St. Johns Country Day School

Parent Information

A great deal of research suggests that iPad usage should be limited at night. We would like to suggest that the iPad never be kept or used in a bedroom away from parents. Many parents keep the charger in a public room. Try not to allow students to use the iPad just before they go to sleep. This also help allow for parents to monitor how their children are using the iPad. Note that the iPad offers a great deal of chat and video conferencing options including Messenger and Facetime.

While we can filter the school’s wi-fi, we have no ability to filter your own wi-fi connection. Parents are encouraged to look into the many free parental Internet tools that can allow you to monitor Internet traffic, shut off the wi-fi to specific devices at set times, and filter Internet traffic. Some families have reported success with https://www.opendns.com/home-internet-security

The iPad has the ability to add Parental Restrictions. While this is somewhat limited, it does offer you some control over the device. Go to “Settings” -> General -> Restrictions. When putting in the parent code, make sure it is not the same as the code the student uses to unlock the iPad. We suggest turning off FaceTime and the In-App Purchases. You can also turn off Twitter and Facebook if you would like.

One of our strongest suggestions is to enroll the entire family into Apple’s Family Share. This is a free service that will allow everyone to share apps, movies, music, and more. It also allows parents to track any Apple device and approve any App purchases or installations. To set this up, go to “Settings” -> iCloud -> Family Share on a parent’s Apple device.

Important links are provided to the right. All parents are encouraged to watch the videos with their children.

Common Sense Media Agreement for parents and teens

The Common Sense Family Media Agreement is a checklist that parents can use to guide conversations with their kids about media use. It’s designed to help parents establish guidelines and expectations around media use and behavior that are right for their family. Some families are comfortable using it as a signed agreement. Others refer to use it simply as a checklist to guide conversations. Either way, it’s a great way to help parents and kids get on the same page about media and technology use.

Cyber safety

Cyber safety is an important parent-child discussion to revisit frequently, from Lower School through Upper School. Experts warn that children are most vulnerable to online dangers while in their own home. The following suggestions are drawn from a wide variety of professional sources that may aid you in effectively guiding your child’s use of the iPad and other technology devices.

In accordance with the St. Johns Electronic Technologies Acceptable Use Policy, outside of school, parents bear responsibility for the same guidance of Internet use as they exercise with information sources such as television, telephones, radio, movies and other possibly offensive media. Parents are responsible for monitoring their student’s use of the school’s educational technologies, including school-issued email accounts and the Internet if the student is accessing the schools electronic technologies from home or through other remote location(s).

Put the iPad to bed, but not in the bedroom

Important: Don’t allow your teen to sleep with an iPad, computer or cell phone!

Filter access

Filtering software is not built in to the iPad. While many potential dangers are filtered and blocked on the school’s wireless network so students can’t access them, children often have complete, unrestricted access to inappropriate sites at home. Experts strongly suggest installing software to filter and block inappropriate content on your wireless home network. Some possible filters to consider include OpenDNS (free version available), SafeEyes, and NetNanny. Some of these products offer additional protection features such as cell phone filtering, text message and photo screening tools, and digital footprint/reputation monitoring.

Set Expectations

Regularly share your expectations with your child about accessing only appropriate sites and content, as well as being a good person when online (even when parents aren’t watching). Outside of school, it is likely that your child has already been confronted with multiple opportunities to access content that parents wouldn’t approve, such as pornography, hate sites, celebrity gossip, reality TV, and personal blogs, all of which may influence your teen’s beliefs, values and behavior. Understand that your teen’s use of many technologies (such as iPods, video game systems, and cell phones) likely gives your teen the ability to connect to unfiltered public wireless networks (such as in a library or coffee shop), pick up a neighbor’s wireless signal, or connect to the Internet through a cell service. Therefore, it is important to maintain regular, open dialog about Internet use and access. Discuss your expectation for appropriate use and behavior.

Monitor and limit screen time

Experts suggest having teens surf the Internet in a central place at home, such as the kitchen or family room, rather than away from adult supervision or behind a closed door. Know what your child is doing with technology and how his or her time is being spent. Technology can be a great tool and resource but also has the potential to be a big distractor. Help your child learn to focus on completing tasks or assignments first before spending time on games, shopping, and social networking. Teaching today’s children how to manage multiple sources of information and potential distractions is a critical life skill, one best learned before heading off to college or the workplace.