Year 8

Key Dates

Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 16 February
School Photos – Friday 5 March

Redlands Study Centre Timetable

The Redlands Study Centre Timetable can be found on Redlands Pulse. 

Winter School Information Evening

Wednesday 17 February, 6.00pm via Zoom

We will be holding the Winter School Information Evening next Wednesday via Zoom. Applications will open thereafter.

The School has been planning within the current guidelines to be able to run a safe and successful program. Therefore, please note that due to COVID restrictions, places this year will be strictly limited, and priority will be given to those who were accepted for 2020 and wish to attend, beginning with older students.

Further information, including the Zoom link on the day, can be found here. 

Yr 9 Service Initiative

Yr 9 students are running a clothing collection for the Salvation Army. They have challenged the rest of the school to collect four bins full of clothing in Weeks 3 and 4, and then students will be rewarded with a mufti-day in Week 5! Could all students please drop clothing into the big blue collection bins at the front and back entrances in the morning or throughout the day at the entrance to the SSO. Please donate any gently worn items except stockings and underwear. Thank you in advance for your help and support!

Safer Internet Day – ‘Start the Chat’

The internet is an integral part of Aussie teenagers’ digital lives. While teenagers’ high use of technology offers many benefits, there is a downside – negative online experiences.

This research provides a glimpse into the digital lives of teens, how they deal with negative online experiences, the types of information they need to stay safe online and the information sources that they trust. It also looks at the types of positive online behaviours in which they engage.

The research is based on a survey of 627 teens aged 12-17 in September 2020.

Key Findings:

Online lives

  • Teens spent an average of 14.4 hours a week online.
  • 9 in 10 teens used the internet to research topics of interest, watch videos, chat with friends and listen to music.
  • 8 in 10 teens played games online with others.

Social media

  • Teens used an average of four different social media services – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat remain the most popular apps / platforms.
  • TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) has shown the greatest growth, from 12% of teens in 2017, up to 38% in 2020.

Negative online experiences

  • 44% of teens had a negative online experience in the six months to September 2020.
  • The top three were being contacted by a stranger or someone they didn’t know (30%), receiving inappropriate or unwanted content (20%) and being deliberately excluded from events/social groups (16%).
  • More than 80% teens took some form of action after a negative online experience.

Online safety information

  • Three quarters of teens wanted more online safety information delivered through trusted channels including:
    • their school or an online safety class – 43%
    • a trusted eSafety website – 40%
    • from a parent/carer – 38%.

Positive online behaviours

  • 9 in 10 teens had engaged in at least one type of positive online behaviour.

Nearly all teens who had a negative experience online engaged in positive online behaviour afterward.

eSafety Commissioner’s Targeted Advice for Parents of Teenagers 13-17

Teenagers can spend a lot of time online — instant messaging, sharing photos and videos, playing online games and using online chat and voice chat through social media services can be a big part of their social identity. 

It can be a great experience but there are risks. You can help equip them with the skills to manage these risks and deal with negative situations.

For teenagers, it is important to:

  • Keep things open. Have an ‘open door’ policy when devices are used in bedrooms, and check in with them regularly to see what they are viewing.
  • Stay engaged. Ask about their online experiences, who they are talking to online and whether they are having any issues.
  • Reinforce the importance of protecting their personal information and privacy. Remind them to create screen names or IDs that do not indicate gender, age, name or location and are not sexually suggestive. 
  • Equip them to use social media responsibly. Terms of use for each service cover the rules for using the site, the type of content that can be posted and any age requirements. Go through these with your child to make sure they understand what is expected of them.
  • Explain that linking social media accounts can make it easier for strangers to learn about them, so it is best to keep accounts separate. 
  • Encourage them to think before they post. They should ask questions like: Who might see this? Could it be misread by others? Am I creating the right image for myself socially and for school and work opportunities?
  • Remind them that they could expose themselves to risk by sharing sexually suggestive or intimate images of themselves or others. Check out the advice on sending nudes and sexting.
  • Keep building self-respect, empathy and resilience. In particular, be aware of the impact of social media on self-esteem. See good habits start young.
  • Help them understand online risks and what to do about them by exploring the young people section of this site.

Continue to review your rules as your child grows older

  • Be clear about where and when devices can be used — not at mealtimes, for example, or not until after chores or homework are done. 
  • Agree on a plan that fits into family routines — perhaps more screen time on the weekend when they have less schoolwork.
  • Refer to our advice about time online and online gaming if these are of concern.

Technology tips for parents of teenagers

  • Use parental controls appropriately for the age and experience of your child — see taming the technology. 
  • As they grow more independent and resilient, good open communication becomes more important than blocking or filtering content — realistically your teenager will become increasingly adept at getting around such parental controls anyway.
  • Check out Raising Children Network’s Healthy screen time and quality media choices: teenagers.

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 8 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au