Yeshivat Noam is proud to continue incorporating technology and online kindness and safety education into our curriculum. The Yeshivat Noam school community is committed to following common guidelines including limiting time online and delaying personal devices until at least middle school. We understand that children do spend some time online and we feel it is important to educate our students to be kind, safe and responsible when they are online.
This week, we kicked off our ‘24-’25 Internet Kindness and Safety Education focusing on the topic of media balance and well-being in the elementary school and privacy and security in the middle school.
Our first unit on media balance and well-being gives students the space to reflect on their own media use. It also provides them with the tools they need to think critically about how digital media affects our communities and society overall.
Our teachers presented each grade with a specific lesson and will continue to reflect on the ideas learned and practice the tools that were shared.
First and second graders discussed the balance between online and offline activities, and the importance of both. Teachers also led discussions about considering others’ feelings when on a device and not allowing anyone to feel left out.
Third graders recently received their first Yeshivat Noam email addresses and passwords. They learned about password and email safety to provide them with the tools they need to exercise this privilege safely and responsibly.
Fourth and fifth graders focused on making good media choices and balancing media with other offline activities. Good choices are made by considering what students watch, listen to, read or even create online, and how their actions and choices online make other people feel.
In middle school, our unit on privacy and security began with a presentation by Captain Louis Cardone of the Paramus Police Department. Captain Cardone provided students with valuable insights into online safety and the potential consequences of sharing private information. His engaging presentation set the tone for a week of learning and awareness.
Throughout the week, the guidance team taught lessons in each middle school advisory class about the importance of privacy and security online. The focus of these discussions was to help students understand the distinction between private and public information, the potential risks associated with sharing private data, the appropriate times and places for sharing personal information, and the importance of telling a parent if someone asks for private information.
We hosted our first Zoom meeting with our parent body where we reiterated the importance of family commitments and shared some of what has been going on in school. Our Parent School Partnership Technology Committee co-hosted by Dr. Samantha Katz and Dr. Tova Javitt shared their current and ongoing plans to further parent education.
We appreciate the time that our teachers have taken to learn and prepare this curriculum. All of our students were engaged in lessons relating to technology which is a real part of their lives in today’s world. It was impressive to see our students engage in discussions that are applicable to everyday, real-life situations and scenarios. It was inspiring to see them struggle with unanswered questions in a space where they are comfortable asking, learning and growing. We walked away reassured that we are successfully advancing our children’s commitment to appropriate technology use in order to engage with their world in a healthy and balanced way.
We also reviewed the Yeshivat Noam Technology Safety and Kindness Actions and Commitments with our students. We took the time to explain the value and benefits that parents and children will gain by engaging in these practices.
Yeshivat Noam Technology Safety and Kindness Actions and Commitments include:
- Family time: All Yeshivat Noam families commit to spending focused time with their children, by keeping all family meals device-free.
- Screentime: All Yeshivat Noam families commit to limiting their children’s time on screens to the recommended amounts based on the age of each child.
- Device Bedtimes: All Yeshivat Noam families commit to “device bedtimes.” All devices are shut down 60 minutes before bedtime.
- Family Charging Stations: All Yeshivat Noam families commit to creating a charging station outside of their bedrooms to guarantee that we and our children will not have their phones in their rooms when we should be sleeping.
- To Delay is the Way: All Yeshivat Noam families commit to waiting to give children smartphones until at least middle school.
Caryn Nat is the assistant principal of Yeshivat Noam Elementary School.
