IT Manager Update

Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

The past few weeks at Mordialloc College have been a vibrant and exciting time for our school community. We've enjoyed a number of excursions, and celebrated Book Week, where both staff and students showed great enthusiasm by dressing up as their favourite characters. A big thank you to all the staff who worked hard to organise, promote, and deliver these enriching experiences for our students.

Supporting Young People in a Digital World

In recent months, there has been widespread public discussion around the impact of technology and social media on young people, particularly regarding exposure to inappropriate content and other online risks. At the same time, we’ve observed a rise in the misuse of technology at school, including gaming during class time and accessing social media or other unsuitable content.

While these are broader societal issues, we continue to refine our approach at Mordialloc College to help protect students and guide their responsible use of technology. Staff supervision plays a key role, supported by technical tools that help monitor and filter internet use on our campus. However, we acknowledge that no system is foolproof.

Importantly, we believe that building students’ digital literacy and critical thinking skills is essential. Restricting access alone isn’t enough—young people need the knowledge and confidence to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. To support this, we integrate digital citizenship education into our Home Group and My Mentor programs throughout the year.

We also encourage families to take an active role in this process by setting appropriate boundaries for technology use at home and discussing safe online behaviour with your child. Helpful resources include:

• The CyberSafety Series available on our SchoolTV platform
• The  eSafety Commissioner’s resources for parents
• The College’s own guidance and recommended materials
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By working together, we can help our young people build healthy and balanced relationships with technology.

Mobile Phone Use at School

As part of the state-wide policy across all Victorian government schools, mobile phones are not permitted during school hours at Mordialloc College. Students are required to keep their phones securely locked in their lockers. If a student is found using their phone during the day, it will be confiscated, and for repeat offenders further consequences may apply.

Please also note that mobile hot spotting is not allowed, as outlined in our Acceptable Use Agreement.

We kindly ask that if you need to urgently contact your child during the school day, you do so via the school office.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to provide a safe and positive learning environment for all students.

Mark Pavicic

IT Manager