Hello everyone,

It is hard to believe that the Term 1 holidays are upon us. Term 1 has seen all of our Grade 3 – 6 students continue to develop their understanding of being eSafe at school and at home.

Over the past 2 weeks, Mat has met with all Grade 3/4 students at their year assembly and 5/6 students during a session this week to talk and discuss group chats.

Group chats can be a great way for students to stay connected and informed of what is happening in their social lives. It does, however, present opportunities for students to get themselves into situations that aren’t very nice. Mat discussed with students the problems associated with group chats and the need to be great Willy Kids. The message to our Willy Kids was that if you aren’t prepared to say what you typed to everyone at an assembly, then don’t text/type it.

Group chats and messaging online will continue to be part of what is presented during our eSafety lessons every term.

We strongly encourage all families to oversee group chats and discuss appropriate behaviour online. Although students do not use messaging at school, the fallout from inappropriate behaviour in group chats flows into the school day. It also can have a negative impact on students and their friendships. We will continue to support all students and families in this matter.

As students head into the holidays, parents are encouraged to help facilitate positive experiences online. Below are tips for families shared from the eSafey Commissioner.

Three key strategies

Be engaged, open and supportive
- Get involved with your child’s online activities as a family. Play games together. Talk about favourite apps, games or websites.
- Keep lines of communication open. Ask about their online experiences, who they are talking to and whether they are having any issues.
- Reassure your child they can always come to you, no matter what. Your child may not communicate openly about things that worry them online if they fear being in trouble if they tell you. Let them know you will not cut off internet or device access if they tell you they’re feeling uncomfortable or unsafe online.
- If you notice a change in your child’s behaviour or mood, talk with them about it. If you are concerned, consider seeking professional help – from your GP, a psychologist or school counsellor.
Set some rules
- Set rules for devices and online access, with consequences for breaking them. As they grow in online skills and maturity you can review your rules together.
- Get your child’s input — this will help them understand risks.
- Model behaviour that you would like to see. Children will be more likely to follow rules if they see you doing the same.
- Consider creating a family tech agreement (sometimes called a family media plan or family online safety agreement). This is a set of rules about how devices are used in your home as well as what acceptable online behaviour looks like. eSafety has created downloadable templates for families with children under 5 or those with kids aged 5 to 8 years. For families with older children, The Family Online Safety Contract from ThinkUKnow AustraliaExternal link is a good starting point.
Use safety features and settings
- Get to know the devices you and your children use and set them up for privacy and online safety. Take advantage of parental controls to monitor and control screen time and access to content, based on your child’s age and experience. See our guide to parental controls.
- Choose apps and games carefully, and visit the App Store or Google Play for age ratings and consumer advice.
- Refer to our advice about screen time and online gaming if these are of concern.
- The eSafety Guide provides valuable information about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your personal information and report harmful content.
- You can visit the Australian Classification Board’s online databaseExternal link, Children and Media AustraliaExternal link and Common Sense Media (US)External link for information about movies, apps, games and websites, searchable by age.

Advice for different age groups

Kids 5 to 12

As children start to navigate the online world and interact with others more independently, they are more likely to be exposed to risks of bullying or unsafe contact, to accidentally come across content not designed for children or overspending on in-app purchases.

Your guidance can help them watch for risks and understand what is expected of them. Let them know you are always there to support them.

For ways to start conversations about online safety and difficult topics like child sexual abuse online, see our advice for talking with children aged 0 to 12.

Advice for parents and carers

Keep the computer or device in an area of your home that can be supervised. Check in regularly with your child to see what they are viewing.
Stay engaged with their online activity. Consider setting up your own accounts with the sites they use most, or simply browsing the content, so you can see how they work and understand the risks. Show good privacy habits by asking your child before sending them a 'friend' or follow request. If they say they don't want to connect with you online, it may be a good opportunity to talk about risks and rules.
Explore the online world with them to help establish that you can share online activities as a family. You might want to play games with them or do a creative project together.
Think about social media readiness. Most social media sites require users to be at least 13 years old before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13. See are they old enough?
Encourage respect and empathy. Teach your child to avoid sharing or posting things that may upset others. See good habits start young.
Start building resilience. Explain to your child that there are ways they can deal with material that worries or frightens them. This includes immediately telling you or another trusted adult of any concerns or uncomfortable material. See good habits start young.
Encourage them to learn about online safety by exploring the kids section of this site.

Technology tips for parents of kids 5 to 12

Ensure your own devices are protected by a password or PIN, so your child can’t accidentally come across content not intended for children.
If you are thinking about giving them their own tablet or smartphone, check out are they old enough?
If your child does have their own device, avoid logging into your own accounts on that device. This will prevent any content you have stored in the cloud that may not be child-friendly from synchronising (downloading or sharing to) your child’s device.
Use parental control tools you feel are right for the age and experience of your child. Be upfront and get your child on board. Let them know these can be reviewed and changed as they get older, if they show responsible behaviour. Consider installing a ‘child-friendly’ search engine that will allow them to explore a limited number of sites. See parental controls.
Check out Raising Children NetworkExternal link's healthy screen time and quality media choices: 6 to 11 years.

Regards,

Steven Puhar

Leading Teacher - Curriculum Leader

Apps List 2025

WPS Digital Online Learning Statement

Digital Statement

Williamstown Primary School acknowledges the recent Human Rights Watch report on Edutech in privacy violations and findings.

Williamstown Primary works closely with the DET’s Digital Learning and privacy teams to ensure that all DET guidelines regarding the implementation of digital devices are followed.

Attached is the school’s digital statement outlining the online platforms and their privacy policies that the school uses on a day-to-day basis.

As part of the school’s ongoing student education, the school will further enhance key understandings around user privacy, as well as the tools available on selected devices.

This will be embedded within the current school’s eSafety program that currently sees students undertake numerous digital workshops run by both school leadership, classroom teachers and external providers such as the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart organisation.

Parents are advised of a key iPad feature to turn tracking off. This feature will be explicitly demonstrated to students within the school-based workshops.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking.

The list shows the apps that requested permission to track you. You can turn permission on or off for any app on the list.

To stop all apps from asking permission to track you, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track (at the top of the screen).

Williamstown Primary Digital Information

Below is a link to the schools Digital Learning page. This page contains key information about the school's implementation of the digital technology curriculum as a tool within a blended learning environment.

JB HiFi Digital Purchase Portal 2024/2025

The JB HiFi purchase portal is again available for Willy PS families. The schools recommended minimum specification device is the iPad Gen 9, but the portal does also offer a range of iPad models and accessories. Although students have access to bluetooth keyboards we also recommend the Smart Keyboard or a 3rd party keyboard incorporated within the cover. This accessory will add value to the users experience.

Please also note the change in School Code.

Although the portal is set up through JB HI-FI on behalf of the school, we encourage families to explore all purchase options.

Further GoogleSuite for Education Information

Please find attached documents released by DET.

The first document gives a deeper understanding of the DET licences G Suite for Education, how it is set up and how it differs from the public Google platform.

The second document provides families with supporting resources on how to protect individuals privacy online.

The Department of Education information pack for parents is available from the following link:

Respect - Learning - Resilience - Responsibility