Preparing learners today for opportunities tomorrow.

Living out the mission of Flushing Community Schools is an ever changing process.  Today's learners are very different than last year's and the opportunities tomorrow are always an exciting prospect.  This ever changing landscape is amplified when talking about the availability and use of technology/social media in the classroom and in your homes. 

We are all more "connected" than we have ever been.  That connectedness comes with many exciting opportunities but it also comes with many responsibilities.  As a school district we address these opportunities and responsibilities in our curriculum - - but we also want to provide you, as parents, tools for you to help your children navigate the world of technology use and social media.

There are so many resources available, but we want to provide a convenient place for you to access information in one location.  We know that households frequently have a wide age span of children. The use of technology and social media varies greatly depending on the age of the children.  So we are dividing our information into two categories:

• Elementary
• Middle School & High School

Protect MI Child

The State of Michigan now offers a free program to stop adult advertisements from reaching emails, mobile phones and instant messenger ID's. The Michigan Child Protection Registry allows Michigan schools and families to protect children from receiving adult oriented content. Registered addresses and numbers are protected from messages that advertise pornography, tobacco, illegal drugs, alcohol and gambling. The Michigan Child Protection Registry, like the federal Do Not Call List, is a free do-no-contact service for Michigan's families. Click here to go the Protect MI Child website.

Here are some important social media tips for parents of children of all ages. These tips come from Common Sense Media. 

• Talk about cyberbullying. Make sure your child knows how to deal with a cyberbully.  You will find age appropriate information on how to help your child understand and deal with cyberbullying at the links above.
• Encourage positive posting.  From an early age, kids need to know that they can add positively to the online world.
• Remind kids that texts, IM's, Tweets and postings have an impact.  Anything they say or do electronically may seem to disappear when the devices shut down, but the  impact on others remain - whether for the good or the bad.
• Tell kids to apply the Golden Rule online.  If kids wouldn't say something to someone's face, then they shouldn't text it, Skype it, Tweet it, Facebook it, IM it, or post it!

If you have any questions about the content found here, Mary Ann Korte at 810-591-1297.