Newsletter – Term 1 Week 6

Welcome to Week Six of Term One.  At Calliope State School we showcase our students achievements through our newsletter, the school’s Facebook page and special days where parents and caregivers are invited into our classrooms.  Additional to this we are showcasing on the TV in the school’s administration foyer.  If you are up at the school, take some time to view our latest showcasing on the TV.

Equity and Excellence

Calliope State School has had a process with mobile phones and devices for many years.  It is included in our Student Code of Conduct and I have included a snip below.

Some students do have smart watches.  These need to be switched to Airplane mode during the day.

To support your children to maximise their benefits from the reduced distractions that can come from mobile devices including smart phones, all Queensland schools now have a Phones awary for the day from 2024.

 Use of mobile phones and other devices by students

Digital literacy refers to the skills needed to live, learn and work in a society where communication and access to information is dominated by digital technologies like mobile phones. However, the benefits brought about through these diverse technologies can be easily overshadowed by deliberate misuse which harms others or disrupts learning.  This also extends to Smart Watches i.e. watches that allow communication between school and the outside community to occur and that contain games and Apps which can lead to off-task behaviour.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities for students using mobile phones or other devices at school or during school activities are simple: all devices are to be handed into the office upon arrival at school.  It is the responsibility of all students to collect these items at the end of the school day.  

 It is unacceptable for students at Calliope State School to:

• use a mobile phone or other devices in an unlawful manner;
• download, distribute or publish offensive messages or pictures;
• use obscene, inflammatory, racist, discriminatory or derogatory language;
• use language and/or threats of violence that may amount to bullying and/or harassment, or even stalking;
• insult, harass or attack others or use obscene or abusive language;
• deliberately waste printing and internet resources;
• damage computers, printers or network equipment;
• commit plagiarism or violate copyright laws;
• ignore teacher directions for the use of social media, online email and internet chat;
• send chain letters or spam email (junk mail);
• knowingly download viruses or any other programs capable of breaching the department's network security;
• use in-phone cameras anywhere a normal camera would be considered inappropriate, such as in change rooms or toilets;
• invade someone's privacy by recording personal conversations or daily activities and/or the further distribution (e.g. forwarding, texting, uploading, Bluetooth use etc.) of such material;
• use a mobile phone (including those with Bluetooth functionality) to cheat during exams or assessments;
• take into or use mobile devices at exams or during class assessment unless expressly permitted by school staff.

At all times students, while using ICT facilities and devices supplied by the school, will be required to act in line with the requirements of the Calliope State School Student Code of Conduct.  In addition students and their parents should:

• understand the responsibility and behaviour requirements (as outlined by the school) that come with accessing the department’s ICT network facilities;
• ensure they have the skills to report and discontinue access to harmful information if presented via the internet or email;
• be aware that:

o access to ICT facilities and devices provides valuable learning experiences for students and supports the school's teaching and learning programs;

o the school is not responsible for safeguarding information stored by students on departmentally-owned student computers or mobile devices;

o schools may remotely access departmentally-owned student computers or mobile devices for management purposes;

o students who use a school's ICT facilities and devices in a manner that is not appropriate may be subject to disciplinary action by the school, which could include restricting network access;

o despite internal departmental controls to manage content on the internet, illegal, dangerous or offensive information may be accessed or accidentally displayed;

o teachers will always exercise their duty of care, but avoiding or reducing access to harmful information also requires responsible use by the student.