Dear St Thomas Aquinas community,

Last week I listened to an episode of Life Matters on ABC Radio called Why all the drama in What's App parent groups? Life Matters covers a wide range of topics about life and, as an educator, this 20 minute episode naturally caught my attention. The panel included Natasha Sholl (writer and mother of four) who was quoted as having written:

"There is no greater evidence of both hope for humanity and despair for mankind than the class What's App group."

Of course, the whole panel had a laugh at this statement. I did too. Some of the funniest jokes tap into an element of truth that we all identify with.

My children are now in their twenties. When my children went to primary school we didn't have nearly the same digital connectivity with other parents that is available today. We texted and it was the early days of facebook so messaging was limited and not necessarily fast. We used it to check with each other about dress up days and other school events as well as to manage our children's play dates. As the manager of my son's soccer team, any opportunity to send through a message about a quick change of plans was helpful.

These days instant messaging (IM) services, like What's App, make connectivity between groups of parents instantaneous. For parents there can be multiple small or large groups based on specific purposes such as classes, netball teams and committees.

Why are these IM groups important?

As human beings, it's in our fundamental nature to be social. From the moment we are born we build connections with our parents, our family and then with our community. Its actually a survival mechanism. We know that we cannot survive alone. We need each other to live and thrive physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

At St Thomas Aquinas I've really noticed a strong sense of community and connection. It is one of our absolute strengths. I witnessed and felt it from the moment I arrived. Firstly, among the staff, who enjoy each other's company and have a shared commitment to the students at STA. Then among the parents, who turn up, get involved and support each other. As a person new to the community, it has been noticeable and heartwarming. Our connections and community help us all thrive.

As human beings Facebook, and now Instagram, help us stay connected with each other. We see what our family and friends are up to and we can congratulate them, let them know we are thinking of them and share in their joy. The associated IM services help us organise get togethers, include others in our plans and share more personal news to those we love but are not near.

Of course, these services are just a tool. They can't exist without us filling them with words and images and intentions. Just like a book with blank pages, digital services are really only as good as the content we place in them. Content that is valuable and meaningful.

Places of hope or despair?

"There is no greater evidence of both hope for humanity and despair for mankind than the class What's App group."

Natasha Sholl, like many of us, is a great advocate for the way IM services, such as What's App groups, can help us all support each other as parents in a school community. We can reach out to clarify dates for events, lend each other items for book week costumes and rally around to support a family who have experienced a terrible event. 

However, like all tools, we can start out with the greatest of intentions for their use and then they become places where we hurt and damage relationships and people in our own community. Members of groups can share personal information about teachers that they wouldn't want shared; spread stories from children that haven't been fact-checked with the school, causing worry and confusion, or; isolate a child or family by not including them in the group and talking about, but without them. Admittedly, these are extreme examples, however, they are real ones.

Lifting each other up

Our connection, our active support for each other and our commitment to our motto 'to care' are our greatest strength as a community. How can we make sure that the tools that keep us connected, such as What's App, only strengthen these relationships? How do we ensure safe and inclusive interactions that build trust between community members? Having met a large number of our parent community I can tell that we all strive for this. It's also good also to have a little guidance for our IM interactions as well.

Matthew Garton

Principal