Be aware

Heatwave warnings

The Health department has shared information about changes to heatwave warnings. Though the predictions are for a mild summer this information will be relevant into future summers and assist with managing our heat health. 

The Bureau of Meteorology began issuing Heatwave Warnings on 3 October 2022 via its public channels.  You can find more information about these warnings at http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/heatwave/. 

As a result, the Department of Health is moving to a new Health alert: Heat Health Warning to align with the Bureau’s Heatwave Warnings which is outlined in the attached Information and Guidance document.  These will replace the heat health alerts and heat health alert subscribers will automatically be transferred to the new Heat health warnings. 

For the 2022-23 summer, the Chief Health Officer will issue a Heat health warning when the Bureau of Meteorology issues a Heatwave warning.   

A Heat health warning may also be issued when forecast temperatures may present a heat health risk but do not meet the criteria for a Bureau of Meteorology heatwave warning. 

You can manage your subscription from Subscribe to heat health alerts. 

For more information, visit your general practitioner (GP) or visit the Better Health Channel. 

Sextortion - AFP message

The Australian Federal Police through the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is seeing a concerning global trend of teenage males being targeted to send explicit images of themselves and then blackmailed. This is called sexual extortion, or sextortion.

The AFP is urging families to have important safety conversations ahead of the school holidays to prevent young people from becoming victim. This crime can have serious wellbeing and psychological impacts.

How does sextortion start?

• Unsolicited friend and follow requests on social media
• Direct messages on one app and then being asked to keep chatting on a secondary app
• Conversations suddenly and quickly becoming sexualised
• Requests for sexualised images or content. 

What can families do?

• Have open and regular conversations about your child’s online activities and interactions
• Know what platforms, apps and games they are using and who they are interacting with
• Remain open and approachable, victims will be reluctant to come forward if they feel they will be punished or blamed
• Ensure your child knows that it is okay to leave conversations if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe
• Support your child and know how to respond. The Online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit has been created to recognise sextortion and get help. 

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is here to keep young people safe from online sexual exploitation and abuse. 

You can make a report via accce.gov.au/report 

For further information, resources and advice visit thinkuknow.org.au 

Student scholarships

The Department of Education and Training administers a number of scholarships that are available to eligible students who are currently enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 12 in 2022. 

Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:

• participation in school activities
• community involvement
• academic record for the current year.

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study. Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are open and close on Wednesday 1 February 2023. For more information and a list of available scholarships, see the 2022 Student scholarships for Grade 4 – Year 12 fact sheet. 

For information on how to apply, refer to  Student scholarships.

Carol Duggan and Detta Gordon 

Assistant Principals