Dear Parents and Caregivers

Secondary Examinations
Weeks 6 and 7 of Term 2 have marked a rigorous time for our Year 12 students who complete their mid-year examinations today. Our Year 11s commenced their examinations yesterday and these continue through next week; while Years 8 to 10 have their examinations over the course of next week too.

I have, once again, been so impressed by our students, who have put in a great deal of work and effort through this time, showing both perseverance and resilience. I am looking forward to reading their reports later in the term. 

We wish all our students all the best over this very busy time.

Primary – Join our Journey
We are eagerly anticipating our Primary students bringing their parents to school on both campuses in Week 9. This Join our Journey event is a joyous occasion when the community – students, parents and staff – can celebrate the high quality of work that our students produce and an excellent opportunity for parents to get a real sense of what happens on a daily basis in our Primary classrooms. 

House Days
Three Houses celebrate their House Days this term. Barrett House Day was, unfortunately, curtailed by the COVID lockdown over the ANZAC Weekend. However, as Barrett was the only House able to celebrate their House Day last year, they took this in good spirit.  Jamieson House had a wonderful day in Week 5 and Rose House is busily preparing for the last week of term. These days are very much enjoyed by students and staff alike, when the whole House – Primary (both campuses) and Secondary can celebrate together.

Year 10 Dinner/Dance

This is a highlight of the year for our Year 10 students. It will be held on the last Wednesday night of the term. I am very much looking forward to spending time with our Year 10s in a different context to the day-to-day routine of the School.

These are just a few of the ‘extra’ events this term. While they add to the busyness of the term, they also add to the rich fabric of our community and enhance our sense of belonging and connectedness.

Best wishes 

Kerry Robertson
Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Service Learning
Recently our student leaders were given the opportunity to meet with Mrs Tracy Bain, the coordinator of the Peel Community Kitchen. This session was very valuable, as it gave our students real insight into the mission of the Kitchen and the people who volunteer their time to those in need. The Kitchen offers support to the homeless, unemployed, elderly pensioners and families living below the poverty line. Last year we held a successful food drive, with overwhelming and appreciated support from our community. We have decided to once again hold a food drive and hope that it will be an opportunity for our students to help those in need. Our student leaders have already begun speaking to classrooms and information for parents is being prepared. We thank Mrs Bain for her time and efforts and look forward to supporting this worthy cause.

Bring your Parents to School Afternoon
The opportunity to have our parents into the School for events has only recently been a reality. It has been a wonderful development and so important for everyone to feel connected. Correspondence on the Bring your Parents to School Afternoon (Wednesday 16 June) has already gone home to parents and we hope that everyone that can attend will enjoy the afternoon. The event is about providing parents and carers with an opportunity to explore their child’s learning environments with the students and to gain some insight into their learning experiences. It is also about celebrating our community and we hope that the barbeque and choir singing at the end of the event will be an opportunity to come together. As mentioned in my correspondence to parents on Wednesday, I ask that we all adhere to our COVID-19 procedures, which include physical distancing, signing into the registers outside of classrooms and being aware of crowded areas. Adherence to these protocols will allow us to continue holding these wonderful events.

Act, Belong, Commit
Act, Belong, Commit is an initiative supported by the government, Curtin University, and the local council to promote and support mental health and wellbeing. The objective of the initiative is to create a stronger and more resilient community. It fundamentally believes that being active, having a sense of belonging and having a purpose in life all contribute to happiness and good mental health. The approach is based on three fundamental practices to support Mental Health: 

• 'Do Something' - Keep active - physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.
• 'Do Something with Someone' - keep connected - to friends, family and your community.
• 'Do Something Meaningful' - do something meaningful, important and valuable to you.

As a school we have met with representatives from Act, Belong, Commit and have made a commitment to use this approach to support the pastoral and wellbeing initiatives we have in place, as well as looking at possible new and exciting opportunities. As an example, our current food drive is a great example of ‘Committing’ and doing something meaningful. Our students’ and staff wellbeing continues to be a priority and we are very excited to be engaging with this wonderful approach.

Parent Help
I just wanted to reiterate to our community that we really do want our parents involved in the School. If you would like to assist in the classroom, regardless of what year level your child is in, please make contact with your teacher to learn about opportunities to be involved. 

Noah Clark
Head of Primary – Halls Head Campus

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Reconciliation Week – more than a word. Reconciliation takes action. 

As I write this article today, I acknowledge that we come to work and play on Bindjareb Noongar Land. The Binjareb Noongar people are the original inhabitants and traditional owners of the land in and around Mandurah; and we pay our respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging. 

This week marks National Reconciliation Week and this year we are being urged to take braver and impactful action. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in taking thoughtful steps we can help build communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures. 

When I first embarked on my teaching career, I was extremely fortunate to work in a small country town where I worked closely with the Wajarri Yamatji people. Back then the curriculum did not include the perspectives of the First Peoples of Australia. But I was fortunate. Through local Elders and Aboriginal Education Workers I was privileged to learn on Country with the children and to learn some of the Wajarri language. Much more recently, I had the privilege of working with the Menang Noongar people to bring the history and culture of Albany’s first people into the school curriculum. Including first-hand experiences of the stolen generation alongside learning on Country about significant cultural places and practices. Education plays an important role in reconciliation.

In the Primary School at Frederick Irwin, the teachers incorporate authentic and appropriate learning experiences to ensure the inclusion of the perspectives, histories, and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This happens not only in Reconciliation Week but throughout the year. However, I take pride in sharing a snapshot of the learning that has happened around reconciliation this week at the Meadow Springs campus. 

After watching Playschool’s acknowledgment of country video the Pre-Primary children went to ‘Bush School’ and further discussed the importance of acknowledging the First Nations' custodianship of the land on which we learn and play. The Pre-Primary children will also be using artwork by indigenous artist Zachary Bennett-Brook to create a collaborative art piece. 

In Kindergarten, the children have read a selection of picture books including 'Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo' by Alison Lester. Mrs Holmsen brought in a didgeridoo and we watched a video about how it is played. We also watched the Playschool episode of Acknowledgement of Country and sang the song 'Hand in Hand'. At the collage table some of the children traced around their hands and stuck them onto pop sticks and put them in our pot plants, like in the Playschool episode. 

Year 2 has investigated influential First Nation peoples, including singers, actors, lawyers, doctors and sportspeople. They will also develop a sandpit map of Australia. 

3M1 discovered why we commemorate Sorry Day and who the Stolen Generation is.  The children listened to Prime Minister Rudd’s 2008 Apology to the Stolen Generation. The class worked together to create a mural by colouring in pieces of artwork by Zachary Bennett-Brook while reflecting on Sorry Day. Zachary Bennett-Brook is a contemporary artist and Indigenous man of Torres Strait Islander ancestry, born and raised on Dharawal Country. By listening to the music of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu as well as traditional indigenous music the children further explored the contribution to the Arts of indigenous Australians. 

In celebrating Reconciliation the children took a look at the jumpers being worn by AFL players to celebrate the Sir Douglas Nicholls Round. Mrs Hopkins shared with the class the contribution that indigenous players have made to the AFL. The class also viewed and discussed the pictures of Nicky Winmar and Adam Goodes lifting their jumpers to show their pride and why they had to do that.

Year 3 noted that 1 June 2021 marks the beginning of the Makuru, one of the six Noongar seasons. And discovered what the Noongar people would have noticed changing in their environment at this time and how they changed their lifestyle to manage this season.

Year 5 has been investigating some of the missing pieces of Australian history. They explored views on the importance of including Indigenous perspectives and culture in the history of the nation and ensuring the First Nation Peoples have their culture and histories represented.

In these small ways, we are ensuring that reconciliation is more than a word. It takes action.

Kind regards

Sue Youens
Head of Primary –  Meadow Springs

Dear Parents and Caregivers

In my previous newsletter items in 2021, I have talked about our adoption of the Act, Belong, Commit message that we are hoping will have a positive effect on the mental health of the students under our care. The Act, Belong, Commit message will work well alongside Frederick Irwin being a Be You School, focusing on raising a mentally healthy generation. Having these ‘umbrellas’ operating above us will ensure we are empowering our children to tackle current and future challenges in the best possible manner.

Another approach we have at the school that is setting our children up well for the future, is our Restorative approach to managing behaviour. Being at Frederick Irwin since the beginning of 2018 has allowed me to see the positive effects a restorative approach has in dealing with any issues or challenges students may be facing. 

A restorative approach allows a student to reflect on his/her actions, exploring the effect their behaviour or negative interactions with others may have on the other person. It also allows the individual child time to reflect and ponder on what they now need to do to earn back the trust of their friend, peer or teacher.
In my communication with many of you, you will know that when the teachers and I work with children following a wrong choice in the classroom or playground, that there is an opportunity to reflect even though a natural consequence is still given for their behaviour.

I am pleased to announce that the parent community will soon have an opportunity to hear more about Restorative Practices from an expert in the field. Psychologist and Educator Gabrielle Lawlor, from Restorative Practices WA, will lead a parent presentation on this exact topic on the afternoon of Thursday 24 June at the Halls Head Campus. All families of children from Kindergarten to Year 6 at the Meadow Springs Campus are most welcome to attend this information session from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on the above date. Please look out for information on Skoolbag and SeeSaw in the coming days regarding this session. We look forward to your attendance. 

Regards

Glyn Teape
Deputy Head of Primary — Meadow Springs 

Kindergarten 2023 
This term, applications for admission in 2023, particularly for brothers and sisters of existing students, will be considered for enrolment in Kindergarten at Frederick Irwin Anglican School, Meadow Springs and Halls Head.

Parents who wish their son or daughter to be considered for these years in 2023 should, if they have not already done so, submit an application as soon as possible.

If you have any queries please contact Mrs Jackie Smith at the School Office or email registrar@frederickirwin.wa.edu.au.

Term Dates 2021 

Term 4: Tuesday 12 October – Wednesday 8 December 

Term Dates 2022 

Term 1: Monday 31 January to Friday 8 April
Term 2: Thursday 28 April to Friday 1 July
Term 3: Tuesday 26 July to Friday 23 September
Term 4: Tuesday 11 October to Wednesday 7 December

Year 6 2022 Special Top

Our current Year 5s will be completing their Primary schooling next year. With this in mind, we would like to inform you that Frederick Irwin Anglican School recognises this and has decided to offer a ‘special top’ to all Year 5 students (2021) for Year 6 (2022).

As all students require a gold polo shirt as part of their sports uniform, we have decided to have this polo top made with the class-lists printed on the back. The cost to parents will be the cost of the polo top plus the printing. 

Please either place your order online via Quickcliq or call into the uniform shop by 23 September 2021 at the latest (no orders will be taken after this date), to order and pay for the correct size ready for delivery in February 2022.

Dry Cleaning your Blazer
The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance and advice relating to the safe laundering and dry cleaning of your Frederick Irwin Anglican School Blazer.

The first rule is that blazers should never be home-laundered. Treat your blazer like any suiting jacket – which is dry clean only. Just like a suit, blazers have high quality fabric (containing wool) together with fusing and lining which must be professionally cleaned. A quality dry cleaner should be used where possible. 

The above said, there are some dry cleaners that do not always dry clean in accordance with garment specifications. The primary complaint about dry cleaning is over-heating. When a blazer is over-heated, the fusing (used to make collars and the lapel maintain shape) will come away from the fabric and result in bubbles, a wave pattern or bulging. An experienced dry cleaner will know this and can prevent this from happening. 

Frederick Irwin Anglican School's blazer manufacturer recommends using a larger-scale dry cleaner rather than small shopping centre-based dry cleaners. Larger volume dry cleaners tend to be more professional and have experience with special garments. If you are in any doubt, do not be afraid to ask questions about the dry cleaner’s practices and knowledge. 

Sound dry cleaning practices will ensure your blazer will last longer.

Lost Uniforms
Can you all please check your children's uniforms for names. If the item is not yours, please return it to the school office as soon as possible, where we are able to give the item to the correct child; if you know the child please pass it on to the owner.

Recently, I have had several parents into the uniform shop, concerned about lost/taken uniform items. 

Please be mindful that all items of clothing MUST have your child’s name on it, this will not only reduce the risk of lost items, which result in additional costs for families, but items can easily be returned. 

Second Hand Uniforms
Have you any uniforms that no longer fit? Re-sell them through the Uniform Shop. Items must be laundered and in good condition.

Forms are available from either the Uniform Shop, Reception or online – details needed:
Name and address – so payment can be deducted from your school fees – once items are sold
Date purchased – this will help set the selling price 

The selling price is set at 60% of the original price, and then you receive 75% of this selling price. 

A new system has been developed to help process the secondhand uniforms into the shop and sell on for you. Unfortunately, any item that has been taken in cannot be returned if either unsuitable or unsold.

Please see below the Uniform Shop Hours for Term 3.

Please be aware that when ordering online, you will receive an email to confirm your order, and that collection is to be from Primary Reception or Secondary Reception. 

MEADOW SPRINGS CAMPUS

HALLS HEAD CAMPUS

Term 2 Fee Statements have been emailed to families and were due for payment by Friday 28 May 2021. 

Families who have not paid or made payment arrangements with the Business Manager by the due date should be aware that a late penalty of $55.00 (GST included) may be imposed. The School has BPAY facilities and we encourage parents to avail themselves of this.

To assist families to budget for their school fee payments, we also offer weekly, fortnightly, bi-monthly or monthly payment plans.  For further information, please contact the School Office.

If anyone out there is interested in helping out at our music and drama performances, as well as our upcoming musical, Matilda, we are seeking the assistance of volunteers for our Friends of Performing Arts group.  

These amazing people help out behind the scenes, sometimes making costumes and painting sets, but largely helping to organise the supper we provide at our performances.  

If you would be willing to help out at any of these, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.  Please email Jenny Crutchett, Head of Performing Arts, on jenny.crutchett@fias.wa.edu.au and she will pass your details on to the coordinator of the group.  

We are excited to announce that some positions are now available for the Music Instrumental Programme for the remainder of 2021.  If your child has an interest in playing a musical instrument, please contact the Head of Performing Arts, Jenny Crutchett, on jenny.crutchett@fias.wa.edu.au, for details. 

Students can have lessons on a range of instruments such as: flute, clarinet, percussion, violin, viola, cello, drum kit, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, french horn, piano, guitar, to name a few.  

Lessons are one-on-one for 30 minutes with one of our experienced music tutors.  Fees apply. Music is great for brain development as well as for artistic expression.   

We are excited to announce that tickets for our school performance Matilda, the Musical will go on sale from Monday 7 June!

Matilda is the story of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.  Packed with high energy dance numbers and catchy songs, this musical will appeal to the smallest and oldest in every family!
 
To book your tickets visit the www.frederickirwin.wa.edu.au/matildathemusical

On Wednesday 2 June, Mrs Jenny Crutchett took nine students up to Peter Moyes Anglican Community School for this year’s ASC Piano Competition.  

The students competed in their chosen category and all of them played beautifully.  They conducted themselves in true Frederick Irwin spirit and were respectful to the other performers, the adjudicators and the staff from other schools.  Each student had a great time. Thank you to the five parents who attended and assisted on the day. 

Hudson Merema in Year 10 made it through to the finals and had the chance to play on the big stage on the grand piano.  He performed wonderfully and took out his division.  Well done! 

The students involved were:

Mia Anastazjew – Year 4
Ashley Bailey – Year 7
Dylan Bailey – Year 6
Heidi Bassett – Year 5
Olivia Cowling – Year 5
Emma du Plessis – Year 4
Hudson Merema – Year 10
Justin Mitri – Year 5
Arvin Nair – Year 9

Thursday 27 May was a perfect Winter's day; with clear blue skies and 24 degrees, our team of 40 runners from Years 7 – 10 headed to Perth to contest the annual ACC Cross Country Carnival. Year 11s and 12s had examination commitments and were unable to compete.

People often ask "What is a Frederick Irwin student like? What sets them apart?"  Our team today exemplified all the personal characteristics we encourage in students; determination, perseverance, courage and the willingness to take on a task despite the difficulty of the challenge.

With 66 schools competing and approximately 400 competitors per race there were plenty of nerves, plenty of ‘butterflies’! "There're so many in the race, they’re going to be so fast, I’m not going to make it"
Along with those nerves however, a quiet determination; each competitor prepared to give it their best.

It really was a spectacular sight as the hooter went and the field sprinted down the first 200 metres.

As a school community, we can be extremely proud of every student who represented us on the day. Our highest-placed team was the U13 Girls Team finishing 6th overall in their Category; an outstanding result! 

These students were: 

Amelia Holdich 7th 12:00
Ryleigh Allan 8th 12:06
Eden Shaked 63rd 13:25
Chloe Strobl 67th 13:28
Zara Day 14:05
Ella Rose Adams 14:31.

Other results: 
U13 Boys - 23rd overall

• U14 Girls - 19th overall
• U14 Boys - 31st overall
• U15 Girls - 28th overall
• U15 Boys - 14th overall
• U16 Girls - No overall place due to insufficient competitors
• U16 Boys - 18th overall

The ACC Cross Country was a really enjoyable day!  We look forward to 2022 and working towards an even better result.
 

Mr Peter Skeggs
Head of Physical Education and Health 

Congratulations to all students from Year 3 to Year 6 who took part in the Meadow Springs Campus Inter-House Cross Country competition on Thursday 27 May 2021.

It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered and came along to cheer!

RESULTS:

Year 6 Boys
1st Rustin Rogers - Gordon
2nd Morgan David - Gordon
3rd Kruger Milne - Barrett
4th Oden Holm - Arnold
 
Year 6 Girls
1st Mia Jacobs -Jamieson
2nd Grace Woodley - Ellis
3rd Addisyn Starkey - Barrett
4th Maddison Warrilow - Barrett 

Year 5 Boys
1st Harley Hough - Rose
2nd Bastion Finkel - Gordon
3rd Mitchell Bell - Gordon
4th Jack Birch - Arnold

Year 5 Girls
1st Niamh Robinson  - Ellis
2nd Ella Polmear - Rose
3rd Imogen Kitchin - Gordon
4th Bronte Campbell - Gordon
 
Year 4 Boys
1st Jake Thornton - Gordon
2nd Tomo Smyth - Gordon
3rd Kade Starkey - Barrett
4th Alex Stewart - Jamieson 

Year 4 Girls
1st Imogen Jones - Arnold
2nd Luca Jacobs - Jamieson
3rd Zara Officer - Barrett
4th Verdi Lesk - Rose 

Year 3 Boys
1st Bentley Hough - Rose
2nd Luca Padovan - Arnold
3rd Mitchell Burke - Rose
4th Henry James - Barrett 

Year 3 Girls
1st Clava Finkel - Gordon
2nd Nivene De Lange - Ellis
3rd Indie-Rose Luxton - Rose
4th Scarlett Kettle - Gordon
 
Final Results: 
 
1st Gordon - 1468
2nd Rose- 1017
3rd Arnold- 979
4th Barrett - 913
5th Ellis- 818
6th Jamieson - 726

Frederick Irwin Anglican School has a strong presence in the Peel Junior Soccer Association (PJSA). In 2021 we have 11 teams and approximately 100 students from both Meadow Springs and Halls Head representing the school in Mini Roos (Kindy), Micros (Pre Primary and Year 1), Joeys (Years 2 and 3), Rooball (Years 4 and 5), Ollyroos (Year 6 and 7) and Junior High (Years 8 and 9). Each Saturday morning, players in the green and gold will be found on the pitch taking on their opposition at either Singleton, Bortolo Park or South Yunderup.

As a school we would like to thank the parents and friends who have volunteered as coaches and managers for the 2021 season. We are so lucky to have such an enthusiastic group who are willing to support our students, and are enormously grateful for their willingness to take on this responsibility.

It has been a challenging time organising teams and fixtures with COVID-19 once again impacting the start of the season. We can thank the PJSA Committee for their volunteer work in getting the season up and running. Without this group we would have no competition to play in. We look forward to the remainder of the season being incident free with our players having lots of fun enjoying the world game: Soccer.

Year 3 is always a transition for students as they move from Investigation style learning to the more independent focused Education Research Projects (ERPs). As part of this students have to map out their project, research on an iPad or laptop and then create their powerpoint presentation.  

This term, in 3M1, the students have been focusing on an animal of their choice.  These have included cheetahs, dolphins and llamas to very specific animals such as Dhufish. 

This was a little behind-the-scenes moment of the students working hard on their projects. 

Mrs Katrina Wade
Year 3 Teacher

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Oliver Brehaut, who has had an outstanding twelve months with his swimming and surf life-saving achievements! He is also a finalist for the Surf Life Saving WA 2021 Youth Athlete of the Year. The Awards Night is in a few weeks at the Crown. 

State and Other Team selections: 
SLSWA 2021 Western Suns Ocean/Beach Interstate Team (Open State Team)
SLSWA 2021 Western Suns Youth Team (Youth State Team)
SLSWA 2021 Surf League All Stars (Surf League State Team)
2020 and 2021 Peel Regional Academy of Sport (PRAS) Scholarship
2020 and 2021 Swimming WA - South West Region Development Squad
2021/2022 Swimming WA Performance Pathway Programme (Flippers Team - Silver Squad)
Jersey Commonwealth Games Performance Pathway Programme (Swimming) – Birmingham 2022

Other results:
2020 Western Australian Champion for Boys 16yrs 100 Freestyle (Gold)
2020 Western Australian Finalist for Boys 16yrs 50 Freestyle (Bronze)
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Ironman
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Board Race
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Board Rescue
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Belt Race
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Surf Teams
2021 Western Australian Champion for U17 Taplin
2021 Western Australian Silver Medallist for U17 Ski Relay
2021 Western Australian Silver Medallist for U19 Rescue Tube Rescue
2021 Western Australian Bronze Medallist for U17 Surf Race
2021 Western Australian Bronze Medallist for Open Rescue Tube
2021 Australian Finalist for Boys 16yrs 100 Freestyle (virtual meet due to Covid rules)
2021 Australian Finalist for U17 Male Surf Race (unable to race finals due to Covid rules)
2021 Australian Finalist for U17 Belt Race (4th)
2021 Australian Finalist for U17 Male Ski Relay
2021 Australian Semi-Finalist for Open Male Taplin
2021 Australian Semi-Finalist for U17 Male Ironman

Congratulations, Oliver! 

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Adam McWhinnie, on qualifying for the National Weightlifting Championships in Tasmania (in July this year) for both Under 15 and Under 17 categories.

Adam recently competed at the State Championships where he won Gold in the Under 15s and Silver in the Under 17s with a 75kg snatch and a 95kg clean and jerk, a national record.

Congratulations, Adam, and good luck in July!

Ask any student and they will tell you they can multi-task with ease. Do homework, watch TV, listen to music and check their phone all at the same time, no problem. Ask the academic researchers though and a different story emerges.

Dr Larry Rosen, Professor of Psychology at California State University, explains that what is actually occurring in this ‘multi-tasking’ is ‘task switching’. Instead of doing two things at once, students are actually switching their focus from one task to another and back again, in a parallel fashion, at high speed, resulting in them staying on task for an average of only 65% of the time period and for a maximum of only three to five minutes at a time. Constant task-switching results in it taking much longer to complete the individual tasks not just due to the interruptions, but also because there are delays as the brain switches between tasks and refocuses.  This brief bottleneck in the prefrontal cortex delays the start of the next task and the more intense the distraction, the longer it will take the brain to react.

A study conducted by Dr Rosen’s team sent varying numbers of text messages to students in a lecture then tested the students on the content of the lecture. The results were surprising, it was not the number of interruptions that negatively impacted results, it was the time taken by the students to react to the interruptions. Students who responded immediately performed worst on the tests. Those who considered when to check the message and respond (i.e. in a part of a lecture they deemed less relevant) performed significantly better.

What we can learn from this is that students need to become more aware of their ‘task-switching’ and make conscious decisions as to when they choose to shift their focus – instead of being enslaved by their technology and at its constant beck and call. We need to teach students that this constant mental task shifting (even thinking about the technology has the same effect as actually checking the technology) takes oxygen and brain activity away from what they are learning. We need to convince our students that it is okay and even necessary to wait, that they don’t have to respond immediately and do have the ability to delay their check-in with the cyber world. It is all about learning that we can control our selective attention and choose to ignore distractions.

We need to train the brain to stop thinking constantly about technology. However, resistance for too long can create anxiety and a fear of missing out, creating ‘continuous partial attention’ in students as oxygen is diverted to activate and maintain thoughts about social media at the expense of classroom material.

Dr Rosen’s team has determined the best approach for students who find it difficult to pull back from their technology devices is to set an alarm on their phone for short regular ‘tech breaks’. They may start with 15 minutes and gradually increase this amount over time to around 30 minutes. The phone will be face down on their desk on silent mode or off, and when the alarm rings they let themselves check messages and status updates for a minute or two, then set the alarm again. Dr Rosen’s studies found that knowing they can check in 15 minutes creates less anxiety, whereas depriving them of the phone completely did not stop them thinking or obsessing about possible e-communications which took away from their ability to focus fully on their homework. It all comes back to teaching the concept of focus.

Finally, Dr Rosen argues that we cannot simply remove technology and other distractions; they are too intricately woven into students' daily lives. Instead, students should learn metacognitive skills to help them understand when and how to switch their attention between multiple tasks or technologies.

Visit the Dealing with Distractions unit in www.studyskillshandbook.com.au to learn more about managing your distractions and tools and Apps that can help.