The Balancing Act With Social Media
Part of our role as educators involves conversing with families about how to manage social media in their household and their child's online activity. I want to share the mobile phone contract below with you because it provides some very important and timely messages as we head towards a three-week mid-year break. It is written as a letter from a parent to their son about the boundaries and expectations surrounding the use of their new mobile.
Mitch Tambo performs for Senior Campus Students
I also want to challenge students to think about the balance they have struck in their own lives with social media. Ask yourselves: Do I rely on my phone too much? Is it a distraction from my wellbeing and productivity? I challenge students (and parents, too!) to remove themselves from their devices and communicate more often with family and friends – person to person. I might be old fashioned, but it amazes me that students can be seated next to one another and have a discussion via text with the same person or 'Snapchat' an image with a caption that determines the topic of conversation.
There is no denying that technology is an important part of our lives. It is our connection with our social networks – especially after the last two years of COVID – technology lets us shop, sets us reminders and gives us the latest news. It keeps us informed on a personal, local and global scale. But it can take over from our real-world interactions, so I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents, staff and students of the importance of finding a balance with your use of technology.
Woodleigh's Reconciliation Week Gathering featured the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan
As a parent of 'net gen' girls, I understand the value of and recommend the setting of boundaries for technology while establishing sound study routines. I was struck by the following article by a well-known American writer, Janell B Hoffman. I hope you can connect with its message like I did and that it gives you food for thought as you navigate these discussions and boundaries in your own household.
To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract Love Mum xo
Dear Gregory
Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good and responsible 13-year-old boy, and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership. I love you madly and look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come.
It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
- I will always know the password.
- If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mum" or "Dad." Not ever.
- Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7.30pm every school night and every weekend night at 9.00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7.30am. If you would not make a call to someone's landline, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
- It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
- If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen; you should be prepared.
- Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
- Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
- Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
- No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person -- preferably me or your father.
- Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
- Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.
- Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
- Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO (fear of missing out).
- Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
- Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
- Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
- You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You and I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever-changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone.
Mum xoxoxo
I hope this opens up some fruitful discussion around the dinner table about the role of social media and phone etiquette. Our connection with the internet can also increase to stave off boredom when we have more time on our hands and the holiday period is often a time when this occurs. I would also highly recommend thinking about how you can plan your holidays without heavily relying on social media. I would welcome any feedback or thoughts about this concept.
As we head towards the mid-year break, I ask everyone to keep up the hard work, enjoy the time off when it comes, and I look forward to seeing all families back on deck on Tuesday, 19 July.
NAT McLENNAN Deputy Principal – Head of Senior Campus
Journeys – 2023 Subject Selection Information Night
Journeys brings together subject selection information and staff representatives to help students and families with subject and career planning for 2023 and beyond.
Attendees will have the opportunity to visit booths featuring the full range of Woodleigh's subject offerings in our ‘supermarket-style’ expo. In addition to this, we will run some specific year-level presentations in the Hall.
This event will be highly valuable for parents and students in Years 8-11, and we also welcome younger students and their parents.
RSVP NOWYear 9 Chisholm Discovery Day
As part of our course selection education program, on Monday, 6 June, Year 9 students participated in a discovery day at Chisholm Frankston.
Students had the opportunity to participate in two sessions drawn from the VET subject areas of Sport and Recreation, Hospitality, Building and Construction, Early Childhood, Gaming and Hair and Beauty. Each session was run by an industry professional who gave insight into their industry and why they love their jobs. Students developed skills and knowledge about how VET studies work and why it might be a valuable choice for some students from Year 10 onwards. Student feedback has been very positive, and some of the makeovers were spectacular!
DEREK KIRK
VET Coordinator
Almost. Maine – Animations and Bake Sale
ANIMATIONS
This year’s production, Almost, Maine, has provided some wonderful opportunities for students who have skills in a wide variety of areas. Adelie Marshall is studying Year 12 Art. This has given her the opportunity to follow her passions and has allowed her to develop her craft. She has been making animations for two years, and she has kindly made two animations for ‘Almost Maine’.
The following animation has been specially created to advertise the show. It captures the magical, whimsical nature of the play and reflects the central theme of love.
Insert animation of female face with quotes and show dates.
Adelie’s snow globe animation will be used as the title sequence for each scene. She has created a snow globe that is shaken. It helps remind the audience that each scene happens at exactly the same time, and gives a storybook quality to the narrative.
Adelie works on an iPad with a pencil and uses a program called ProCreate. She said that her small/short animations generally take around 10 hours to create, while longer ones can take up to 20 hours.
The process for creating the snow globe is quite amazing to watch – first she drew the snow globe with the scenery behind it. Then she added the falling snow. She duplicated the frames, slowly moving the snow layer. After each layer is created, Adelie rotated the whole snow globe bit by bit, until the globe looks like it is shaking.
Buy your tickets now to see ‘Almost Maine’, and the snow globe in action!
Tickets are selling fast, and you don’t want to miss it.
PHOEBE AZZOPARDI Y10 – Publicity
BAKE SALE – FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION
‘Almost, Maine’ is a play about love. It recreates a world where people fall in and out of love and no one gets hurt.
We want this to be a reality in all relationships, so we organised a bake sale to raise money and awareness about a cause that we care about.
On Tuesday 7 June, the ‘Almost Maine’ cast and crew held a bake sale to raise money for The Australian Childhood Foundation – an organisation that helps children and families recovering and healing from trauma and abuse, due to family violence.
Cast and crew donated cupcakes and cookies and we ended up making over $500. It took a lot of work, and we are all very proud of the result. Thank you to everyone who supported the stall, as well as the parents, students and staff who donated treats and helped to bake!!!
It’s great to see the cast and crew of Almost, Maine using the platform of the school production to raise awareness for an important social issue. Our play exploring love, has lots of happy endings but recognise that this is not always the case for everyone.
CODY HAMMOCK and BETH ELPHINSTONE Y10
Photos by LOU LOU BURTON
Being Brave. Making Change.
During Reconciliation Week, Woodleigh students, staff and families come together to celebrate Australia's First Nations People, their teachings, history and our shared future.
This year we welcomed Stolen Generation Survivor and proud Boonwurrung, Mutti Mutti and Yorta Yorta woman, Eva Jo Edwards, to share her stories. Monica Weightman, a Murri woman from Townsville, sang songs and told tales across all our campuses, and, on Wednesday night, we launched Woodleigh's Reconciliation Action Plan. This document brings together all we do to further reconciliation across our three campuses and beyond and creates a roadmap for our future efforts. Year 11 student Nia Charlesworth spoke powerfully about her and her family's history and the significance of our school's commitment to reconciliation. There is a definite mood for change, and Woodleigh is proud of our commitment to reconciliation and shared understanding of First Nation's history, culture, teachings and practices.
Groovin' with Mitch Tambo
Thank you, Mitch Tambo, for bringing your language and culture, songs, dance, humour and strong message of reconciliation to "the least boring school you've ever played," today.
Your music is a message, and your message is one delivered with warmth, openness, vulnerability and honesty. Having voices like yours guide us as we walk with Australia's First Nations people on a journey of reconciliation is a gift. We were very lucky to have you perform for us today.
Connect with Mitch Tambo on Instagram.
Unit 3 Comic Creation Activity
Flame.
A comic by Maya Stubbs Y10
Almost, Maine – Tickets on Sale
Almost, Maine (PG)-is a series of loosely connected stories about the residents of a fictional remote town in Maine called “Almost.” Each scene happens at exactly 9:00PM in the middle of winter, as the northern lights hover in the sky.
Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.
“Well, I can’t help it. It just came over me…I’ve fallen in love with you…”
At times realistic and at times absurd, Almost, Maine is mostly very funny with an element of sentimental “magic.”
Experience the life-altering power of the human heart and have your heart touched and warmed in the process.
Note: Almost, Maine will be streamed to ticket holders in the event that a live performance is unable to go ahead due to Covid.
BOOK NOWJourneys brings together subject selection information and staff representatives to help students and families with subject and career planning for 2023 and beyond.
Attendees will have the opportunity to visit booths featuring the full range of Woodleigh's subject offerings in our ‘supermarket-style’ expo. In addition to this, we will run some specific year-level presentations in the Hall.
This event will be highly valuable for parents and students in Years 8-11, and we also welcome younger students and their parents.
RSVP NOWAs part of our course selection education program, on Monday, 6 June, Year 9 students participated in a discovery day at Chisholm Frankston.
Students had the opportunity to participate in two sessions drawn from the VET subject areas of Sport and Recreation, Hospitality, Building and Construction, Early Childhood, Gaming and Hair and Beauty. Each session was run by an industry professional who gave insight into their industry and why they love their jobs. Students developed skills and knowledge about how VET studies work and why it might be a valuable choice for some students from Year 10 onwards. Student feedback has been very positive, and some of the makeovers were spectacular!
DEREK KIRK
VET Coordinator
ANIMATIONS
This year’s production, Almost, Maine, has provided some wonderful opportunities for students who have skills in a wide variety of areas. Adelie Marshall is studying Year 12 Art. This has given her the opportunity to follow her passions and has allowed her to develop her craft. She has been making animations for two years, and she has kindly made two animations for ‘Almost Maine’.
The following animation has been specially created to advertise the show. It captures the magical, whimsical nature of the play and reflects the central theme of love.
Insert animation of female face with quotes and show dates.
Adelie’s snow globe animation will be used as the title sequence for each scene. She has created a snow globe that is shaken. It helps remind the audience that each scene happens at exactly the same time, and gives a storybook quality to the narrative.
Adelie works on an iPad with a pencil and uses a program called ProCreate. She said that her small/short animations generally take around 10 hours to create, while longer ones can take up to 20 hours.
The process for creating the snow globe is quite amazing to watch – first she drew the snow globe with the scenery behind it. Then she added the falling snow. She duplicated the frames, slowly moving the snow layer. After each layer is created, Adelie rotated the whole snow globe bit by bit, until the globe looks like it is shaking.
Buy your tickets now to see ‘Almost Maine’, and the snow globe in action!
Tickets are selling fast, and you don’t want to miss it.
PHOEBE AZZOPARDI Y10 – Publicity
BAKE SALE – FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION
‘Almost, Maine’ is a play about love. It recreates a world where people fall in and out of love and no one gets hurt.
We want this to be a reality in all relationships, so we organised a bake sale to raise money and awareness about a cause that we care about.
On Tuesday 7 June, the ‘Almost Maine’ cast and crew held a bake sale to raise money for The Australian Childhood Foundation – an organisation that helps children and families recovering and healing from trauma and abuse, due to family violence.
Cast and crew donated cupcakes and cookies and we ended up making over $500. It took a lot of work, and we are all very proud of the result. Thank you to everyone who supported the stall, as well as the parents, students and staff who donated treats and helped to bake!!!
It’s great to see the cast and crew of Almost, Maine using the platform of the school production to raise awareness for an important social issue. Our play exploring love, has lots of happy endings but recognise that this is not always the case for everyone.
CODY HAMMOCK and BETH ELPHINSTONE Y10
Photos by LOU LOU BURTON
During Reconciliation Week, Woodleigh students, staff and families come together to celebrate Australia's First Nations People, their teachings, history and our shared future.
This year we welcomed Stolen Generation Survivor and proud Boonwurrung, Mutti Mutti and Yorta Yorta woman, Eva Jo Edwards, to share her stories. Monica Weightman, a Murri woman from Townsville, sang songs and told tales across all our campuses, and, on Wednesday night, we launched Woodleigh's Reconciliation Action Plan. This document brings together all we do to further reconciliation across our three campuses and beyond and creates a roadmap for our future efforts. Year 11 student Nia Charlesworth spoke powerfully about her and her family's history and the significance of our school's commitment to reconciliation. There is a definite mood for change, and Woodleigh is proud of our commitment to reconciliation and shared understanding of First Nation's history, culture, teachings and practices.
Thank you, Mitch Tambo, for bringing your language and culture, songs, dance, humour and strong message of reconciliation to "the least boring school you've ever played," today.
Your music is a message, and your message is one delivered with warmth, openness, vulnerability and honesty. Having voices like yours guide us as we walk with Australia's First Nations people on a journey of reconciliation is a gift. We were very lucky to have you perform for us today.
Flame.
A comic by Maya Stubbs Y10
Almost, Maine (PG)-is a series of loosely connected stories about the residents of a fictional remote town in Maine called “Almost.” Each scene happens at exactly 9:00PM in the middle of winter, as the northern lights hover in the sky.
Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers.
“Well, I can’t help it. It just came over me…I’ve fallen in love with you…”
At times realistic and at times absurd, Almost, Maine is mostly very funny with an element of sentimental “magic.”
Experience the life-altering power of the human heart and have your heart touched and warmed in the process.