The Book of Ecclesiastes (Chapter 3), in the Bible opens with the statement. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Another translation says “There is a right time for everything” while another says it like this; “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth”.

We know it’s Winter at the moment, but you might be excused for wondering what season it is when we are experiencing such glorious weather as I write this. As for what day it is, many of us are confused, out of familiar patterns and routines. As the days pass by, it also feels we are in a state of flux. The pace of change, the pace of COVID updates and the evolving regulations and expectations that have been placed on us all are challenging. My prayers are with you daily; for grace, strength and wisdom in all that you do 

Here at school, I continue to value and appreciate the support expressed by so many parents in our community. This keeps me strong in so many ways. I would like to thank the parent community for their flexibility and understanding with the Zoom teacher conferences yesterday. From all accounts, the process was efficient and went incredibly smoothly. We had feedback to suggest that we should always offer the Zoom parent meetings… welcome to the ‘new’ normal perhaps?

I sense a number of students becoming rather emotional and sensitive at the moment. I’m sure that this period in time is confusing for the children in many ways. So often, they do not know how to express their feelings, worries and fears. I do think that we should ever underestimate the impact this whole situation has on children, especially when their rhythms and routines are interrupted. This, coupled with the loss and disappointment that comes with changes and the cancellation of the activities and events they love to do, makes for an unsettling time. The degree of flexibility, resilience and grit that the children are demonstrating at this time is truly remarkable. We must remember to make sure that we take time to listen to them, to really ‘hear’ their thoughts and feelings and validate their reactions, instead of  ‘brushing them off’ or going straight into solution mode. Children are also watching and listening to our actions and words. Our responses to challenging situations models behaviours for our children and so our reactions will become their responses in the future. 

If children feel safe, secure, valued and loved, they will cope, and in their own way, will be able to navigate the uncertainty of this season. Our students are in the right place, here at Claremont, they are safe, secure, valued and loved. 

Let’s not forget that it is also Winter. Even without COVID, ‘Winter is a season of recovery and preparation’. (Paul Theroux).

Back to the Bible verse… “There’s an opportune time to do things.” May I encourage you to be kind to yourself and be kind to others. Take time to breathe, replenish and prepare for the next season. Spring is only two weeks away and love and life continue no matter what. Be blessed!

This morning we received news that a member of St Vincent's Potts Point has tested positive for COVID. Our understanding of the matter is that NSW Health is currently undertaking the process of contact tracing and in due time will inform those who will be required to self isolate for 14 days. This may potentially impact siblings and family members within our school community. Thank you to the parents (those with older siblings who attend St Vincent’s) for your responsiveness this morning, with our requirement for your younger children to stay at home for Off Campus Learning.

I shall keep you informed of any necessary developments with this situation, that might specifically pertain to Claremont. 

Note: that it is quite possible that further information will have been provided in the media, prior to this newsletter being published.

This morning there has been much discussion in the media regarding the Tangara School for Girls, and this has included comments regarding student participation in a church mass, choirs and retreats. With this, the commentary has been confusing about what is, and what is not, permitted in schools. At Claremont we continue to closely follow the Department of Education, Association of Independent Schools (AIS) and NSW Health guidelines. Presently, there have been no guidelines provided to me requiring the cessation of choirs. Even so, for our concert filming, we will only have our choir rehearse outdoors while being socially distanced. For our offsite outdoors filming on Monday there will only be dancing and lip syncing if close proximity, or if singing is required, the children will be distanced. Later next week, we are hoping to record our choir singing, so the children will be positioned with social distancing, or as determined by any updated government directives.

The Claremont Weekly Chapel Service continues to be on-line, with no indoor assemblies or indoor gatherings held this term until further notice.

I anticipate that over the coming weeks, schools will be given direction by authorities regarding Term 4, specifically our end of year camps, events, the Year 6 Valedictory, and Speech Day.

Doug Thomas        
Principal

  Follow me @DougJThomas

Acts of Kindness:

Have you been writing down how many random acts of kindness you have done this week? Can you beat your personal best? This week take notice of who shows you an act of kindness. Don't forget to say thank you. Kindness is the best kind of virus - spread it around freely!

Larissa Cameron
Deputy Principal

Due to the financial challenges of COVID-19 a small number of parents who had initially enrolled for Kindergarten in 2021 have had to withdraw their application. This, coupled with some deferments to 2022, and a smaller number of siblings than usual, means that we now have some vacancies. Many people in our community often do not submit applications to Claremont because they often think they don’t have a chance for their child getting a place. We seek your help in getting the word out that vacancies do exist. If you have a child at preschool, please tell others. Application forms are available on our website, or contact Kathy-Clare Rochester, kc.rochester@claremont.nsw.edu.au for further information.

We would like to remind parents that a full term’s notice in writing to the Principal is required before terminating a Student's enrolment.  In the event of failure to provide the required notice of withdrawal, a charge equal to 100% of the applicable term’s school fees will become payable, including all outstanding fees and charges, in addition to fees and charges payable in respect to the entire current term.

The following events are scheduled for Terms 3 and 4 and will proceed depending on advice from the Australian Government, NSW Health and the Department of Education in accordance with the current COVID 19 situation.

Term 3

Term 4

Concert Filming for Choir and Years 2-6 - permission via Parent Portal/Claremont App 

Year 5 - Excursion to Royal National Park - 1 September - permission via Parent Portal/ App

Concert update. Into the unknown

We film this Monday! 

You should have received a communication from the school this week about filming. Please ensure you have given permission via the parent portal (desktop or Claremont app) for your child to be filmed at a location in Week 5. If you have not given permission your child will not be able to attend. Thanks for your prompt assistance. 

If you previously did NOT give permission for your child to be photographed or filmed in school activities, performances, sports events etc, please ensure that you have emailed the office to change that for this occasion or your child will NOT feature in the filming, and therefore the concert this year.

All children now have their costumes at school and will change into these as needed. Thank you for sourcing the items so quickly! Costumes will be sent home as soon as filming is completed. 

Please ensure that your child rehearses their dance like crazy over the weekend. The dance has been posted on Seesaw for this purpose. That way your child will be confident and ready for filming Monday!

Children must wear their Sports uniform everyday in Week 5. Choir is the ONLY group that is an exception to this. Please see the choir note for all information about this. Students will change into their costume when they are scheduled to film.

Year 5 choir kids may take their costumes home as they will be first to film on Monday.

Auditions

Our auditions took place yesterday. Thank you to everyone for putting in so much effort, it may take us a few weeks to get back to all auditionees. Please be patient and we will announce the next step as soon as we can. As we ran out of time to complete the auditions, we asked the children to send their video audition to t.barr@claremont.nsw.edu.au AND t.knoll@claremont.nsw.edu.au by MONDAY Week 5. We look forward to reviewing these. As you can imagine, we have our hands full with filming dance and choir in Week 5, and then recording the choir in Week 6, so it may take a few weeks to follow up on the drama side of things. Please be confident that we will communicate the next steps as soon as we can.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we pull together a filming experience that your children will never forget! Thank you for your questions and suggestions to help make the process smooth for everyone. As this is uncharted territory we appreciate your kind words and encouragement. We want the best for your kids and knowing they will have an artistic diary of this unique year makes it all worthwhile. We are a compassionate, innovative, and collaborative community so thanks to your help... together we can make this ‘unknown adventure’ a remarkable experience!

Mrs Tara Barr and Mr Joel Geering

Dear Choir Parents, 

Your child has a special role in our virtual concert this year. We are aiming high - to film 2 items with our Junior and Senior Choir. We will be recording an audio track with a professional company and also filming these items to create our own music videos. We would like to record our Choir items this Monday 17 August at 8:00am at Centennial Park, and ask that you drop your child off at Centennial Park Labyrinth, rather than at school.

If we need to postpone the filming due to wet weather, we will send an SMS at 7am. If this does occur, we will aim to record the following day (or later in the week when it is not raining). We apologise in advance if this will disrupt your usual before-school routine. This will be a special experience for your child, so we are grateful for your support.

Following the filming, your child will return to school by bus.

If you previously notified the school that you do not give permission for your child to be photographed or filmed in school activities, we ask that you email the office to confirm whether you do or do not want your child photographed for this event. (Some parents may feel that for this event only they would prefer their child to be photographed.) 

Filming

Date:               Monday 17 August
Time:               8:00am
Venue:            Meet at Centennial Park Labyrinth (Dickens Drive, Centennial Park)

What to wear/bring

Thank you for bringing in the costumes as requested. This week, once we have seen what the children have, we will send the costumes home so that the children can wear their WHITE costume to the park on Monday morning. Also, on Monday morning, please bring your other ‘Sunday best’ costume (and sports uniform with sneakers) to change into. Your class costume will be kept at school for ‘safekeeping’ until needed (unless you are Year 5 and so need to pack your grade item also). We ask that following this, the choir costumes are kept at school for the week should they be needed again.

If your child is in Year 3, they may have the same white costume again for their grade item. Therefore they should take it home this week to wear Monday morning.

Audio recording

We will record the audio two weeks after the filming. Please encourage your child to rehearse their part every day to ensure that we get the best possible recording in the safest manner. As I will try to avoid group singing where possible, your child will need to rehearse and sing their part independently. The links for the practice tracks can be accessed on Google Classroom.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting our Music Program in 2020. It is a crazy year but I’m hoping that this experience can keep the love of singing alive.

I hope you enjoy seeing your child’s dedication, teamwork, enthusiasm, discipline and talent showcased and celebrated. How often does one get to make their own music video!? 

Kind regards

Mrs Barr
Music Teacher/Events Coordinator

Book of the Week in Kindergarten

In English this term, Kindergarten are exploring the characters of some of our most cherished children’s books. Each Monday, our new ‘Book of the Week’ is revealed and we read through it together. Through small group shared reading lessons, students develop their comprehension skills and a deeper understanding of these memorable characters. During writing lessons, students consider and discuss the appearances and personality traits of each character and then apply this knowledge to write character descriptions through modelled and independent activities. 

So far this term, Kindergarten has studied ‘Olivia’ by Ian Falconer and ‘Slinky Malinki’ by Lynley Dodd. This week, we read ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt. Students enjoyed selecting one of the crayons from the story, and writing about their appearance and personality. You might like to ask your child about what our new book of the week is next week. 

The Kindy Team

Year 1 - Geography

Year 1 has been investigating the natural and human features of the environment in Geography. We will be looking at a range of different inquiry questions throughout the unit. Our first question was: “What is weather?” We looked at why we need to predict the weather and what we know about the seasons where we live.  

Students gathered information about how Aboriginal people use seasonal calendars. We looked at the detail they provide, and how they give information about weather, food, animals and plants during the different times of the year. Here are some of the wonderful Dharawal seasonal calendars that the Year 1 students created.

Year 1 students have learnt much about weather so far:

“I learnt that in the hot season you can’t hunt for meat.” Marcus R

“I like Geography because we get to learn new things about weather.” 
Charlotte K 

“I enjoyed making the seasonal calendar because it was fun doing all the drawings and colouring.” 
Oliver H 

“I learnt that not all seasons and months have the same names.” Charlotte B

“In different countries they have different seasons at different times.” 
Mariana C-L  

“I learnt that there are six different seasons in the D’harawal calendar.” Finn P

“ I learnt that Aboriginal people tell the weather using the stars and I really like that.” Rosie R

“I learnt that dust storms can blow a house over because they are so strong.” Rose L

“I learnt that Indigenous Australians have different calendars to what we use.” Isabel R 

“I learnt that when it gets hot the Kangaroos start to get angry.” - Lulu B

The Year 1 Team

Phonics in the Jungle!

What does phonics look like in Year 2 for our jungle animals? Three times a week, we break up into our pride, mob, pack or flock (also known as “guided reading groups”), and complete a series of activities on rotation. One of those activities is a phonics rotation. 

At this stage of Year 2, our phonics rotations focus on spelling the words correctly and remembering to use these when we write. We highlight a different spelling “rule” each week and there are so many different ways to remember some of the most frequent. There is lots of squawking through oral practise, writing practise, playing games, solving puzzles and even making up our own silly words! One of our favourite games is to try and work out if a word is “Fab” or “Fake”. It’s sometimes tricky to pronounce a fake word like “lipe”, but we are pretty clever at extending ourselves and coming up with our own fab or fake words that match the rule.

Lately, we have been focusing on the ‘bossy e’ or ‘super e’ rule. One of our Jaguars (Harriet N) describes this rule in a helpful way for her friends: “It’s like the e is the teacher asking the vowel to say it’s name”. When looking at words that start with ‘qu’ a skilled Leopard (Will K) explained “It’s like the q and the u are best friends and go everywhere together”. Our jungle animals are also good peer tutors! 

There is lots of collaboration, persistence and of course curiosity when we explore the different words each week. In addition to our phonics rotations in class, our jungle animals also participate in the Spelling Mastery or Synthetic Phonics programs that run three times a week. This gives them even more opportunities to practice and retain all those different phonics skills.

The Year 2 Team

Year 3 - Geography

Over the past few weeks in Geography lessons, the Year 3 students have been focusing on similarities and differences between places in Australia. They have been researching and investigating the different states and capital cities as well as the natural and man-made features within Australia. The students have also been examining how weather contributes to climate in different places. 

The students chose a city around Australia and compared and investigated its weather and climate using a range of digital skills, map interpreting and research skills. 

We look forward to continuing our research and learning more about the similarities and differences between different places in our country.

Here are a few reflections from Year 3 students on what they have been learning:

“I have learned that climate is different to weather. Climate stays for a long time and weather can change minute by minute.” Charlotte F 

“It was good to learn about the strange places and natural features around Australia” Evan H 

“I have learned about where all the capital cities are in Australia” Lara D 

“I didn’t know the states and capital cities like I do now. I also learned about climate and weather. I love Geography!” Dion T

The Year 3 Team

NAPLAN In-School Practice Tests 2020

It has been recommended by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) that the current Year 3 and Year 5 (and Year 7 and Year 9) students participate in in-school practice tests so that they have the experience of sitting for external exams. The Year 3 and Year 5 teachers will support the students through practice tests in Week 5, and then the in-school tests will be in Week 6 (refer to Upcoming Events above) in the same format as they would have been had they gone ahead in May. The tests will be marked on-site and a summary of your child’s results will be sent home as soon as these are available, preferably not 4 months later as is normal for formal NAPLAN Tests. 

We will obviously use the data from these assessments to inform our ongoing teaching however, please remember that NAPLAN assessments are just one small part of the suite of assessments we use throughout the year, including formal, informal, diagnostic, summative and formative assessments, many of which are on a daily basis.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me though office@claremont.nsw.edu.au

Janelle Ford
Deputy Principal

Year 4 - Temperature

How hot is it?

This week in Year 4 Maths we have been learning all about the thermometer. We have learnt that all thermometers measure temperature and consist of a long thin tube that is filled with liquid mercury. The mercury will rise when the temperature is hot, and fall when the temperature is cold. In the past, water, alcohol and even urine was used! 

How is temperature measured you may ask?

Year 4 students discovered that temperature is measured with two different scales.

Celsius: The most common form of measuring temperature in day-to-day situations.

Fahrenheit: The less common form of measuring temperature. (Although some countries use this scale as their main temperature unit of measurement.) 

In Year 4 the students decided to test if the thermometers would actually work. They used two cups, one filled with icy cold water and the second cup with warm water. The red liquid rose when the temperature was hot, and fell when the temperature was cold. There were many gasps of wonder as the temperature rose and dropped dramatically.

We could talk about the thermometer forever… but instead we have some photos of Year 4 measuring temperatures. 

The Year 4 Team

Year 5 - Geography

Reality TV meets Grade 5 this week as students embarked on a virtual “Global House Swap”.  

Working collaboratively, students have chosen to explore one of four places from around the world: Osaka (Japan), Hemu Village (China), Kalgoorlie and the Gold Coast.  Students utilised their research skills to learn about the climate, natural features, history, economy and current environmental concerns of these locations.  Students then came together in pairs to share their new knowledge and create pseudo families for the “house swap”.  By comparing and contrasting their research, students worked collaboratively to create a final product which explored what it was like to swap locations.  Some students have created an iMovie describing what it was like to move from Kalgoorlie and live in Osaka, while others have created Zoom videos, photo or scrapbooks and interviews that highlight the experiences of their pseudo families during the house swap. 

The Geography project required students to take responsibility for their own learning, communicate effectively and problem solve to create their final piece.  Working collaboratively enriched their higher-level thinking, oral communication, and self-management skills. 

Being at home doesn’t stop the learning process.  Students were about to connect via Zoom to continue creating their final product.  Here’s what some of our students said about the “Global House Swap” project: 

“I enjoyed doing this project as we got to explore the different cultural styles of the countries we choose. Beth and I did Kalgoorlie and Osaka.  Our final product was a book, each chapter from a different perspective.  I learned a lot about Osaka during this project.”  Caitlyn L 

“This project was fun to create, because we could get to research about a chosen topic and find the lifestyle of the people living there. Andreas and I recorded a makeshift zoom meeting that explained the experience of swapping homes.” 
Nic C 

“Working on the geography project was a lot of fun!  We got to choose a place from around the world and learn interesting facts about that place.  We then made a presentation of what we learnt. Our group created an iMove where we interviewed each other about the experience of swapping homes.  Overall, it was probably the most enjoyable activity I have ever done at Claremont!” Lola U

The Year 5 Team

NAPLAN In-School Practice Tests 2020

It has been recommended by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) that the current Year 3 and Year 5 (and Year 7 and Year 9) students participate in in-school practice tests so that they have the experience of sitting for external exams.  The Year 3 and Year 5 teachers will support the students through practice tests in Week 5, and then the in-school tests will be in Week 6 (refer to Upcoming Events above) in the same format as they would have been had they gone ahead in May. The tests will be marked on-site and a summary of your child’s results will be sent home as soon as these are available, preferably not 4 months later as is normal for formal NAPLAN Tests. 

We will obviously use the data from these assessments to inform our ongoing teaching however, please remember that NAPLAN assessments are just one small part of the suite of assessments we use throughout the year, including formal, informal, diagnostic, summative and formative assessments, many of which are on a daily basis.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me though office@claremont.nsw.edu.au

Janelle Ford
Deputy Principal

Year 6 - Kindy & Year 6 Buddies Program

The Kindergarten & Year 6 Buddy Program involves each of our Year 6 students being paired with a Kindergarten child. Our buddies see each other during recess, lunch times and special buddy time organised by the teachers.

Miss King interviewed two of our Year 6 students about the fabulous Buddy Program.

Sofia S
Buddies: Alice and Tahlia

Q: What makes your kindy buddies so awesome?

They have a great personality, fun to be around. Both my buddies are super chatty.

Q: Tell me about a memorable or funny moment with your buddy. 

The one time we were playing hide ’n’ seek and they were hiding and then they scared me! Yelling BOO! I was so shocked and so startled! 

Q: What is the best part of having a kindy buddy?

The best part of having a kindy buddy is you have someone to talk to and play with, it makes school a really fun place to be and it gives you something to look forward to every day. 

Q: If you could give your buddy one piece of advice about school, what would it be?

Always try the things that seem scary and hard, because they usually turn out great. 

Isabella D
Buddy: Olivia

Q: What makes your kindy buddy so awesome?

My buddy always makes me laugh and always makes me smile. She talks about the things she does with her brother at home and plays tag with me at recess.

Q: Tell me about a memorable or funny moment with your buddy.

One funny moment was when Olivia and I were sitting down eating recess and Olivia tried to show me what she was eating. She accidentally spilled her food on the floor and we both started laughing because she made a really funny laughing sound.  

Q: What is the best part of having a kindy buddy?

It teaches you about responsibility and is really fun to have someone there to play with you, and make you laugh and smile. 

Q: If you could give your buddy one piece of advice about school, what would it be?

Always have FUN! Try to make everyone smile and don’t put anyone down.

Lionel Bowen Writing Competition Entry - Caitlin C

In the school holidays, one of our Year 6 students Caitlin C wrote a poem "Ode to our Future" for the 2020 Lionel Bowen Writing Competition, where the theme is ‘City for Tomorrow’. This poem addresses current issues in our world from homelessness and sadness to mental health issues. It is certainly a challenging time for our community, however with young people who are conscious of these issues, like Caitlin, it’s safe to say our future is in good hands. Well done Caitlin! 

Library Literature Stage 3

Looking through the CBCA shortlisted texts, students in Years 5 and 6 have enjoyed reading and responding to the book “The Glimme” by Emily Rodda. As well as the mind blowing illustrations there is the beautiful story of Finn, whose mother died when he was young and whose father deserted him. His grandfather sells him for a bag of gold, to a mysterious woman who is the housekeeper at the even more mysterious cliff top house. She sees some talent in Finn - he is quite the artist and she has a job for him. I won't say anymore but the story itself was a slow burn building with twists, turns and reveals to a very satisfying conclusion. With this fantastic storyline as a baseline, students were challenged to think of other texts they have read that include a portal of some sort. They were then required to use originality and creativity to design their own portal that would transport characters to different dimensions or worlds. Please enjoy some of their creations:

Three for Free

We’ll print off the drawing sheets for kids to do at lunch time in library, but there are some you might like to complete yourself. As always, if you have anything fun you see online, please send there through to me via the front office.

1. 231 things to draw If your creative juice is running low and you’ve finished every colouring in/activity book ever made, this is for you.
2. Google Space  Explore planets, moons and dwarf-planets; from Titan (Saturn's largest moon) to the inside of the International Space Station! Yes. You can tour the ISS from your iPad. Can you find the Gym? The Kitchen?
3. Sesame Street Town Hall Doctors, politicians, teachers and muppets coming together to explain COVID in kid friendly terms; from how to handle big emotions to coping with being stuck inside.

Instagram: claremontcollegelibrary

Mrs Stephanie Affleck
Teacher/Librarian

New Books in Our Library

New Fiction Titles 

This is the second book in the Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly series from American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Kinney also wrote the very popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series that focused on a boy called Greg Heffley. In this latest title Rowley Jefferson takes the reader on an epic fantasy quest. We join Roland and his best friend, Garg the Barbarian, as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mother from the White Warlock. This is definitely a book for fans of the Wimpy Kid series.

Non Fiction Titles

To celebrate 80 years of Puffin books the publishers released a series of non-fiction books for younger readers. The Puffin Little series are beautifully designed, simple and engaging books.

This book covers everything the young environmentalist needs to know about composting. There is also a section at the rear on composting facts, a helpful glossary and a quiz.

This is the book for a budding cook who wants to create simple, fun but yummy treats. It is packed with kitchen safety rules, information about kitchen equipment, a food pyramid and simple recipes. Again at the rear there is a helpful glossary, and quiz.

This book takes the reader on a space adventure and shares exciting facts about the planets, stars and space. This is the perfect read for all young children who are curious about the solar system. 

The Puffin Little series is recommended for children 5 years and older. 

Mrs Susan Kesur
Library Assistant

This term in Chapel we are looking at stories from the bible. This week we focused on one of Miss Tan’s favourite stories in the bible, ‘Jesus calls Peter.’ She shared with us how this story shows us how Peter had to have faith and trust Jesus even though he was worried about not catching fish. The students also learn about what it means to fish for people and how we can teach others about Jesus.

This week the students will be learning the memory verse:

“Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”  Matthew 4:19

We love seeing the students getting involved in the Chapel videos each week. Remember if you would like to watch this week's online Chapel video you can find it on our school website.

You can also watch this week's Chapel by CLICKING HERE.

Tiffany Knoll
Chapel Coordinator

Welcomeasy are delivering recess and lunch orders to school.

Orders must be placed by 10:59pm the night before for delivery on the next school day.

If you are ordering a snack item, please specify in the notes area whether the snack is for Recess or Lunch.

Please note that orders are to be placed on the ‘Welcomeasy’ website and NOT Flexischools.

You must firstly create an account by following some simple steps. Go to www.welcomeasy.com.au  

Are you a parent, carer or grandparent of children aged 5 to 17?

Do you wonder how digital media and technologies that they live with might affect their wellbeing, health and learning? 

If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, we would invite you to share your views with us here! 

We at the Gonski Institute of Education at the University of NSW are working on a ground-breaking research project called Growing Up Digital Australia. This international research project that we partner with Harvard Medical School, the University of Alberta and Alberta Teachers Association seeks to understand the health, wellbeing and learning impacts of growing up in a digital world on our young people. A number of Australian organisations are supporting this project, including Departments of Education, parent organisations and teacher associations. This longitudinal study will reframe issues surrounding children’s consumption of media and digital technologies moving into an evidence-based solutions to parents, educators and young people to live healthier, safer and happier lives here in Australia. 

The Growing Up Digital project Phase 1 saw us work with almost 2,000 educators from around the country and find out what is happening in classrooms through the eyes of teachers and principals. Now with this Phase 2 survey, it is your turn as parents and grandparents to have your say. 

This project has Ethics approval, and poses no risk to you. Participation is voluntary and you will never be identified at any stage. By completing the survey, you have the chance to be entered into the draw for one of four $100 Coles Myer gift cards.

This Phase 2 survey will be open until 11 October, 2020. If you are a parent, carer or grandparent of any child aged 5-17, please complete the survey here. You may also share this invitation to take part in this research with others by sharing the link to the questionnaire. If you are a parent, we would be delighted if you would invite one of your child’s grandparents to take part in this survey.

To find out more about our project, and the results from Phase 1, visit us here.