School iPads for Hire

Those families who choose not to purchase an iPad for their child may hire one from the school for as long as they need it at St Catherine's. There will be some restrictions on the use of a school iPad, for example, it must be stored securely at school over the Christmas break. Information regarding the hiring of a school iPad is covered in detail on the Hire Agreement itself. This document can be previewed, downloaded and printed from the link on the Launch Pad blog.

Please note: If you are receiving this post as an email update, you will need to allow images to display to view the document below. You may need to click the "Launch Pad" link at the bottom of your email to visit the Launch Pad blog to interact with the embedded document and access features such as print and download.

Parent Agreement FINAL - iPad Hire St Catherine's Wishart

The school iPads are 32GB iPad Airs. They will be fitted with a heavy duty cover and screen protector but can otherwise be completely personalised by the student.

Families which decide to hire an iPad from the school must lodge a completed Hire Agreement with the non-refundable insurance fee of $50 at the school office by the close of business on Wednesday 19th November. The iPad will be ready for your child on the first day of school in 2015.

Price Drop on special offer iPads

Parents there has been a drop in the price of the 32GB iPad Airs offered by Harvey Norman for St Catherine's parents. These iPads are now available for $525.00 including GST. Please contact Megan Patane if you'd like to take advantage of this special offer. The closing date for orders has been extended to COB on Tuesday 28th October. Those who have already placed an order with Megan will pay the reduced price. Details as follows:

32GB iPad Air 

Wi-Fi only

Model number:  MD789X/A

Special Price: $525.00 including GST

supplied by Harvey Norman

only by arrangement with Megan Patane

If you would like to secure one of these iPads at this special price, 

please contact Megan on 0402 241 957 

before close of business on Tuesday 28th October. 

Alternatively, by email at meganpatane[insert 'at' sign here]gmail.com

iPad Air deal: Deadline approaching

Parents, you may recall a post last term, "AMAZING deal on brand new iPads", which contained details about reduced iPad Airs, organised by Megan Patane exclusively for St Catherine's families.

The cut-off date to arrange an order with Megan is approaching. Please contact Megan on or before Monday (October 20) if you wish to take up this offer. Details again are as follows:

32GB iPad Air 

Wi-Fi only

Model number:  MD789X/A

Special Price: $634.40 including GST

supplied by Harvey Norman

only by arrangement with Megan Patane

If you would like to secure one of these iPads at this special price, 

please contact Megan on 0402 241 957 

before Monday 20th October. 

Alternatively, by email at meganpatane[insert 'at' sign here]gmail.com

CyberSafety Sessions in Years 3 and 4

Parents, this term we will be running a few intensive online safety sessions, to help prepare the students to be wise and responsible users of a personal internet-enabled device.

Topics include:

• Information Privacy - Keeping personal information private and managing your digital footprint
• CyberBullying - How to deal with inappropriate communications 
• Internet Security - Avoiding spam, scams and other harmful content

Year 4 will start their sessions THIS week (Week 2) and Year 3 classes will start in Week 5.

Learning everything there is to know about good digital citizenship cannot be achieved in a few weekly sessions at school. In a constantly evolving digital world, that process will take a lifetime. Our aim this term is to present some age-appropriate material to start conversations and raise awareness of some simple guidelines for safe online practices. The students will continue learning 'on the job' over the next few years. They will gain a great deal from conversations at home and by observing parents and family members modelling and articulating good practice.

Below you will find links to the content used during these sessions as well as additional resources to help  families to support students in developing and maintaining safe online practices....

For Year 4 students:

Students will view and discuss several short animated videos from the "CyberQuoll" program on the Federal Government's CyberSmart website. The CyberQuoll program includes some resources for parents that you may find useful.

For Year 3 students:

Stay tuned for more details about Year 3 content, closer to the session times.

For ALL Parents and Families:

We will not have time to view all the videos from each series in class but you may like to view them at home with your child. This is a great way to kick start conversations with your child about safe online practices and to keep those all-important lines of communication open.

The Stay Smart Online website is another excellent Australian Government resource for parents and families. We particularly recommend the Protecting Your Children page as background information for what we are aiming to achieve this term. Please note that this page is aimed at adults and is far more explicit about potential online dangers than the material we will be using in class for this age group.

Finally, you can download a free copy of the Federal Government's Parents Guide to Internet Safety - 'Practical, issue-focussed information and advice for parents of children of all ages.'

Why iPads in Year 4? (Part 2)

Welcome to the final school term, which always feels like the fastest!

This week we continue our responses to Frequently Asked Questions about next year's program, to clarify for current Year 3 parents why your children need iPads for school next year...

(If you haven't yet read the previous FAQs post, you'll find it here)

Why iPads, not laptops or another tablet?

As we discussed at the parent meeting, iPads provide all necessary functions for primary students at around half the price of a laptop. iPads are more compact and lighter than a laptop and therefore more mobile for smaller primary students. With no hinged screen, iPads are more robust than laptops. The iPad camera is more versatile than a laptop’s as it can be easily carried around and aimed at the subject. The screen on a flat tablet device facilitates collaboration more readily than a hinged laptop screen.

Will the students use the iPads too much?

The iPad will complement the existing school curriculum by providing an appropriate digital learning tool in balance with traditional learning tools. Curriculum goals are supported, not supplanted, by the use of 1 to 1 devices. Students will use their iPads when appropriate, where they serve a real purpose, for instance, in research, record keeping, data analysis and creating presentations. They will not be using them for extended periods on any given day. There may be days occasionally when students may not need to use them at all. Digital health and wellness is part of our digital citizenship program so students learn about appropriate posture and the importance to eye health of regular breaks during screen use.

With their own personal device, students will be able to access their school files, tools and projects at home and be able to easily collaborate with their teacher and their peers on various projects.

How will Year 4 classrooms look different in 2015?

This is a difficult question to answer before the teaching team has had a chance to meet and plan for their 2015 school year. We know you will see some new classroom furniture, to suit more contemporary and individualised styles of learning. The video below (duration 11 mins) will give you some idea of the changes from the perspective of current Year 5 and 6 students. 

You might like to take a stroll past the current year 5 and 6 classrooms to see for yourself how they look. Learning continues, as stipulated by our national Australian Curriculum, but different teaching teams take different approaches to suit their own teaching styles and the needs of their students. Year 4 next year may look similar to either of these current models, or it may be slightly different again.

As always, your child will have one "home group" teacher who meets the pastoral care needs of their class, manages classroom administration, collates data on achievement and academic progress and prepares school reports.

When year level teaching teams work closely together, sharing planning, teaching and classroom spaces, your child benefits from positive relationships with more teachers and can benefit from a wider range of teaching strengths. All students across the year level cover the same curriculum at the same time and are exposed to the same learning opportunities. A collaborative approach to year level teaching can more effectively cater for diverse learning needs. If your child either struggles or needs extension in particular areas, they may join a smaller group for specialised activities.

As always, if you have any questions or require further information, please contact Maria (email mmead[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au) or Paul (email pleeson[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au).