Using Technology at Home
As part of our Tech Orientation for families new to the Middle School, we encourage families to develop a clear agreement about the use of devices and other tech and communication resources at home. This is helpful both for supporting students while the navigate social situations and for ensuring their safety while exploring the online world and social media. We provide a series of questions to get an agreement started:- When should the device be in use?
- Where can they use devices?
- Who can your child communicate with digitally?
- When can they use the device for non-schoolwork related activities (i.e., chatting with friends, watching online videos, gaming)?
- How many hours a day can they use the device?
- What are acceptable activities?
- What are consequences for violating rules or our agreement?
If you haven't already, consider exploring these questions with your student, especially as you get ready for the summer break when laptops and phones can be a distraction from free time, family, and fun!
On campus, we continue to monitor use of technology by students. We are proud of the tech skills they demonstrate, and technology has become a vital component of our academic program. That said, laptops come with "bells and whistles" that prove a distraction on campus. For this reason, our tech team blocks sites that are deemed inappropriate for student viewing, and various applications can enable pop-ups and other notifications, even without the student wanting it. In recent months, the iMessage app that comes with our laptops has created a distraction for many of our Middle Schoolers. Beginning next week, we will disable iMessage during the school day (8:00am-3:10pm). If you need to reach your student, please feel free to contact Ms. Cristobal in the 10th Street Office, who can get a message to your student.
