From the Head of Pastoral

Mr Hilton Hardman

Welcome to Term 1 Our PCG and House system are central to our Pastoral Program at St George’s. Through it, we aim to focus on building a sense of community, developing resilience, offering opportunities for personal, social and emotional development and provide emotional support. This year has seen the school return to the popular vertical system which has students from different year groups meeting each morning during PCG and become closer as a group during pastoral activities run on Fridays.

During specific periods of the term students will break up into Year groups for Protective Behaviour sessions and guest speakers, but for most of the term, they will stay in their PCG groups.

I look forward to seeing our senior students taking on a supportive role within these groups particularly with the younger students during their initial years at St George’s. This area of care between the students is what creates a strong sense of community within the school.

Term 1: Parent Guest Speaker This term, the school has secured Paul Litherland as our parent guest speaker. Paul is well known for Surf Online Safe (SOS) and his media appearances talking about the online world and students safety. Paul was a Western Australia Police Officer for 20 years. He worked in a diverse range of areas during a decorated career, receiving three commendations and two nominations for Police Officer of the Year. In 2007, Paul received a Pride of Australia Medal.

In 2016, Paul was awarded a National Service Medal for his continued service to the Western Australian community, and in 2018 he was nominated for Australian of the Year. In 2019, he was a finalist in the Small Business Champion Awards and also received a nomination for the Telstra Australian Businessman of the Year. He is passionate about education, which is reflected clearly in the recommendations and testimonials he receives. Paul is a regular contributor to Australian media and is a first point of contact for many national TV and radio organisations, including The Project and Australian news media.

Paul’s qualifications include A+ Certification in Computer Technology, Certifications in Computer Forensics and Social Media Marketing, and a Diploma in Public Speaking. He also holds a Certificate IV in Education and numerous other qualifications in digital design and technology.

Over 70 000 students, parents and educators have seen an SOS presentation. The demand for his services has increased dramatically, and this reflects the high quality of his work and the passion he has for education in this everchanging environment.

Points to be covered in the session: Cyber Bullying – Legislation surrounding this and how it is affecting our kids.

Digital Citizenship – Where our kids are going online, the Apps they are using and the information they are sharing.

Online Footprint – How easy it is to find kids online and what they can do to minimise their risk.

Social Networking and Networking in general – How the systems work and how to overcome their reach.

Online Gaming and Website Use - Risks and uses.

Tips & Tricks – How to keep an eye on your kids through software and hardware. Easy instructions on what we can do to keep them safe.

This talk will take place on the 10 March from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. This time includes questions at the end of the session.

If you wish to attend this session, please email sgamble@stgeorges.wa.edu.au , we have a restricted number of seats available for this session.