Dear Parents
Last week’s rugby and hockey matches were the first since 2019 where spectators were allowed and the enjoyment of this restored opportunity was tangible. So many parents told me how wonderful it was to be back around the activities and interacting freely again with staff and other parents. Boys are relational learners and relationships underpin everything we do as a community. The third value of the Mitre at the Prep is Togetherness which is a major emphasis for 2022 after two years of separation and avoidance. So to finally have every activity open makes living this value so much more possible.
Last week I spoke to the boys about the use of their iPads at school, referring also to use and control at home. If a boy has a personal device (iPad, phone, laptop) he often struggles to understand that, at his age at Prep it is not a device owned by himself nor is it private as in a personal diary. There is so much available on the internet that it is not entirely surprising that boys are eager to dive into their iPads at any opportunity.
I made the following points to them:
- Your parents own your iPad.
- It is not private and will be checked.
- Your parents need to have your password and history must not be deleted.
- At school it is an educational tool, similar to any educational material.
- The iPad may only be used on specific instruction of the teacher and for the purposes outlined by the teacher.
- You may not have any inappropriate material on your iPad.
- We know that many of you are very tech savvy and some do try to beat the system but we have an extensive firewall and a twelve hourly reporting programme which informs us about usage, sites and who is trying to go where: so if you are trying to access an adult site or use a VPN, this will be picked up.
- The use of technology can add a great deal to your learning and we know that you enjoy using it, but you also have to be protected and learn to use it appropriately.
We are arranging a presentation for parents around home management of devices, age appropriate access to the internet and social media, games, amount of screen time, as well as legal aspects. We will communicate with you about this shortly.
Have a good weekend.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER
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