Mrs. Metz

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November 5, 2009
Please remember that our Book Fair will be held in the school library from 
November 15th to the 20th.  Please stop by during school hours to purchase 
books.  On Sunday, November 16th the book fair will have special family hours 
from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

April 2009
Parents might want to visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org.  This website 
has a lot of information about Internet Safety for your child.  Once you are 
at the website, click Parent Advice and select the topic that you would like 
to learn about.

September 2008

Parenting in the Digital Age
"Even if you have filtering software on your computers - and you should - 
begin with the premise that to kids, there are NO PARENTS IN THE DIGITAL 
WORLD- except, of course, for YOU."  This quote is from an article in the 
September 2008 edition of Cincinnati Family magazine, p.19.  The tips from 
the article are listed below and may help you monitor your children's 
technology usage.

1.  "Know the warning signs of technology over-drive:  Children spending 
large amounts of time online; kids demanding more privacy than you are 
comfortable with; kids quickly closing their laptop or clicking off of a 
screen when you appear on the scene."
2.  "Limit media in bedrooms or private spaces.  Only allow computers in 
family central areas and during specific times of the day."
3.  "Make a "tech dock" in your home where all phones, Gameboys and other 
gadgets must be placed at a certain time of the day or night."
4.  "Create contracts for your media-using children stating expectations, 
house rules and other important guidelines for different technologies.  Have 
a family meeting to review the contracts, sign them and make clear the 
repercussions of contract breaching."
5.  "Let your children know you have filters in place on the computers and 
will monitor where they've been."
6.  "Discuss moral choices with your children so they know what's good for 
them and what is not, along with what your expectations are."
7.  "Be a part of the digital world yourself.  Sign up for Facebook, 
Spacebook, MySpace, and Instant Messaging.  Engage in it so you can be a 
part of what's going on."
8.  "Keep children engaged in the real world:  Teach them that virtual 
connections are no substitute for real-life encounters an encourage real 
relationships with real people.  Get back to family dinners, inviting 
friends over and having one-on-one conversations."

August, 2008
If you wish to save documents at school and work on them at home, you will 
need to purchase a flash drive.  Most flash drives are guaranteed for five 
years.  The price for these storage devices has come down in the past few 
months.  Please remember that the computers in the lab do not have floppy 
drives so you cannot use floppy disks in them.

Computer Lab Rules
1.  Show respect for teachers, students, and equipment in the lab.

2.  No student is permitted to be in the lab without a teacher.

3.  No student may have food or a drink in the lab,including candy.

4.  Students may not change the background, screensaver, or any other 
computer setting.

5.  The computers are to be used for school related activities only.  The 
students are not permitted to listen to the radio, send instant messages, 
download music or e-mail while in the lab.  E-mails that need to be sent as 
part of a class project must be supervised by the teacher.

6.  Do not remove or alter identification tags on the computer hardware.

7.  Please submit one print job at a time.  Network printing is not 
instantaneous.  If your document doesn’t print the first time, please ask 
for help before printing again.

8.  Do not connect or disconnect any computer wires or cables.

9.  Leave keyboards, mouses,and monitors as you found them.  
Chairs must be pushed in when you leave.

10. Protect your password.  Do not share your password with others.  Also do 
not try to steal another person’s password.

Internet Safety Rules for Families
1.  Children should never give personal information to someone they meet on 
the Internet.  This includes their full name, address, phone number, school 
name, sports team name or picture.
2.  Children should never arrange to meet an online friend in person without 
an adult being present.
3.  Children should never respond online to messages that are mean or make 
them feel uncomfortable or scared.  They should log off and tell an 
adult about it immediately.  Parents should report messages of this kind to 
the service provider.
4.  Something that could hurt another person's feelings in person will still 
hurt if they receive it in an e-mail, instant message, or chat room.
5.  Children should never send photos of themselves to anyone on the 
Internet 
without checking with their parents.
6.  Children should talk with their parents about rules for going online.  
Your parents should decide what time of day you may be online, the length of 
time that you may be online, and appropriate places for you to visit.
7.  Never give your password to anyone (other than your parents) not even 
your best friends. 
8.  Check with your parents before downloading or installing software or 
doing anything that could possibly hurt the computer.
9.  Be a good online user and don't do anything that could hurt others or is 
against the law.
10. Obey all copyright laws.
11. Do not plagiarize or steal the intellectual property of others.  In 
other 
words, don't copy something that someone else has written and pretend that 
it 
is yours.

Rules one through six are adapted from the brochure "Child Safety on the 
Information Highway" by SafeKids.Com founder Larry Magid. (copyright 2004 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).  Rules seven through 9 
are copyrighted by Larry Magid (copyright 2005).

Please discuss the following with your children.
1.  How much time may they spend online?  Is this use dependent on whether 
their homework and chores are finished?
2. Are there restrictions as to where your child can access the Internet?  
May they use the Internet at school, the public library, or at a friend's 
house?  May they use the Internet if no adults are present?
3.  Talk about which websites are okay and which are off-limits.  Are they 
only allowed to use the Internet for schoolwork?  Are they allowed to e-
mail, 
send instant messages, or visit chat rooms.
4. Talk about Internet manners.  What is an appropriate or inappropriate 
message?  Talk about treating others as they would want to be treated.
5.  If you allow them to visit chat rooms, explore them together and set 
guidelines on which type of chat rooms they may visit.

Remember strangers met on the Internet are just as dangerous as strangers 
you meet in the real world.  (A stranger is someone that you have never met 
in person).  A friend of a friend that you have never met in person is still 
a stranger!) Don't assume that everyone you meet on the Internet is being 
truthful.  Be cautious and use the Internet safely.

Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

1.  I will use the computer in a way that shows consideration and respect 
for the equipment and for others.
2.  I will not use computer technology to hurt other people by sneding them 
messages which contain inappropriate or abusive language.
3.  I will not open other people's files.
4.  I will not use a computer to steal.
5.  I will not use a computer to lie about someone.
6.  I will not copy software for which I have not paid.
7.  I will not use someone else's computer resources without permission.
8.  I will not plagiarize other people's work.
9.  I will not use the Internet to try to obtain material that is 
considered  objectionable by parental standards and Our Lady of Lourdes' 
standards or material that is ilegal for a minor to obtain.  This includes, 
but is not limited to, sexually explicit material, hacker sites, and 
explosive materials.
10.  I will not use computer technology to violate the Archdiocesan 
Responsible Use of Technology Policy.

The above list is taken from a list by  Mr. Doug Fodeman, Brookwood School, 
Manchester, MA and is printed with his permission.

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Mrs. Metz

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