Principal's Message

A Reminder - New Social Media Laws 

Unfortunately we are dealing with more frequent requests for assistance around underage social media issues and cyberbullying. Here is a quick recap of how to support your child who is under 16 years of age with the new social media age restrictions.

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

· prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account

· deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

At Wedderburn College we strongly encourage parents and carers to carefully consider delaying or restricting social media access for children under 16 years of age. Research continues to show that excessive social media use can negatively impact sleep, concentration, mental health, self-esteem and overall wellbeing. As adults, we all play a vital role in helping young people develop healthy habits, strong real-world relationships and resilience away from screens. Some simple but powerful strategies include: delaying access to social media accounts for as long as possible; keeping devices out of bedrooms overnight; regularly checking privacy settings and online activity; setting clear family expectations around screen time; encouraging face-to-face friendships, sport and hobbies; modelling positive phone use as adults; and maintaining open, calm conversations about online safety, cyberbullying and respectful behaviour. Saying “not yet” to social media is not about punishment — it is about protecting childhood, supporting healthy development and giving young people the best opportunity to thrive both online and offline. 

Delaying access to social media protects the health and wellbeing of young people and gives them extra time to build real world connections and digital literacy skills.

The responsibility will be on the social media platforms, not parents, carers, children or schools, to implement these new restrictions.

Most popular social media platforms will be age restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube.

Messaging services and online games, as well as apps and platforms that support health and education, can still be used.

How to help under 16s prepare for the change:

Parents and carers play an important role in supporting their children to be safe online.

To help get under 16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.

Curriculum Day & Long Weekend Reminder

As per our school calendar, in week 7 (next week) we finish classes on Thursday 4th June as Friday 5th June is a school curriculum day and the following Monday is the Kings Birthday Holiday.  Classes will recommence on Tuesday 9th of June.

Industrial Action Suspended

Following the in-principle agreement reached between the department and the Australian Education Union (AEU), the AEU informed the department on 18 May 2026 that all industrial action related to negotiations to finalise the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA) has been entirely suspended.

This includes all stop work action, including that related to school visits by Members of Parliament.

The AEU had included a ‘ban on all aspects of work related to the provision of written comments on student reports that will be provided to parents’ in the industrial action.

While this ban has now been lifted, the department recognises that it may now be difficult for some schools to provide full written comments for Semester 1.

In that event, schools impacted by the industrial action should maintain their planned schedule for student reporting.

Reports will continue to indicate student achievement against the relevant curriculum areas of the Victorian Curriculum F–10 but full written comments are not required.

We will be providing student achievement reports for Semester 1 this year as usual.

The reports will continue to provide important details about student learning attainment, but full descriptive comments may not be included as a result of industrial action taken earlier this term by the Australian Education Union.

We will of course be pleased to discuss with you your child’s progress at our next parent-teacher interviews/Learning Conversations scheduled for 22 July week 2 of term 3.    Appointments will go online at the beginning of term 3.

Respect - A School Core Value

Let's All Communicate & Engage Respectfully

Wedderburn P-12 College maintains an open-door communication policy and welcomes conversations with families. To ensure we can give your concerns or ideas the attention they deserve, please book ahead if you wish to meet with a Principal Class member or teacher. Respect is a two-way street - our staff are expected to model professionalism and care, and we ask that the same standards of respect and consideration are extended by parents, carers, and students in return.

From time to time, we remind our school community of the importance of maintaining high standards of safety and respect in all interactions. Every member of our staff works hard to provide the best possible learning environment for our students, and it is essential that they are treated with courtesy, understanding, and respect at all times. We ask that communication with staff remains calm, constructive, and focused on positive outcomes for students.

The Victorian Government has recently given government schools greater powers to enforce community standards, including the ability to issue bans or Community Safety Orders where necessary to protect staff and students. While we sincerely hope it never comes to that at Wedderburn College, we will continue to uphold our commitment to a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Let’s focus on the positives and continue to celebrate everything that makes Wedderburn College such a wonderful place to live, learn and grow. There has truly never been a better time to be part of the Wedderburn and district community.