Greetings
On Thursday the Primary and High school held their second inter house athletics meeting. Having learned from our first attempt at this, we were able to execute a well-run, event appropriate, fun filled, exciting and certainly, memorable event. Many thanks to the participants and to the staff who assisted during the day. A special thanks to the House teachers and to Mr. Foord for his hard work in coordinating a very successful day. A special thanks too, to the many parents who turned to watch and enjoy the day.
Important dates
| March | ||
| 3 | Tuesday | Test series starts |
| 5 | Thursday | Inter-house Athletics |
| 6 | Friday | Foundation Phase Cake Sale |
| 19 | Thursday | Foundation Phase Sports Day |
| 20 | Friday | End of term 1 |
Inter House Athletics
Congratulations to our Dragon House (green) who were the winners in the inter house sports day. The Gryphons (yellow) won the spirit cup on the day. I would like to congratulate the entire school for their effort and the quite fantastic level of support and enthusiasm. The learners looked splendid in their house tee- shirts and we will make sure that there are more opportunities to celebrate inter house completion and to build house spirit.
Food for thought
My food for thought this week concerns teens (children) and the use of cell phones. This is a look at a contract that some parents have set up between them and their teens/children for the use of cell phones. It is entitled “Teen Cell Phone Contract – Healthy Boundaries for Teen Cell Phone Use” by Josh Shipp.
When it comes to your teen’s first phone, the question isn’t a matter of ‘if.’ It’s a matter of ‘when.’
If you’re a parent, you know that this seemingly innocent decision is BIG. Essentially, you’re extending an invitation towards independence—to become a well-rounded person who can co-exist with technology, rather than be ruled by it.
The goal is to help children become well rounded people who can coexist with technology, NOT be ruled by it. If you’re feeling a little freaked out, you’re not alone. After all, it’s unnerving to think about your kid having the entire internet in their back pocket (read: cyberbullying, porn, creepy strangers, oh my!?!?!).
We can’t, however, let fear rule our decisions as parents.
At the end of the day, our children are good people who we love and trust (well, most of the time). What we need to do is empower our children to make good decisions with this new gadget—to help them understand that a cell phone, like all privileges, is a responsibility. Inspired by a segment I did with Good Morning America. The segment featured Janell Burley Hofmann, who created an iPhone Contract for her 13-year old son. Here’s a teen cell phone contract to help you spark this mission-critical ‘cell phone responsibility discussion’ with your teen. It’s designed for you to give to your teen directly, but I encourage you to make it your own.
This teen cell phone contract is designed to create an open line of communication between you and your teen regarding their cell phone. Again, the goal is to help your kid become a well-rounded person who can coexist with technology, NOT be ruled by it. The Yale Stress Center conducted research that found empirical evidence that self-control is a renewable resource that can be increased through suitable “exercise.” Self-control is like a muscle that can be strengthened and improved. Technology is a great tool to strengthen self-control.
DOWNLOAD PDF: THE TEENAGE CELL PHONE CONTRACT
Enjoy your weekend
Brian