This Wednesday students got to hear from Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise, who shared an amazing amount of wisdom with our fifth through eighth graders. Throwing the net wide since she knows that our kids are in all different places with technology, she covered everything from the importance of keeping devices out of bedrooms and getting good sleep to the dangers of sexting.

One of her biggest messages of all was the importance of not letting your device control you, and really trying to make the effort to be self-aware about how you feel when you are on technology. Her main point was if it doesn’t feel good when you are: reading friends’ posts about a party you aren’t invited to; getting too upset about losing in a video game; or reading someone’s unkind comments... just walk away from it. Set your technology down and do something that makes you feel good. Take care of yourself and your happiness, and listen to your body and your heart to see how you are feeling when you are using technology. What an amazing message for all of us in our month of thinking intentionally about self-care. 

All parents: Please remember to fill out this survey about our next Parent Partnership meeting on Wednesday, February 5 from 8:00–9:00 a.m. as soon as you have a chance. We are planning a Speed Geeking (like Speed Dating, but less panic) session where parents can rotate through three different workshops. These will include (1) parenting contracts around technology; (2) learning about privacy settings—why they matter and how to set them on your apps and phone; and (3) Upper School students will talk about TikTok and other social media platforms and we will address questions and concerns about social media. On the survey, please let us know what is on your mind about parenting and technology and if you would be interested in us offering these workshops again at an evening time.