Dear parents,

We progress deep into the MCO and as I write this, Selangor has now been placed into an EMCO. No doubt annoying and frustrating but we must remember that ultimately we are safe and our health is sound. Sooner or later we will all emerge from this pandemic and we must keep our stare fixed at the long term goal.

I want to bring up something to you parents, so that you are aware of this. It has come to my attention through various discussions with my team that there is a new app called ‘Discord’ and that it may be worth keeping an eye to see a) if your child is using it and b) using it responsibly. I'm not naive and it is well possible that in a matter of months there will be some new App but currently, Discord seems to be the 'in thing'.

This app is similar to a few years back when kids discovered Snapchat, Instagram etc. So, Discord, is just a 'new' App and while I don’t want to be alarmist, I think you need to be aware of this. We have had a few incidents were students have had a number of petty fallings-out. I know that this week alone my team have already had to have at least three different conversations about Discord-related matters. At the very least this causes a huge distraction to our students and at the worst it can be damaging psychologically.

The article I have included says the following:

https://www.protectyoungminds.org/2021/05/04/dangers-of-discord-6-steps-safeguarding-teens-on-popular-chat-app/

Key negatives from this article about ‘Discord’ are:

- easy access for kids to pornographic content
- little moderation of postings
- very easy for predatory individuals to contact kids
- cyberbullying.

All we can do is scrutinise the situation and educate our young students on responsible use of apps but we also need your assistance to help us monitor from home.

I am always amazed at the amount of fantastic teaching that is going on via online learning. There really is some innovative and thought provoking teaching and engagement going on. This is a testament to the fine work the teachers are doing and their professionalism. I have had some wonderful and encouraging comments from parents. Thank you.