Dear Parents,
"It’s a Whole New World: Navigating Digital Parenting Together"
Last week, we hosted a follow-up parent workshop building on our earlier session with Jonathan Taylor from Online Safety in Schools. Led by Ms. Hummel, our Computing and EdTech Coordinator, this practical session focused on equipping parents with strategies to manage their children's digital lives beyond the classroom. As a school that embraces technology while prioritising responsible use, we recognise the need to support our parent community through these evolving challenges and opportunities.
The workshop started by gathering parent perspectives through an interactive Padlet discussion, revealing valuable insights that will shape future workshops and our curriculum. Parents expressed enthusiasm about technology's educational benefits - how it enables independent research, expands access to knowledge through different platforms, and develops crucial digital literacy skills. Many highlighted how technology helps maintain family connections and prepares children for future careers in our tech-driven world through coding and other digital skills.
However, parental concerns emerged about the challenges of parenting in the digital age. Many parents reported challenges with screen time leading to reduced engagement in offline activities like reading and sports. Behavioural changes at home included mood swings and shortened attention spans, particularly around gaming and video content, were frequently mentioned. Online safety emerged as a worry, with parents anxious about exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online scams. Health concerns like eye strain, sleep disruption, and impacts on mental wellbeing were also prominent.
From an educational perspective, parents asked how digital tools affect fundamental skills like handwriting and deep focus. Some noted that while technology may enable personalised learning, some automated systems may lack the nuanced feedback of teachers. At home, the social implications of reduced face-to-face interaction and community engagement were also raised as challenges parents faced.
In response to these challenges, the workshop provided concrete, actionable strategies including:As a school community, we're committed to continuing this important conversation. Our school curriculum will address specific concerns raised, such as managing gaming habits, identifying quality educational content, and developing critical thinking skills to navigate misinformation. We are already committed to balancing technology integration with traditional learning methods to support all students; we also have a professional development team committed to developing our approaches to feedback.
This parent workshop reinforced that while technology presents incredible opportunities for learning and connection, it requires thoughtful guidance. We hope parents left equipped with practical tools and the reassurance that they are not alone in navigating these challenges. By working together - school and parents - we can help children reap the benefits of a technology enabled future while developing the wisdom to use it responsibly.
New School Nurse
We are delighted to introduce our new School Nurse, Ms. Eliza Poon who will be based in our Primary campus in Lam Tin. She is a nursing graduate from Tung Wah College and has worked at Prince of Wales and Kwong Wah Hospitals in Hong Kong. Ms. Poon is a great addition to our school community bringing with her a positive energy, and a warm and welcoming manner to our school. Outside school, she enjoys swimming and camping, and lately, she has picked up scuba diving as a hobby. Ms. Poon speaks fluent English, Cantonese and conversational Mandarin which will help to ensure we can support our school community.
Battle of the Books
Well done to the children who represented our school in the Battle of the Books Semi-Final on the 8th of May! It was a wonderful event, with tough competition and very challenging questions. I am so proud of them for their in-depth knowledge, competitive spirits and respectful attitudes.
Ms. Bates, School Librarian and Primary BOB Coach
“All the BOB books I’ve read have become my new favourite books!”
Seojun, 5A
“BOB is a competition where our dear librarians pick 20 books that us students must try our best to read! The top readers join the team to battle other schools and their BOB teams by answering a series of “in which book...” questions. It is challenging, but so fun! We would be extremely happy for more Year 5-6 students to join us in BOB next year!”Lilia, 6A
Looking Ahead
Please see below dates that may be of interest in the coming months *subject to changes*
Take care,
Stephen Sharma
Head of Primary
