Dear Parents

As per our school’s philosophy, we support our students in reaching their full potential by creating a safe learning environment. We also aim at graduating students who are responsible, active citizens, empowered with the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of a changing world.

Today's young people are the first generation to

grow up with Internet and cell phones as a routine part of their lives. They are driven to the technology effortlessly, and in many cases they are way ahead of adults in their technical explorations. Today’s kids adapt easily to technology, while parents are often left behind reading the instruction manual.

This knowledge gap can somehow be intimidating for parents, and they might feel that they have to scramble to keep up. But that doesn't mean that adults are irrelevant in this new high-tech world. In fact, our involvement is crucial, because kids need our constant supervision and guidance.

The following tips can help you in supervising your child in the use of internet:

·      You should include the kinds/types of sites that are off limit.

·      Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and out of your kids’ bedrooms

·      Talk to them about their online friends and activities just as you would about their other activities.

·      Know which chat rooms your kids’ visit, and whom they talk to. Make sure you know everyone on their chatting list and that they are not talking to strangers

·      Teach your children never to share or reveal personal information (names, birthdays, addresses, school name, phone numbers, credit card information) without your permission when using e-mail, chat rooms or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles

·      Encourage preteens to use kid-sized search engines such as www.yahooligans.com, or www.askforkids.com instead of Yahoo and Google

·      Encourage your teens to come to you if they find messages that make them feel uncomfortable or threatened. (Stay calm. If you "freak out" they won't turn to you for help when they need it.)

·      Help protect them from spam. Tell your teens not to give out their e-mail address online, not to respond to junk mail, and to use e-mail filters. delete unknown email attachments without opening them. They can contain destructive viruses.

·      Be aware of the Web sites that your children visit, and make sure the sites don't contain personal photos and information or offensive content.

·      Instruct your child not to transmit photos of himself/herself or others; they can be identifying or embarrassing.

·      Instruct your children that electronic info is forever: text messages, emails, photos, web pages, and profiles can be forwarded endlessly and never disappear.

·      Talk to them about ethical behavior. They should not be using the Internet to spread gossip or bully.

·      Your child’s day must involve different kinds of play and socializing (sports, reading, face-to-face talking); they’re all really important to well-being.

·      Scientists are finding that electronic games can be literally addictive; that’s why parents should constantly be watching the clock.

·      Make sure your teens check with you before making financial transactions online.

·      Ensure your computer is properly protected by using/installing up-to-date anti-virus software to protect it from intrusions (hackers).

·      Always delete unknown email attachments without opening them. They can contain destructive viruses.

·      Always virus scan all files that are downloaded to your computer for viruses, even those from known persons.

Following are some good educational websites:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bitesizeprimary/               (Preschool and Elementary)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/                                                      (IGCSE Students)

http://www.teach-ict.com/                                                          (ICT National Curriculum & IGCSE)

http://www.bestedsites.com/             (List of Educational websites for different age groups)

http://www.kidsites.com/         (List of Educational websites for different age groups)