Issue 15 - 15th September
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From the Principal
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Literacy News
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Aiming High Awards
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Parents and Friends
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Kinder - Spring work
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Grade 6 - HASS
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Principal Away - Saints of Italy Pilgrimage
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Primary School Basketball Tournament
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Footy Colours Day
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Term dates
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Girls Programming Network
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Public Holiday
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Cat Production Book Launch
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CHArts event
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Princess Party
I came across this article by Dr Kristy Goodwin, one of Australia’s leading digital parenting experts and wanted to share it with you this week. Don’t think you’re alone with a techno-trantuming child! We’ve all been there, or going through it now, or will in the future.
8 Simple Strategies to Prevent Your Child’s Techno-Tantrums
Many parents today have endured their child’s techno-tantrums from time to time. This is when their child or teen emotionally combusts when they’re asked to turn off the iPad, TV or gaming console.
Unlike ‘conventional’ tantrums, techno-tantrums aren’t restricted to the toddler years. They can persist into adolescence. Many parents and professionals report that otherwise well-adjusted kids get agitated, angry and frustrated when asked to switch off a device. Techno-tantrums aren’t a red flag that kids are ‘addicted’ to technology, nor are they a sign that we should ban screens.
Let me reassure you. Techno-tantrums are in fact considered a ‘typical’ neurobiological response. We know, for example, when kids use screens it’s usually a pleasurable experience. Watching YouTube clips, or playing a game, or viewing social media posts all activate the reward system in the brain. So their brain is releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine. When parents peel the gaming console from their teens’ hands, or the TV remote control from their child’s clutches, you’re terminating their supply of dopamine!
There are some simple strategies that you can implement to prevent the onset of the techno-tantrum. These strategies have been mum-tested and are also grounded in the research and science about how technology is impacting their brains and bodies.
- Establish boundaries before devices are switched on
It’s impossible to negotiate screen-time limits with your child once the device is switched on. Many parents are all too familiar with the ‘digital zombie state’ their child enters when they’re in front of a screen. If you establish limits and boundaries around how long they can play/watch/create before the device is switched on you’re much more likely to avoid the techno-tantrum.
Bonus tip- have discussions about screen-time in the morning and not at night. Kids’ logical brain (their prefrontal cortex) doesn’t work effectively at night and their amygdala (emotional part of the brain) takes over.
- Cognitive priming
When kids are playing a game, or using an app they often become so engrossed with their screen activity that they lose track of time. This is why kids often say, “But I’ve only been playing for ten minutes…” when it’s actually closer to 2-hours! They enter the psychological state of flow where their concept of time disappears. That’s why it’s imperative that you warn your child before it’s time to switch off the device.
“Sam, you’ve got ten more minutes on your game and then I want you to turn it off.” This not only psychologically prepares your child that the end is looming, but it also gives them sufficient time to make any preparations to finish what they’re doing. For example, do they need to let their friends know that they’re about leave the group SMS chat (this is particularly important for girls as many are ostracised if they don’t keep up in an SMS loop)? Perhaps they need to save what they’ve been working on, or finish the activity they were undertaking.
Bonus tip- notice in the example above the child was directed to turn off the screen. This is a subtle but powerful use of language as your child feels like they’re in control. When kids feel that they have a locus of control over their situation they’re much more likely to co-operate.
3. Have an appealing transition activity
Given that their brains are releasing dopamine when using a screen and the reward pathways in the brain are activated, coming in and barking orders to, “Turn off the TV and go and do your maths homework!!!” will usually be met with the techno-tantrum. Instead, give your child or teen a choice of appealing activities to complete when they turn off the device. A choice of two is sufficient and they must be appealing for your child. For example, you could say to your six-year-old son, “It’s time to turn off the iPad. After you’ve turned it off, would you like to jump on the trampoline or work on your Lego puzzle?”
4. Give a quantity not an amount of time
Giving kids a screen-time limit only works if kids have a conceptual understanding of time (which typically develops between 6-8 years). Saying to a three-year-old you have half-an-hour watching TV is pointless. Instead, give kids a quantity. You could agree on the number of TV episodes or YouTube clips they could watch, or you could determine the level in the game that they could reach, or specify the number of objects they’ll craft in Minecraft. Giving kids a quantity is much more objective than a time limit and gives them a firm boundary. This is important because when our kids use technology they enter the ‘state of insufficiency’ where they rarely feel complete or done. There’s always another video they could watch or another level in the game they could reach, or another update in social media.
Bonus tip- if your child understands time, use the timer app on your mobile device or a kitchen timer. Kids are much less likely to argue with a timer (than you) and it’s pointless to plead for more time with a timer.
5. Provide a cut-off time or point
Given that our kids enter the state of flow and the state of insufficiency when using technology we have to provide them with artificial end points. They need hard stop points. Often games, apps and social media don’t have a finish point. Instead, you could say to your child, “When you reach level 7 I want you to turn off the game”, or, “When it transitions from day to night I want you to turn it off.”
6. Empty their sensory cup
Using screens can hyper-arouse kids and cause their sensory and nervous systems to become overloaded. This is a chief cause of the techno-tantrum (particularly boys who appear to be more vulnerable to this stressed post-screen state). Parents need to help kids and teens calm down after using a screen. Time in nature, physical activity, having a shower or bath, chewing ice, playing with playdoh or Lego are great ways to get kids to empty their sensory cups. These activities, especially physical activities, help with their cortisol (stress hormone) discharge.
7. Establish AND enforce your boundaries
Parents need to be the pilot of the digital plane (not the passenger). This means that parents need to help establish healthy boundaries around screen activities and not allow their child to be in control of the digital plane. Kids need to be involved in the decision making, but it’s up to parents to enforce the boundaries.
Establishing boundaries is relatively easy, but consistently enforcing them is much more difficult. Try to be firm with your boundaries around screen-time. Giving into their desperate pleas for another hour, or another level tells your child that you’re willing to negotiate. And we all know how effective their pester-power can be! Try, where you can to stick to your boundaries.
Bonus tip- Have logical consequences if kids don’t adhere to your boundaries. I’m not talking about using screen-time as a punishment (this is something I strongly discourage) but our kids need to learn that if they don’t follow the established boundaries then there are logical consequences. We want our kids to see technology as a privilege, not a right.
8. Discuss after the event
If your child has a techno-tantrum (and remember, they’re inevitable) give them some space before discussing it. Don’t reason in the moment. Talking to them when you’re feeling frustrated and they’re in a stressed state is a recipe for disaster. Given that boys take longer to process emotions and find the language to describe the situation, it might take boys a few days to process. Girls may need a shorter time frame than boys. Ask them what else they could you do next time that would be a more appropriate way of behaving?
Plan, don’t ban technology. Digital abstinence isn’t the solution.
Given that our kids will inherit a digital world we need to teach them how to use technology in healthy and helpful ways and how to mitigate any potential pitfalls. They can only develop these skills if they use technology.
Pick three strategies from above that you think would work for your child and consistently implement them. Over time, your child will gradually learn that throwing a tantrum when asked to switch off the iPad isn’t an appropriate or socially-acceptable way to behave.
Congratulations to last weeks Aiming High recipients:
Kinder - Henry Dabner & Quinn Saward
Prep - Macklen Coombs & Rylan Nichols
Grade 1 - Lucas Schuuring & Harrison Langdon
Grade 2 - Bronte Horton & Tayla Berechree
Grade 3 - Myla Jenkins & Archie O’Neil
Grade 4 - Indianna Facey & Jaiden Spinks
Grade 6 - Jewel Wynwood & Calvin Poke
Congratulations to Carly for winning last weeks bake raffle.
Kinder students have been learning about Spring. On the 1st of September the children were excited to change the season from ‘Winter’ to ‘Spring’ and to celebrate they crafted cherry blossom trees and daffodils.
To make the cherry blossom trees, the students scrunched pink tissue paper into small pieces and glued them onto a print out of a tree. To make the daffodils, the students cut and put together yellow, orange and green paper. The end result was beautiful!
The students have learnt that the weather changes in Spring and the days begin to get sunnier and warmer. We also see more flowers in Spring as the combination of rain and sun helps them grow.
We were lucky enough to have some real daffodils given to us which we have kept in the classroom for the children to admire. The students agree that their daffodil artwork looks just like the real daffodils!
In HASS this term, Grade 6 have been learning about the continent of Asia. Within this, they have explored many different Asian countries, gaining an understanding of their geographical location and features and an appreciation of what their everyday life is like. They have studied the journey of Marco Polo from Italy throughout central Asia, looked at local markets in Bangkok and appreciated the significance of different countries' flags and their meanings. Students came up with their own flags to represent the whole continent of Asia, including symbols that represented the main facts they learnt about in the unit. This included symbols for religion, rice production, families, low income, high population and the mountainous similarities with many countries. To conclude the unit, Grade 6 students enjoyed sampling some foods produced and made in Asia. Upon reflection, the students identified that this was their favourite part. We all agree that we would love to explore Asia at some point in our lives.
Mrs Kerrie Flynn, along with other Catholic Principals, has been given the opportunity to attend the Saints of Italy Pilgrimage. Mrs Flynn will be away from Thursday, 29th September and returning on Thursday, 27th October.
While away, Mrs Flynn will participate in several masses and explore many different locations including a Scavi tour, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, pray at the tomb of Pope St John Paul ll, visit the St Mary Major Basilica, ascend the Holy Stairs in prayer, enter the sacred caves at St Benedict, have a guided tour of the Colosseum, explore the medieval city of Siena, honour St Clare and join the Poor Clare Nuns for Vespers.
We wish her all the best and look forward to hearing all about her tour when she returns.
We are happy to announce that we will have three teams representing SPC at the upcoming basketball tournament to be held in Devonport on 29/30 October. We will have a 5/6 Boys team coached by Thalia Bishop, a 3/4 Boys team and a 5/6 Girls team both coached by senior Smithton Basketball players, Savannah Au and Bryce Walters.
The teams are:
3/4 Boys | 5/6 Girls | 5/6 Boys |
Chayse Hart | Peppa Bishop | Ryan House |
Thomas Kearnes | Lilly Hart | Tommy Smith |
Lucas Saward | Jewel Wynwood | Kye Moore |
Liam Bell | Caitlin Grey | Phoenix Hall |
Archie O'Neil | Asta Jenkins | Isaac Bishop |
Dane Grey | Charlotte Armstrong | Logan Poke |
Hendrix Waasdorp | Myla Jenkins | Lewis Sheehan |
Noah Gray | Grayson Ollington | |
Naite Barker | ||
Brock West | ||
Jhett McAlister |
On Thursday, 29 September we will have a Footy Colours day at school. All students are encouraged to dress up in their favourite sporting team colours. There will also be a special lunch on this day, Meat Pies and Saveloys in bread. Orders can be made through the Qrk! app or by returning the slip that was sent home. All profits will go towards the 2023 Grade 5/6 Camps.
There will be a parade on the Basketball court from 9am for any families that would like to come along.
Thursday, 29th September will be students last day for Term 3, with Friday, 30th September being a Staff Professional Learning day.
Term 4 will commence on Monday, 17th October and finish Thursday, 15th December.
There is a public holiday on Monday, 7th November - Recreation Day Public Holiday
Steph Clayton from Girls Programming Network is holding a workshop for any girls interested from ages 12-18 (upper primary students are welcome) to learn new skills for coding, or interested in learning IT skills, this Saturday. This session is free with lunch and snacks provided. Registrations are open until noon this Friday.