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Exciting News for the Nature Playground!
North Wing Update
This week I would like to raise a bit of a difficult one for schools and families. Last week, I referred to how different society is from when I grew up and even from when our children were growing up. One of the challenges we face is the online presence we are creating/allowing to be created for our children. Here at school, we require parents only to take photos of their own child and not of other children, we have guidelines around the staff use of personal cameras/phones for taking photos of children so we can do our best to ensure photos of our children are kept safe. I was talking with a parent the other day about the online footprint we are creating and leaving for our children and that we need to consider carefully what we post online about our children and grandchildren, and their friends, as the implications can be far more reaching than first appears. When I came across this article from Colin Anson, co-founder of Pixevety (an online storage solution company), I thought he had some excellent insights. I particularly liked the idea of asking your child’s permission to put their photos online, to help educate them about the importance of what they post when they are a little older. I hope you enjoy the article and that it helps with your thinking in this important area.
“From sharing pictures of a child’s first day at school to key moments at high school, many adults don’t consider the potential risks or breach of future privacy for kids. In fact, it is now become a ritual to announce the full name and date of birth of a child online within hours of them being born. This is just the beginning of a child’s digital footprint.
Although children are now ‘born digital’, exposure in the online world can present just as many risks as the physical world can pose. Images and identifying details can be used for numerous activities that put your child at risk, from stalking, to cyberbullying, identity theft, and even digital kidnapping.
The Australian eSafety Commission warns that half of all images on paedophile image-sharing sites originate from social media sites and blogs. Parents are responsible for protecting kids until they are old enough to make their own decisions about their online presence.
So, what can parents do?
Start by ‘thinking privacy’ before posting images of children online. You’ll be protecting their digital footprint and setting them up for a healthy relationship with the digital world.
Seek consent
Always ask others before sharing images of their children, even your family. Speak up about how you feel about images of your child being shared. When your child is old enough, ask them for consent, empowering them to understand they have a right to their privacy online. As they become teenagers, hopefully they will have more respect for what they post online and have confidence to speak to others about their consent guidelines.
Understand the settings
Check the settings of your social media channels to ensure your posts are not public. Speak to your friends and family about this and don’t be afraid to ask for help to get it right. If your child has social media channels of their own, go through the settings with them to minimise the risk of unwanted shares.
Think about the detail
Avoid including children’s identifiable details such as school badges, logos, uniforms, name tags or identifiable locations such as your home area or school. Alternatively, blur these details prior to posting.
Be selective
Create a simple checklist to help make decisions regarding posting online easy. What do you deem appropriate? Are you happy to share images of your children in swimwear? Do you want to avoid full-frontal face shots?
If your child is old enough, explain why you are selecting certain pictures and not sharing others. If you have a teenager who is sharing their own images, talk to them about what is appropriate and potential repercussions of not setting boundaries.
Remove metadata
Metadata on digital images records the time, date and GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken and can be accessed through shared images, and your sharing service may record your IP address. You can wipe this information with appropriate software or share screenshots of your photos to avoid metadata sharing. Screenshot sharing creates a lower resolution photo, so it’s less likely to be tampered with by a third party.
Think ‘privacy first’ to reduce many of the risks involved with image sharing. Have conversations with your children to instil this mentality; help them build empathy; and identify the steps for minimising risk whilst helping them build a healthy relationship with technology so they can become responsible digital citizens.” (Anson, 2019)
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
Book Fair
Named Pavers Fundraiser Opportunity
This term, families and individuals are invited to purchase a Named Paver. These pavers will be placed in the North Wing, which is currently under construction (see picture below for examples of what the pavers might look like). This will be done to fundraise for resources for the new classrooms and learning spaces being built.
Examples of Named Pavers:
Each Named Paver will cost $45 each, and you may purchase as many pavers as you like.
A letter was sent home to families last week, with a cut-off slip to be returned to the Front Office by Friday 23rd August. We are excited about this opportunity for families and individuals to create a further legacy at PPN.
Wellness Check
Entertainment Book
Make his day and support Prescott Primary Northern
It's smart, dynamic and fun, just like Dad. The Entertainment Digital Membership is more useful than a tool kit, fits neatly in Dad's smartphone and has great offers for dining, movies, activities and travel - all the things he loves to do with you
Purchase now and go in the draw to win the ultimate Father’s Day gift. When you purchase a Membership online during August you will go into the draw to win 2 tickets to the AFL Grand Final, along with accommodation at Melbourne Shortstay Apartments, flights from Jetstar and dinner for 2 at Red Spice Road.
Consent2Go
A reminder that Prescott Primary Northern has engaged the services of Consent2Go to provide a better way to manage medical data and excursion processes. Some of you will have already received an email that asks you to update your students profile. You need to then press the red button that says 'click here to update details'. If you have not received it yet, please keep checking your email this week for it. For those that may have missed it, you will receive a reminder soon.
