Like adults, our students use news to learn about what’s happening in their world. However, with news comes bias, and misinformation and a tendency, if not understood, to blur their understanding of events and issues.
A 2017 survey by a Sydney university found that Australian children, aged eight to 16, consume news, however there were few news media designed specifically for them. There is a wealth of news headlines and stories available and now, more than ever before, parents play a crucial part in helping children ‘unpack’ news. Every time we passively accept information without double-checking, or share a post, image or video before we’ve verified it, we’re adding to noise and confusion surrounding issues. Our ecosystem is polluted, and we need to help our children to take steps to independently check what they see online.
The three national news programs specifically designed for children are News Corporation’s Kidsnews, an independent daily news podcast Squiz Kids and the ABC’s longstanding Behind the News (BtN) which has been around since I was in primary school. Although children’s news programs are important, safe and appealing, our children are still exposed to other types of news. This same survey found 73% of children regularly consume the same news as their parents or guardians and 49% get news from social media sites, which increases with age.
Further to this, the survey found that only one third of children felt they could distinguish fake from real news, which is where parents can help and assist in developing those skills in critical evaluation of information.
To assist children to think critically about news, parents need to help identify reliable news sources. Children are exposed to a range of items purveying to be news, from breakfast morning television segments to YouTube celebrity videos. In order to help decide if a source is reliable, our children should be able to answer the following about any news story: 

• Is it clear who created this news story? It’s not possible to trust a source you don’t know since you need to be able to be able to query why and how they created the story.
• Is this a presentation of the facts or does it include opinion? A fact is objective material, supported by evidence, and can be checked to ensure it is right. Opinions are subjective thoughts about an issue nobody can prove are right. If opinions are presented as facts this is misleading.

While it’s natural for news about major events and issues to evoke emotions, often media agencies seek to exploit emotional responses for their benefit. Discussing with your children media headlines accompanied by the questions about what seems logical, correct or emotive again starts students along the path to being critical consumers of media stories. Having conversations and discussions about why some news stories spread disinformation is equally important; case in point is all the reporting around the coronavirus, as is the mechanism media use to speak about people from different races and backgrounds.
Taking the time to discuss what children see in the news helps them build critical thinking skills, as well as helping them to prepare to defend their position, to learn, to interrogate, and develop their general knowledge for a better society, a better future, a better political discourse.
Trustworthy news is important as we rely on it to help make decisions about who to vote for, how we feel about events or people, and how to manage aspects of our lives like our finances and health. Identifying misinformation in the digital age is a challenge for everyone, particularly for younger children.
I have long been a strong advocate of the teacher and home partnership in helping to raise the confident and capable young men and women who leave our campus at the end of their schooling journey. Over the past term, I have written about many of the College’s key Strategic Pillars, and again in this issue I am focussing on facilitating a community of learners – our parents, our teaching staff, and also our children. Through this, I hope I have highlighted some practical ideas where parents can connect with their children to engage them in debate, but also help to build those critical life skills.
Fortunately for students at A.B. Paterson College, our Teaching for Understanding pedagogical approach embeds critical thinking in all aspects of our teaching.  So much so that I have heard it repeated by senior students that they ‘trust, but verify’ when it comes to the multitude of sources of information they use for research, for assessment, for interest and for knowledge. Our students learn to read and understand critically, but to always verify their understandings using secondary sources of information.
While I would never downplay the severity of any news story and its effect on different people, talking with our children and using current events and news stories to facilitate these discussions are an important aspect of connecting with them. The secondary gain, that we are modelling the skills needed to be successful beyond the College.
Joanne Sheehy – Principal/ Head of College

To our Performing Arts faculty, Chamber and Year 1 Choirs – once again, you have done our College proud!
Your performance at the weekend’s Vocalescence Australian Heroes Multicultural Event, raising funds for our Rural Fire Brigades, was simply stunning. Congratulations!
Thank you to our families for your support.
Watch the video of the performance: https://www.facebook.com/abpatersoncollege/videos/205626547321503/

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Jodie Down for successfully making it through to the Regional Finals of the Lions Youth of the Year Program, after being awarded the highest score in this week’s Ashmore Club round.
The feedback from attendees on the night was that Jodie was a wonderful ambassador for our College, and a very strong performer.
The Program is open to 16-18year old students, and consists of an interview (70%), prepared public speech (20%) and impromptu questions (10%).
Jodie wishes to thank Mr Taylor for his guidance, and Mr Grosser for supporting her on the night of the Ashmore competition.
We wish Jodie well for the Regional Finals, to be held on 28 March.

Perseverance is defined as a, ‘persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success’.
Some children find it natural to persevere with a task no matter how challenging it may seem whilst others need some help to get there.
In Prep, we understand there are many things that contribute towards building perseverance in children.
Our children are beginning to build strong relationships with their peers, teachers and adults around them. They feel that they are listened to, accepted and cared for which is giving them the opportunity to take risks in a safe environment.
By observing their friends, teachers and adults around them acting as role models and persevering with a task, the children are quickly learning the benefits of completing something independently and to the best of their ability.
It has been a big change for our students coming into school for the first time. They have had to learn about how their behaviour can affect others around them. How do I cope when I feel angry or sad? They are learning how to self-regulate their emotions whilst acknowledging how they feel. Accepting and naming these emotions are essential if our children are going to persevere and ultimately be successful with a task.
Throughout the term, we have given the children endless opportunities to problem-solve in a range of situations. It may be as simple as fitting a diary bag into an already full backpack at the end of the school day. As teachers, we always observe first which gives the child time and space to experiment with different approaches. We can then step in with open-ended questions that might support their thinking and help them to be successful.
Most importantly, our children are learning to be positive and persevere in challenging situations. This developing confidence is encouraging and evident to see in every Prep classroom. There is a change in our use of language to incorporate an optimistic attitude towards our everyday work and responsibilities.

Angie Hall, Jacinta Lauder, Peter Nicholls and Elisa Sutherland - Prep Teachers

There was a magnificent turnout for Dennis House Sleepout on Friday 6 March, with 292 students attending the games session and 142 sleeping out for the night!
The evening started at 4pm with excited children rushing through the DMPC doors to sign in. After a quick briefing from Mr Brookes, students were running from every angle to get to their desired activity. Badminton and volleyball nets, board and card games, handball and ping pong tables were all set-up around the DMPC encouraging friendly games to be played. The activity with the most success was the 15 twister mats filled with very eager and twisty students.
A highlight for many of the older students during the games portion of the night was the ability to mingle with students in grades below. Everyone’s cheeks were flushed with enthusiasm and adrenaline no matter the activity. Soon the games portion of the evening ended, and it was time to refuel with some pizza and a juice popper.
Once we all had cooled off and our heartrates had a chance to settle, we headed over to the LPAC for the Lawson Talent Show where we all supported and cheered for the outstandingly talented students that we have at our College.
The night was nearing its end, but not for the 142 students who were sleeping out. We all set up our luxurious yoga mats and sleeping bags then headed to the Elderslie Theatre to watch School of Rock, a highlight of the night for many. After a very eventful evening for all students who attended, it was time to hit the hay.
We were all awoken at 6am, blinded by the sunrise beaming through the windows. Everyone packed up their sleeping arrangements and headed downstairs for breakfast consisting of croissants and leftover pizza.
We all created some long-lasting memories while supporting three amazing charities – Orange Sky Laundry, the Salvation Army and Youngcare. We were able to raise around $3000!
Thank you to the 292 students who supported the event. A big thank you goes out to Mr Brookes and Ms Ward for organising this amazing night, and another to the teachers and staff for giving up their Friday night to join in on the fun whilst supervising all students.
Ella Gerardis – Dennis House Captain

The moment we all stepped into the LPAC on Friday night, we knew that we were about to witness something great!
As part of the Dennis/Lawson House Charity Fundraiser event, Lawson House hosted the A.B. Talent Show. It was absolutely amazing and the highlight of the night. We all got to sit and relax as we were entertained by a great variety of acts from some very talented students. The acts ranged all the way from blindfolded piano pieces by Joe and April, to Mia and Chloe’s great performance of TikTok dances. None of us will ever forget Oliver and Amir’s Aladdin performance nor Bryce’s Chicken Dance. We were in awe of the card tricks, the yo-yo performance, the musicians, singers, dancers and entertainers. All the participants gave very memorable performances and the night was filled with laughs and cheers, with every act receiving a standing ovation from a very enthusiastic audience.
Mr Andrews and Leigh Lomas made a great double act as MCs for the night, and the Lawson House Captains, together with Mrs Mackenzie, Mrs Vadeikis and Chloe Lim, did a fantastic job of judging and choosing the winning acts for the night. Congratulations to Joe Dejima and Jacob Carr for winning the Junior section and the A.B. Boy Band – Adam Markham, Edward Hall, Parker Britton and Sam Voss – for taking out the Senior competition.
This amazing show could not have happened without Head of House, Ms Ward and our House Captains, Caitlin and Nathan. We would also like to thank the whole theatre stage crew led by Mr Fox for helping to create a wonderful backdrop for the show and fabulous sound track for the night. The Lawson House Talent Show was a fantastic contribution to an amazing afternoon and evening of activities that we will remember for a long time to come.

Chloe Ward, Year 8 Student

Samuel Blanc (Year 1K) represented the College at the Wide Bay Regional Interschool Championships on the weekend.
Congratulations to Sam who put in another huge effort on both of his ponies, taking out the Mini Show Horse Championship on Kristamoor Lodge Kieran and Reserve Champion Mini Show Hunter on Rhaeadr Park Oscar.
Well done Sam!

Ian Taylor - Director of Activities
(Top image by Oz Shotz Sports Photography)