Kauri Whānau: Term 2 Week 9

Looking after the well-being of your children is very important to us. Every time children or parents let us know of a concern, we follow this up. The child who reported will not often see this follow-up as it is done discreetly yet thoroughly. While we talk the issue through with the child concerned and discuss how behaviour needs to change, it is up to the child to change their behaviour. If the problem continues and we don't notice, but your child does, it is important we know about this - so consequences can be put in place and parents contacted. We can only deal with problems that we know about so your support with communicating any concerns you may have is important and contributes positively to our ability to resolve issues.  The old adage that "it takes a village to raise a child" is definitely true.

Last week we conducted our well-being survey, asking children to let us know about anything that is happening that would prevent children from feeling safe or happy at school. This week we are having conversations with children who need to make changes to their behaviour. These surveys often bring out a wide range of issues, many of which are alleviated by a simple conversation. When we know what is happening, we can help.

Recently we have been supporting some students involved in online bullying (outside school time). This time it was through the use of Instagram and TikTok social media sites.  At this young age, children often have yet to develop the filters and thought processes required to make good choices when commenting on posts and chatting online. This can result in them saying things they would never say to a person face-to-face. The result can be extremely harmful.  On researching TikTok we found a recommendation on common sense media that this app is suitable for people over 16 years of age. A large proportion of children in our hub do not have access to social media, even though your child may tell you that 'everyone else' has access. We encourage you to have regular conversations with your child about their use of any social media or You Tube  use etc.  A great way to support your child's online safety is to know exactly what sites / apps they are using and monitor their use closely. If you discover that your child is receiving unwanted / hurtful communication online, the first step is to take a screenshot of the message and secondly block the person who has sent the message. Most social media platforms have reporting functions for inappropriate activity - we recommend you use this function. 

The BOT has just approved the appointment of a 24/7 youth worker to join our team for 10 hours a week. We are very excited to have someone dedicated to supporting the well-being of the children join us. He is currently undergoing training and should be with us by the middle of term 3.

'We get there together'  when it comes to developing happy and supported pre-teens!