NLESD - Students and Families

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District recognizes our students are facing increasing challenges and pressures from social media and the Internet. While we are aware there are many positives associated with these technologies, we also acknowledge that at times they may be used inappropriately. Great strides in educating our students about Internet and social media safety have been made in recent years, but we believe we can and should do even more. Our Internet and Social Media Safety (ISMS) Program continues to provide our students with important information and instruction on the use of such communications mediums, playing a key role in helping young learners make good decisions in real life and online.

Each member of our community has a role to play in helping our young people understand the consequences of questionable online behaviour and a responsibility to model good behaviour in our electronic activities. The District encourages you to explore the resources below and learn more about how we can all be good digital citizens.

Student and Parent/Guardian Resources

The District is aware that many parents and guardians are unsure of the many ways their children are interacting online and how they are using the Internet in their day-to-day lives. While we do encourage all parents and guardians to review the resources being used by teachers each year and engage in discussions at home about Internet use, we recognize that the amount of information available can be overwhelming. Listed below are a number of resources specifically designed to help educate adults about the many uses of modern technology among youth.

MediaSmarts - Keeping Up With Your Kids Online Activities
CommonSense Media - Parent Resources; Age-Appropriate Guidelines to Tough Conversations
MediaSmarts - Parenting the Digital Generation
Government of Canada; Get Cyber Safe - Teaching Digital Citizenship: It's about how your child acts online

Additional Information Resources

School Action Plan

With the goal of developing both an immediate and a long-term strategy to help our teachers better inform our students about the use of modern technology, the District introduced the ISMS Action Plan for Grades 1 through 12 in September, 2014. Updated annually to ensure relevance for today's student, the plan is derived from the Department of Education's Safe and Caring Schools Policy, 2013 and the elements of Digital Citizenship. The action plan is designed to provide guidance to students on using technology, smart phones and social media and uses recommended resources to assist teachers in completing instruction on these topics. While the ISMS Program is mandatory for all schools, it is among a number of resources our schools are using to discuss these important topics. The District believes the more information we provide our students, the better prepared they are to face the challenges ahead.

A general outline of the topics to be covered and the resources being used are found below. For specific lesson plan information for your student, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher or school administration.

Digital Citizenship Lessons

Grade Level	Lessons
Grades 1 to 3	Digital Etiquette Rights and Responsibilities Digital Communications
Grades 4 to 6	Digital Access Digital Commerce Digital Literacy
Grades 7 to Level III	Digital Law Digital Health and Wellness Digital Security

Compulsory Resources

MediaSmarts.ca - A Canadian, not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy. Their vision is that children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens.
Privacy Education for Young Canadians - A site available from the youth privacy section of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Here you will find a variety of resources and tools that have been designed for Canadian educators and parents/guardians.
Commonsensemedia.org - A resource dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice needed to thrive in a world of media and technology.

Supplementary Resources

Netsmartz.org - A resource provided for parents/guardians, educators and youth from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Reallifeonline.ca - An Ontario resource that aims to educate children to be safe and healthy by applying real life behaviours to life online.
Cybertip.ca - A resource operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the site's mandate is to protect children from online sexual exploitation.
Kidsintheknow.ca - A safety program designed to empower children and reduce their risk of victimization with a focus on self-esteem and critical problem-solving skills.

Who Should I Speak With?

Any student who has concerns about inappropriate or questionable activity should speak with a trusted adult such as parent/guardian, family member, teacher, or police officer.

Parents/Guardians who have concerns about inappropriate or questionable online activities should discuss the matter with their children and bring it to the attention of the school and law enforcement.