From the Administration..

February 27, 2019

Dear Parents,

There has been quite a bit of buzz regarding social media / electronic platforms over the past few days. Talk of various viral challenges has been the center of a few conversations in the news, online, and among our students. We are asking that you take time to speak with your children about internet safety. You should be aware of the social platforms that your children are exposed to. If you are aware of what is out there then you too can be vigilant about what choices you want for them. Below you will find the list of the most commonly used applications for students:

Facebook ~ Facebook is a social networking site that helps you to connect and share with your family and friends online. You can post pictures, video, and dialogue on your wall.

Twitter ~ Twitter is a service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. People post Tweets, which may contain photos, videos, links, and up to 140 characters of text. These messages are posted to your profile, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.

Instagram ~ Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures and videos, and share them either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms.

Snapchat ~ Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send and receive “self-destructing” photos and videos. Photos and videos taken with the app are called snaps. Students can set these messages to be deleted in time spans of ten seconds up to twenty-four hours.

Live.ly ~ that live.ly is live video-streaming in a social-networking app that allows users to broadcast live video to online friends and is made by the same developers as musical.ly.

Kik ~ Get connected. Kik is way more than just messaging. It’s the easiest way to connect with your friends, stay in the loop, and explore – all through chat. No phone numbers, just pick a username.

Line app ~ Send free one-on-one and group texts to your friends anytime, anywhere! LINE is available for a variety of smartphone devices (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Nokia) and even your PC.

WhatsApp ~ text messages

TikTok (musical.ly) ~ A performance and video-sharing network.

Houseparty ~ application that allows group chatting.

You Tube ~ Internet based video sharing website that makes it easy to watch online videos. You can even create and upload your own videos to share with others.

These are just some of the 100’s and many 1000’s of applications that our students are exposed to. On the surface most of them seem harmless, but if you put your “parent thinking cap” on you may be able to determine where improper use of these media can lead to foul play. Cyber-bullying is real and the large number of technical platforms is making it easier and easier for our children to fall prey. We encourage you to be diligent, learn as much as you can, and assist us in providing safe access to technology without the pitfalls. Information is power and we are hopeful that as we educate our community, you will become more aware of what your children are doing while on screens.

Respectfully yours,

Administration