Academy Conferences for Gifted and Talented Senior Students

On the Tuesday the 8th of May, 12 Corpus students from the Academic Excellence Program had the opportunity to attend the Gifted and Talented Academic Conference held at St Hilda’s. The day was filled with engaging talks that presented us with challenging and abstract ideas. In the morning Julie Arliss spoke to us about the concept of truth and logic, and logical reasoning in a post-modern world. Jeffrey Hodges also talked to us about having a ‘Gold medal mindset’, and how to make dreams into achievable goals. Dr Mark Lewney explained string theory and other physics concepts with his guitar and exciting discoveries and experiments in the world of physics.

In the afternoon Julie Arliss discussed the idea of the afterlife and multiple beliefs regarding the mind and body. At the end of the day, we were able to use concepts and ideas that we had learnt throughout the day in a debate about whether people should always tell the truth or not. We were able to see many perspectives on the debate and engage with other students about their beliefs.

Siobhan Stevens, Year 10.

Public Speaking Success

Gianni Petta, Emma Garland, Chelsea Fuderer, Olivia Dellaca and Hugh Livingstone competed in the Rostrum Voice of Youth semi-final on Saturday 12 May. Gianni will now represent Corpus Christi College in the State Final which will take place on the 23rd of June.

All of these students are to be commended for their dedication and hard work in the lead up to the competition and the way in which they represented the College. It is also important to acknowledge Noreen Stevenson for supporting these students.

Year 9 - Do you need some help with your studying?

1. Have a look at ELES Study Skills Handbook for some ideas and help!

Website: http://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/

Login: corpuschristi

Password: 33achieve

2. Go to Homework club on Tuesday or Thursday in the Library. We have ex-students there to help you out.

3. YouTube the topic you don't understand or need help with for videos that may be helpful.

Mrs Yvette Pearce

Head of Year 9

Year 9 English – Community Services Guest Speaker

On Wednesday 16th May, the Year 9 Consolidated English classes were privileged to have Mrs Donna Smith as a guest speaker. Mrs Smith shared about her background and the influences her early life and experiences have had on her current work and her values. The students were able to formulate and ask questions, and also engaged in a ‘knowing your own values’ activity, which helped to highlight the choices we all make in life.

The students enjoyed this period and learned a great deal from the things Mrs Smith shared. In particular, people were inspired by her ongoing work in the community, in the way disadvantaged people are being considered and cared for, and they were also inspired by the way every person is treated with dignity and that all are valued, regardless of their circumstances.

The students are currently interviewing older family members and are constructing biographical presentations dealing with life, experiences, values, and the way we can all make a difference in our communities.

Vanessa Christie

Year 8 CYBER SAFETY – PASTORAL SESSION

Late in Term One, the students were involved in a presentation from Taryn Wren – Director at Y-Safe. Taryn spoke to the Year 8’s about a number of topics relating to Cyber Safety which included:

Cyber Bullying

Being a victim of cyber bullying can contribute toward long-term mental health and social issues including (but not limited to): depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, low self-esteem, and poor health.

Cyber bullying can also have negative social and emotional impacts on the bully. Cyber bullying can be a crime under state and national law. The following may be unlawful: using the internet or a phone in a threatening or harassing way; stalking others; accessing internet accounts without permission; defamation; and/or encouraging a person to harm themselves.

A bystander is someone who witnesses bullying behaviour. Positive and constructive bystander intervention can assist victims of cyber bullying and discourage bullying behaviour.

Positive and constructive bystander intervention should strive to support to the victim of bullying and discourage the bullying behaviour without the use of aggressive and/or insulting actions/words.

More information regarding the law around sexting and bullying can be sourced from lawstuff.org.au.

Online Wellbeing

On average, millennials check their phone 157 time per day. Social media and digital gaming platforms have been designed with the intention of encouraging us to spend time on them.

Using technology is not a bad thing but we need to be aware of the impact excessive use can have on our mental and physical health.

Whilst phones, social networking, and online gaming platforms allow us to be in constant contact with our friends, online interactions do not satisfy the same psychological needs as face-to-face interaction. Spending too much time on technology and not enough time physically interacting with others can have a detrimental impact on our mental health (e.g. increase feelings of loneliness and isolation).

Some warning signs that we may be spending too much time on technology include: taking your phone to the bathroom; using your phone in social settings; checking your phone immediately before and after sleep; feeling false phone vibrations; being unable to be apart from your phone; and feeling anxious if you’re are unable to check your phone for an extended period.

Things we can do to help regulate our technology use include: be selective with the notifications that are switched on; turn-off blue light at night; take note of when being on technology stops feeling good; monitor how much time you’re spending on your phone (this can be done using an app like Moment or Checky, or under the battery icon in settings on an iPhone); set an off time when going to bed.

Digital Footprint

Your digital footprint is made up from all the information available about you online. This includes things posted to and from your social media accounts (including ghost accounts), external websites, others social media accounts, etc.

Your digital footprint can be positive or negative. It matters because it lasts forever and can impact you down the track when you’re applying for jobs, TAFE or university. A 2017 Australian study indicated that 70 percent of employers now use social media to screen job candidates before hiring them.

Googling yourself regularly is one way to remain informed on what is publicly available about you on the internet. To obtain the most accurate result when googling yourself, follow the formula: ‘first and last name’ AND Perth

You can also use reverse Google image search (which uses facial recognition software) to look for publicly available images on yourself. To do this, go to Google, select ‘Images’, click the camera icon in the right-hand corner of the search bar, and upload an image that clearly shows your face.

The following can have a negative impact on our digital footprint: cyber bullying and trolling; posts showing unruly or unlawful behaviour; links to offensive information; swearing, profanities and/or harassment; and explicit photos.

If there’s something about you on the internet that you think could have a negative impact on your digital footprint, you may consider the following: Remove/unfollow the damaging material, page, or person; check your social media settings are set to private; conduct regular checks of google and social media profiles; remove any old posts, comments, or profiles which may be damaging; report the item to the platform it’s posted on and request that it be removed; seek help where needed; and add positive content to your digital footprint.

Taryn has also provided us with some useful information for parents about apps we should all be aware that our children could/are currently using. The following will likely be the most helpful (and least overwhelming) resource:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/games-apps-and-social-networking

Y-Safe recommend using this in conjunction with the Common Sense media app review website, which provides parents with a brief overview of app features, associated cyber safety risks, parent and educator age recommendations, and reviews:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/

Some specific examples include:

Instagram: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/instagram

Snapchat: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/snapchat

Fortnite: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/fortnite

Yubo (formerly Yellow): https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/yubo

KiK messenger: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/kik-messenger

Music.ly: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/musically-your-video-social-network

Some of the app features that Y-Safe recommend parents pay particular attention to include: geolocation tracking, open chat forums, linked accounts, and hidden and/or disappearing content. Whilst this list is not exhaustive, we do tend to see a higher incidence of risky/problematic online behaviours associated with these features in high school settings. It is important to note that this is by no means the case with all students using apps containing these features, many of whom exhibit responsible use with adequate safety settings/protocols.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION – PASTORAL SESSION

Conflict is normal part of growing up but left alone can create friendships problems, cause emotional stress and affect a young person’s confidence and learning. Last week the Year 8’s took part in a pastoral session which provided an opportunity for them to develop skills around Conflict Resolution. The objectives of the session were:

Identify feelings and needs behind conflict
Explore techniques to deal with conflict
Generate creative solutions for resolving conflicts cooperatively

This pastoral session aimed to give our students the opportunity to be problem-solvers and take some responsibility for dealing with one another when they are upset. These are skills that will serve them well for a lifetime.

Simon Messer

Head of Year 8

Year 9 CYBER SAFETY – PASTORAL SESSION

The last two Pastoral Programme sessions have focused on the cyber world that your children are often quite engaged in. Below are a few websites, questionable apps and links to resources that may be useful to you as parents and guardians. I hope that they are useful in facilitating you to help guide your children to be responsible digital citizens.

Office of the eSafety Commissioner

Games, apps and social networking:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/games-apps-and-social-networking

Some of the app features recommended for parents to pay particular attention to include: geolocation tracking, open chat forums, linked accounts, and hidden and/or disappearing content.

A popular Netflix series in 2017, ’13 Reasons Why,’ has now released Season 2 . The link below has some Headspace resources and advice on talking to teens who watch this series.

https://www.headspace.org.au/news/headspace-and-netflix-collaborate-to-keep-young-australians-safe/

Please contact the College if you have further concerns with your child’s online relationships

and activities.

Middle School News