Principal's Report
On Thursday, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Spirit of Sandhurst Awards Day at the All Seasons in Bendigo. With a crowd of around 300 people, we celebrated the outstanding achievements of students and teachers from across the Diocese. I was extremely proud to join our school’s award recipients, Jimmy Carter (Gr.6) and Miley Ellerton (Gr.6), along with their families, as we recognised excellence within our community.
After a very long wait, we are now almost ready to begin Part 3 of our Master Plan. In January, work will commence on the refurbishment of the Grade 1 and 2 learning area. The existing building will be transformed into a modern facility—similar in design to the Grade 5 and 6 area—featuring four contemporary classrooms and dedicated withdrawal spaces.
To prepare for this work, we will need to temporarily relocate our Grade 1, 2 and 4 students. Over the final three weeks of term, materials and resources will be moved, with Grade 4 relocating to the senior STEM room, Grade 1 moving into the current Grade 4 classroom, and Grade 2 relocating to the Rosarium.
The exact duration of the refurbishment is still to be confirmed, but we will keep everyone updated as the project progresses. Plans for the new space are available to view in the administration foyer.
PAM ISSUES
We wish to advise that PAM is now available on the web for parents and carers but still remains unavailable via Simon Everywhere app. The software provider is working to restore access, and we will notify families as soon as the Simon Everywhere app is back online. We would like to assure everyone that no data was accessed.
Parent Access Module - 4.25.3.1
SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS AND YOUR FAMILY
From December 10, 2025, many social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australians under the age of 16 create or keep an account. The changes aim to protect under-16s from pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features in the platforms that:
- encourage them to spend too much time on screens – for example, by prompting them with streams of notifications and alerts, and pressuring them to view disappearing content
- increase the likelihood of exposure to negative, upsetting or manipulative content served up in their feeds by algorithms.
The age restrictions are a delay, not a ban. You won’t have to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to social media accounts, instead you can say ‘not yet’, knowing other under-16s are also being prevented from creating or keeping accounts so your child won’t be missing out.
Quick Facts
- The age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as other platforms. See the latest list.
- Under-16s will still be able to see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require logging into an account.
- Most standalone gaming and messaging apps, as well as many services that support health and education, will not be affected by the new law.
- There are no penalties for under-16s who access an account on an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers. This is about making the platforms take greater responsibility for the safety of children – they face fines of up to $49.5 million dollars if they don’t take reasonable steps to implement the changes.
Main Resource: Social media age restrictions hub | eSafety Commissioner
ENGAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEERS - NEW
There are some great ways for parents to be involved at our school. We thank you for taking the time to Volunteer and for your continued support. Volunteers are integral to the school experience for our students, and they provide an important link to the community.
Some of the ways our school use Volunteers include:
- School Tuckshop
- Coaching school sports teams
- Helping during excursions or incursions
- Support at our school sports days
At Holy Rosary Primary School, White Hills the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. To uphold our commitment to child safety, ALL Volunteers are required to review and acknowledge our Child Safe Code of Conduct, Staff & Students Professional Boundaries Policy and Photography & Video Policy and Procedures. Additionally, Volunteers must complete a Volunteer Registration form and successfully complete the CESL School Volunteer Induction before commencing their role as a Volunteer.
We deeply value the contributions of our Volunteers and appreciate your support in maintaining a culture of care and protection. Together, we can continue to provide a safe and nurturing space for every child to thrive.
For more information regarding volunteering click on the link below to complete the Volunteer Registration form.
All Existing and New Volunteers will be asked to:
- Complete a Volunteer Registration form (including personal details, Working with Children Check (WWCC) and 2 personal referees), please inform your referees they will be contacted by the school in relation to your volunteering.
- Once you have completed the Volunteer Registration form and are approved to Volunteer at the school, you will be sent an email with a link to access the required training: (Please note – Completing this induction replaces the previous onsite induction interview)
- CESL School Volunteer Induction; and
- Read and acknowledge the Child Safe Code of Conduct, Staff & Students Professional Boundaries Policy and Photography & Video Policy and Procedures.
All Volunteers will be required to update details at the start of each year and inform the school of any changes to your circumstances or updates to your WWCC. All Volunteers will need to complete the CESL School Volunteer Induction and read and acknowledge all relevant safeguarding policies at the start of each school year even if an existing Volunteer.
All information received regarding volunteering and providing referee details will be maintained in line with CESL Privacy Policy.
BUSH DANCE
A reminder that Thursday 4th December we will be holding our ‘Bush Dance’ and Free BBQ snags under the COLA. It promises to be a fun and relaxed way to conclude our year and I look forward to catching up with families.
Paul Wilkinson
Principal