do more spot checks. We did a check on one of the grades recently and we were generally pleased with what we found. The problem is that one boy can download something inappropriate and show it to a number of boys, so home and school controls are important. This is the age we train our boys so regular checking and controlling times online need to be managed now.
JUMPING GAME
Many of you might have heard of this game trending on social media as games do from time to time. The problem is that it is a very dangerous game so we have banned it completely. It involves a boy standing between two others and jumping up and as he comes down, the others kick his legs out from under him. A number of boys find this terribly funny and there is a “dare” element to participating, even though the videos show boys hitting their heads. There have already been reports of severe concussion and skulls cracked open. In some quarters it is known as “skull breaker”. Please speak to your son about this extremely dangerous game which will unfortunately intrigue many of our youngsters.
On a more positive note, have a wonderful weekend and please make sure that you have reserved Friday, 6 March for our Annual Carnival.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
