From the Assistant Principal

Navigating the Digital World

Last week our teaching staff participated in a professional learning session delivered by Inform and Empower, which focused on supporting students to safely and thoughtfully navigate the digital world. The session explored both the creativity and opportunities technology offers our students, while also highlighting some of the risks young people may encounter online.

A particular focus of the session was the increasing presence of Artificial Intelligence and the importance of guiding students to use emerging technologies responsibly. Staff also examined current concerns relating to online gaming platforms such as Roblox, where some risks remain present if student activity is not appropriately monitored.

A key takeaway from the session was the importance of maintaining open and ongoing conversations with our students about their online experiences. When children feel safe to speak with trusted adults about what they encounter online, we are better able to support them to make safe and informed decisions.

For families, one of the most effective ways to support online safety is to consider where technology is used at home. Research consistently highlights that the safest place for children to access devices is in shared family spaces, rather than bedrooms or behind closed doors. This allows adults to remain aware of the types of activities children are engaging in online.

To support families in this space, Inform and Empower will be hosting a parent webinar on Thursday 19 March at 7.30pm. This session will provide practical strategies for supporting children to safely navigate technology and understand the challenges of being online.

Families can register for the webinar here:bit.ly/19march2026

Parent resources are also available at:parents.informandempower.com.au

Prep Enrolments – Moving to a Digital Platform

We are pleased to share that our Prep enrolment process will soon transition to a digital platform called Insight.

This system will streamline the enrolment process for families while also improving the way our school manages enrolment information. By digitising this process, we expect to significantly reduce the administrative time required to process applications, allowing our staff to focus more time on supporting student learning and transition into school.

We look forward to sharing more information with families as this process is implemented.

Koorie Morning Tea

Our first Koorie Morning Tea for the year was held on Friday 27 February, and it was wonderful to see such a strong level of engagement from our community. The discussion focused on ways we can continue to make our school a welcoming and inclusive space for Koorie students and families.

To support greater participation from families, the next meeting will move to a Wednesday in Term 2 (date to be confirmed).

I would like to thank Rachel Azzopardi and Mel Davies for their thoughtful contributions as we explore opportunities to include Koorie perspectives and literature within our Literacy curriculum.

One practice that has been particularly meaningful this year has been the rotation of staff delivering an Acknowledgement of Country at the beginning of each staff meeting.

This has created an opportunity for staff members to share personal and authentic acknowledgements, reinforcing the importance of recognising the Traditional Owners of the land and the ongoing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS)

Our work with School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) continues to strengthen across the school.

The rollout of our SWPBS token system has been very successful, with a strong focus on recognising students who demonstrate our values of Be an Active Learner and Be Responsible within classroom settings. These tokens provide a consistent and positive way to acknowledge the behaviours that support learning and engagement.

The SWPBS team is currently monitoring the distribution of tokens to ensure consistency across the school and to guide our next steps. As the program continues to develop, we will begin extending the token system into playground and break times, with a particular focus on recognising students who demonstrate our value of Be Kind in their interactions with others.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

Marco, our Business Manager, recently sent a Compass notification regarding applications for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) for 2026.

Families who hold a Health Care Card or eligible concession card may be able to access this funding to support the cost of school camps, sports and excursions.

If you believe you may be eligible, please visit the school office to request an application form from Dee. Applications must be submitted before the end of the semester, so we encourage families to complete this process as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Sam Smrekar Thompson

Assistant Principal