Principals Message

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

Yet another school term has come to a successful end. Thanks to the much appreciated efforts of the Sirius College family.

It was a pleasure to have Iftars together and benefit from the many beauties of Ramadan. I wish you all a blessed Eid and congratulate you for your efforts throughout Ramadan.

Dear parents, in current times our children are becoming more and more involved with technology. Technology and the internet are very beneficial tools to support education and to have a good time. However like many things, it can also be problematic in several ways. Below I would like to share an article by Caroline Knorr on how to maintain a healthy level of interaction with technology within the family setting.

SERVING A HEALTHY FAMILY MEDIA DIET

Many parents struggle with exactly how much screen time is okay for their children. Is a half-hour TV show okay but a full-length movie bad? How much gaming should you allow when your children also use their computer for homework? Does Wikipedia count as reading? And when does a passion for, say, video games become problematic?

The truth is, there is no magic formula. And just as every family differs in what they eat, when they eat and what they like, a healthy media diet is different for every family. The key is making sure that the things that are important to your family are fairly balanced over the long term.

A healthy media diet balances activities (games, social media, TV), time (fifteen minutes? three hours?) and choices (YouTube, Minecraft, “Star Wars”) with offline activities (sports, face-to-face conversations, hobbies).

1. Find balance. Instead of counting daily screen-time minutes, aim for a balance throughout the week. Help your children plan a week that includes stuff they have to do and stuff they like to do, such as schoolwork, activities, chores, reading, family time and TV or gaming. Decide on limits and behaviour using a Family Media Agreement.
2. Walk the walk. Put your own devices away while driving, at mealtimes and during important conversations. Children learn habits form the adults around them.
3. Talk about it. Ask questions about their favourite games, shows and characters. Discuss ideas and issues they read about or learn about through a TV show or a game. This is an opportunity for bonding, learning and sharing your values.
4. Create tech-free zones. Set rules that fit your family, such as no devices during dinner, no social media during homework or all screens off before bedtime. Some families have a central spot for charging and all devices must remain there after bedtime.
5. Check ratings. Choose age-appropriate, high-quality media and technology for your children.

Acknowledgement: Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media

I would like to wish all students, parents/guardians and staff a safe and happy holiday!

Regards,