‘Raising Boys’

‘How will my son cope with commuting to Stanmore?’ ‘Will attending a boys’ school disadvantage my son in terms of socialising with girls?’ ‘How can I relate to my son when all he does is grunt at me?’

These were some of the questions discussed at last week’s Parent Workshop. The workshop consisted of three parts; some general information about raising boys, a discussion about the school-based initiatives that are being used to assist in boys’ social, emotional, academic and physical development, and a session where parents had the opportunity to ask questions of the panel that consisted of Mr Bob Meakin and Mrs Julie Burke from Stanmore, Mrs Carmen Gaspersic and myself.

The panel session proved to be extremely valuable as parents bounced around ideas about how best to support boys as they grow and change through their experiences in Prep School through to High School and beyond. It was great to hear from some of our current parents who have a foot in both camps; Lindfield and Stanmore.

If you missed the workshop and would like to watch it please find a video of the complete session along with the PowerPoint slides on Spaces.

Student Free Day / Staff Professional Development Day – Friday 6 June

Please be aware that we have a Student Free Day on Friday 6 June. The teachers will be participating in a Professional Development day, focusing on the new Maths Syllabus. We hope that the inconvenience might be offset by the opportunity for an extended long weekend.

Manners Matter

As part of our efforts to assist our boys in developing a positive mindset and treating others with the respect that they deserve we have renewed our focus on Manners. In Assemblies we are using an ongoing series of videos created by our Year 6 2013 Class called “Manners Matter”. The characters in the series are Sir Thank You, Dr Excuse Me, Professor Please and Captain Courtesy. Over the last two weeks we have focused on the students saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as well as using people’s names when talking to them, particularly adults. We hope that you might begin to see evidence of these manners at home. We appreciate your support with this initiative.

Cyber Safety

Our boys are growing up in a digital world that is changing rapidly, therefore, it is imperative that teachers and parents are fully abreast of the opportunities, challenges and risks that face these young men as they navigate the online world. To assist in this process we will be hosting a presentation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The session will be on Monday 4 August (parent session from 6:30pm) and it will provide insight and guidance for students, staff and parents. Year 6 parents are also invited to a similar session being held at Stanmore on Wednesday 11 June for Year 7 and 8. Further information about cyber safety can be found at the ACMA CyberSmart website http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/. We have already begun integrating many of ACMA’s resources into our learning programs.