12 November 2017

Dear Parents,

In today’s world the internet is a great way to stay up-to-date with the news, do research for school projects, and communicate with friends and family. But this very useful tool can also be very dangerous. We live in a world of over sharing. From photos and status updates to personal information and sensitive data, our habit of sharing has gone overboard. Employers and even universities use social media to filter information and make assessments on candidates. One misstep on social media can get our students into problems such as holding them back from finding a job or getting into the college of their dreams. When it comes to tragic incidents or stolen information, many people do not believe it can happen to them. Online predators can blend in on social networks and seek you out. A survey published in the journal “American Psychologist” showed one in 25 children ages 10 to 17 have received inappropriate solicitation online where the solicitor attempted to make offline contact. This scary statistic is very real and it can happen to anyone who is online. We know for a fact that there have been many situations where cyber bullying has taken place or is still ongoing among our students.

As a school, we feel that it is our responsibility to make sure that students stay safe in school and to some extent online as well. It is our job as a school to make students aware and guide them in the right direction and it all starts with open communication. As parents you have the same responsibility, if not more, to protect your children from the bad influence of misuse of the internet.

Grameenphone , one of the biggest Telecommunication operators in Bangladesh, has come forward to help us in this regard. The CEO of Grameenphone Mr. Micheal Foley with his competent team came and conducted a session on Safe Internet in our school today where students from class 5 to12 participated. Their slogan was BE SMART, USE HEART. Our students participated very enthusiastically in the interactive session. I believe this first seminar will help us to create greater awareness among the students. Grameenphone is in partnership with BRAC and has reached out to more than 250 schools across Bangladesh, training more than 50,000 students on how to remain safe on the internet. Sir John Wilson School will be the first from the General Private Sector schools where they have come to initiate this programme. We will soon like to start a similar session for our parents too. This is just the beginning and we would like your wholehearted participation in it as well. Hopefully this session will help our students to understand the matter in hand, make them and you to think deeply about the issue and thus form a safe zone wherein to stay protected from predators and issues like cyber bullying.

Thanking you,

Sabrina Shaheed

Principal

Sir John Wilson School