In this time of every changing technology, Holy Name hosted an Internet Safety Awareness presentation for both parents and students. This presentation was provided by the Australian Communications and Media Authority as part of a national program of cyber safety initiatives, and was an integral part of Holy Name’s commitment to helping students develop appropriate behaviours when using digital technologies,, both at school and at home.
Below are some reflections by parents and students on the day and evening sessions:
“Last Tuesday, Greg from ACMA came to visit the Year 3-6s to talk about Cyber safety. He talked to us about being safe online. He told us about passwords and to think of passwords no hacker would guess. Passwords should include capital letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols. He told us what to do if we get cyber bullied and showed us a video about the right thing to do if you talk to a stranger online. Overall, it was a great learning experience and everyone learnt something new about Cyber safety”.
By Carla, Kayley & Zoe Year 6
“Firstly I would like to thank David Delaney and the Holy Name staff for running a session on ‘Internet Safety Awareness’… this just reinforces that the school has our children’s best interest at heart!
I found the session to be most informative. Greg Gebhart from the Australian Communications & Media Authority was very engaging and had the attention of the audience captivated right throughout the presentation with the incredible statistics he was quoting. It was a great comfort to learn that the Government is committed to enhancing Online Safety for our children.
Whilst most of us are not experts in the Cyber world, the one key message that I took away is that we need to keep the communication open with our children and need to continually reinforce appropriate social behaviours. We need to be good role models and should try to influence our children to always behave in an acceptable manner.
For those parents that were unable to attend the presentation, you may like to visit www.safety.gov.au for more information”.
Manuela Fernandez (parent)
“I would like to thank you for organising the Internet Safety Presentation. Some of what I heard on the night was quite frightening. The internet and in particular social media is unavoidable and our kids are using social media earlier and earlier. If we as adults are unaware of some of the traps, then our kids are at risk from online predators who know how to get to them. Greg Gebhart from the ACMA was able to give us some useful hints on simple ways to restrict access to things that are potentially dangerous. He spoke about the different apps that are currently popular and how they work, which ones can be dangerous and ways to avoid those dangers. He spoke about decoy apps that kids are using to hide photos and messages in. There were practical tips on how to enforce time restrictions on the amount of time spent online. He gave us advice about how to deal with cyber bullying and explained the laws relating to this and how to take action when needed. There were simple changes to settings that I was able to make to my own computer and phone that have made these devices safer and had I not attended the presentation, I would not have been aware of the dangers involved. I would urge all parents to attend the next presentation as it’s a great way to keep up with the ever changing issues surrounding social media and internet use”.
Rosella Angley (parent)
“The Cyber Safety night held on Tuesday 27th of October at Holy Name Primary School was a fantastic presentation that gave great insight into the internet and social issues faced in today’s society.
Several of the issues discussed were extremely relevant to us all. One example of this was our digital imprint and the possible impact it could have moving forward and when looking for jobs, if not protected. The information on gaming, cyber safety and the new technology issues for our children was also very informative and again essential knowledge in today’s digital world. I would like to say a huge thank you to the school and its teachers for their effort in organising the night as the influence that technology has in our lives is only going to continue to increase, and education on how to use it safely is vital for all. Thanks again!”
Sarah Williamson (parent)
“On Tuesday week 4 from grade 3-6 we had someone from the government come talk to us about cyber-safety.
We learnt about when we’re online, how to keep safe from cyber bullies, hackers and strangers.
We learnt when you join a web site, never use the following things as your password:
your pet’s name, family name or your own name.
We now know how to have a password that keeps us safe. These are the tips that we will now use when we join a website:
Always use lowercase and capital letters in your password
Always use numbers in your password
And include characters such as @ or &, etc in your password.
The presenter also showed us an example of a fake email that was sent to his email. He explained some of the ways to check if an email is legitimate or not. One way is to see if they use your real name.
We found the information session helpful because we are getting older and will be using apps like snap-chat, instagram, facebook etc. We need to know how to use these sites properly.
By Alyssa L and Mikayla M