At St John the Apostle we use information from both the Cancer Council and the Sunsmart app to guide our responsible sun practices. Generally, their recommendation is that when the UV rating is 3 or above, students should be wearing hats. Over the past few weeks, there have been stages throughout each day where it has reached a 3. Today, that period is 11:30 – 12:30. As we get closer to summer, this period will increase. We all know that the majority of students respond better to consistency and predictability. As such, we don’t chop and change throughout the day, we have no hats in June and July, with hats on during all other months. Like most things, there is a great deal of conflicting research in relation to the amount of sun needed for vitamin D. The information below is from the Cancer council website:

How much sun do we need for healthy bones?

The best source of vitamin D is UVB radiation from the sun. UV radiation levels vary depending on location, time of year, time of day, cloud coverage and the environment. For most people, adequate vitamin D levels are reached through regular incidental exposure to the sun. When the UV Index is 3 or above (such as during summer), most people maintain adequate vitamin D levels just by spending a few minutes outdoors on most days of the week.

In late autumn and winter in some southern parts of Australia, when the UV Index falls below 3, spend time outdoors in the middle of the day with some skin uncovered. Being physically active (e.g. gardening or going for a brisk walk) also helps boost vitamin D levels.

Karen Leighton
Assistant Principal