Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 24th week of the academic year! I hope you are all doing well as school life returns to normal after the Christmas and Chinese New Year holidays. In today’s email, I would like to highlight many of the events and activities that are happening in March. It is a busy, but exciting month for our XLIS community!
Technology
Last week Dr. Liu shared some important information with you about technology use by students, including what is written in our policies. In my email today I would like to offer some more tips on ways to support your child as they learn about ways to use technology and become online citizens. At XLIS we have several policies and expectations for our students for when they are using technology and devices at school. However, when they leave our campus, there have been instances where they may be using their devices in an inappropriate way. Technology and device use cannot be avoided in the times we are living in, but educating our children about how to use it appropriately is important.
We hope you find these suggestions for parents useful:
· Know all your child’s passwords to their phone and other accounts.
· Inform your child that their phone will be checked periodically to review
· Consider a cell phone with no internet for your primary school child.
· All cell phones placed in the kitchen (or living room) at night, avoid the bedroom.
· No cell phone or internet devices allowed in bedrooms past 9 p.m.
· Consider only having children use their devices in a communal area such as the living room.
Be an example for your child and be consistent with rules and consequences.
Helpful Guidelines
· Teach children to be respectful and careful when texting with others.
· Teach children to make sure they know who the caller is before they answer a call on their cell phone.
· Teach children to ask permission before taking someone’s picture. Know that checking a cell phone and social media is addicting. (The chemical dopamine is released in our brains.) We need to help our children manage through this effect by being an example, setting parameters, and teaching our children self-discipline.
· Limit social media accounts.
· Get to know your child’s social media sites such as WeChat, TicToc, and Douyin. Talk with your child and educate yourself about each site.
· Physical hanging out time should be encouraged between friends and not replaced by online connections. Verbal and face-to-face contacts are crucial to developing teen and peer social relationship skills.
I hope that you are able to join us for some of our upcoming events! The weather in the coming weeks will range from cold to warm and cold again, so please check that your child is in their school uniform and dressed for the weather.
I’d love to hear from you and to know how your child is doing. Please email me at any time, and remember to include your child’s name in the email so I know who I am communicating with.
Have a lovely day,
Sincerely,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
WeChat: principal_marly
