Level Up Your Internet Safety at St Mary’s Primary School
School/Organisation Name: St Mary’s Primary School
School/Organisation Address: Grace park Rd, Athlone, Co. Westmeath n37px01
Tell us your plans for Safer Internet Day: Junior & Senior Infants (The Basics)
• The "Smartie" Penguin Story: Read the story of Smartie the Penguin who learns to ask a "grown-up" before clicking.
• Emoji Emotions: Use printed emojis to help them identify how they feel when they see something scary or mean online versus something happy.
1st – 3rd Class (Digital Kindness)
• The "Toothpaste" Challenge: Squeeze toothpaste onto a plate and ask them to put it back in the tube. It’s impossible! It teaches them that once a comment or photo is "out there," you can't take it back.
• Poster Design Contest: Create posters for the school halls with the theme: "Is it Kind, Is it True, Is it Necessary?"
4th – 6th Class (Critical Thinking)
• The "Fake News" Detective Agency: Show them various websites or "news" screenshots. Have them hunt for clues (weird URLs, blurry photos, no dates) to decide if they are real or fake.
• The Password Power-Up: A competition to see who can create the strongest, most memorable "passphrase" using a mix of random words and symbols.
• Digital Footprint Mapping: Have them draw a giant footprint and fill it with all the things they do online (gaming, YouTube, schoolwork) to show how much of a trail they leave behind.
🏫 Whole-School Engagement
• The Digital Pledge Wall: Have every student sign a "Safe Internet Pledge" on a brick-shaped piece of paper to build a "Wall of Safety" in the main hall.
• Parent "Coffee & Cookies" Morning: A 20-minute session where 6th-class students "teach" the parents about the latest apps and how to stay safe.
Number of Participants: 486
