Schools/Search
Internet Safety Education
An overview of what we have done and continue to do to combat Cyberbullying
and 
current news items, links and downloads that you might be interested in to keep
safe on the internet for you and your family.

 
There has been a lot of talk about the misuse of the Internet by students. I have put together the following list of activities that have taken place at or for the GW community to address this issue. We will continue to work our hardest to educate parents and students about how to stay safe on the internet. This is a particularly important topic for me because my own daughter was a victim of severe Cyberbullying as a high school student. I know first hand the devastation a child and family feel during and after cyberbullying occurs. I give you my pledge that I have and will continue to work with the GW Community to ensure the safety of all of our students.
 
Please visit our GW site regularly to keep up to date on our activities for Cyber Safety.
~Mrs. Handy, GW Technology Teacher; [email protected]
 
Internet Safety Curriculum @ GW
6th Grade
  • Anti Cyberbullying focus but all facets of Internet Safety covered
  • Nick News with Linda Ellerbee video
7th Grade
  • History Channel Special on Staying Safe on the Internet for Teens
    • Video covers Cyberbullying, Online Predators and Social Networking
  • Created “Stop Cyberbullying” Posters
8th Grade
·    Focus of Multi-Media Classes is Internet Safety
o      Students conduct in-depth research on all phases of Internet Safety
o      Students will make presentations at all Elementary Schools
o      Students will offer Internet Safety for Teens and Tweens Parent Open House at GW
 
Teenangels Chapter
  • Began at GW 2004
  • 100+ Teenangels at GW and RHS
  • Attended several STOP Cyberbullying Conferences in Westchester
  • Attended WiredSafety Summit 4 times: GW students presented to Legislators in Washington DC
  • Annual Assemblies for GW students
  • Students took the Megan Pledge; building decorated with banners and posters. Distributed pledge pins.
Community Outreach
  • REF Grant in 2009 for “STOP Cyberbullying in Ridgewood”
  • Presented Assemblies to most Ridgewood elementary schools in Spring 2005 & 2007
  • Presented Assemblies to all Ridgewood elementary schools in Spring 2009
  • Social Networking Sites safety Summit at GW for area schools held at GW
  • GW students trained Ridgewood parents about privacy settings and the capability of internet enabled hand held devices, session was broadcast GMA April 2009
Speakers at GW
  • International CyberSafety Expert Parry Aftab every year
  • Senator Menendez announced his CyberSafety Bill to GW students
  • Cyberbully Victims presented Assemblies on the effects of Cyberbullying
 
Here are some helpful news items, links, and downloads that you might be interested in:

WiredSafety.org
Teenangels.org    
WiredMoms.org 
Stop Cyberbullying.org  Tips for Parents and Kids
WiredEd.org   Online Education Program by WiredSafety
Consumer Reports June 2010:  7 things to stop doing on Facebook!
10 MUST Privacy Settings for Facebook


IMPORTANT TOPICS FROM THE WIREDSAFTETY.ORG WEBSITE


WHY and HOW TO protect your Privacy on your Facebook Account

Last week, Facebook announced that it would begin allowing third-party website access to user information. This means that your friends and even friends of your friends visit these web sites, they may be presented with information that you have not and would not share via Facebook.  It is extremely important that you understand how these applications will work and how to change your Facebook privacy settings in order to share only the information you want to share.  
WiredSafety has created this tutorial that explains these applications and how you can adjust your privacy settings at Facebook. 

Social Networking Safety
WiredSafety's International Stop Cyberbullying ConferenceWith the popularity of Social Networking on the increase, WiredSafety provides schools, parents, regulators, and the media with a wealth of information on keeping Kids and Teens Safe on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Xanga, and other Social Networking Sites. The following resources are all available for viewing online and/or download as PDF files:
Follow this link to find out more about safe Social Networking 

Privacy and Security
Online privacy and securityRecently, there has been a significant increase in many types of activity online which were once only conducted exclusively offline, such as banking, dating, and shopping. Make sure that you are aware of the dangers, that you know how to protect yourself (and your personal information) and also, what to do if something does go wrong online.