Senior School

Social Media Age Delay - preliminary information for Parents and Carers

Many families will have seen recent coverage of the Federal Government’s decision to delay social media access for young people. From 10 December 2025, many social media platforms will not be permitted to let Australians under 16 years of age create or keep accounts on certain social media platforms. The change is designed to give young people the time they need to develop the maturity, judgment and digital literacy required to participate safely and confidently online.

Kambala remains supportive of the Australian Government’s recommendations and guidelines regarding the implementation of this nationwide policy.

Here is some key information to date:

From 10 December 2025, children under 16 will not be permitted to create or maintain accounts on certain social media platforms.
The law applies to the platforms themselves, with social media companies needing to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent under‑16s from accessing accounts.
Your daughter's existing accounts may be restricted or deactivated, on or in the lead up to this date.
Some platforms or services (educational, health or messaging only) may be exempt; details are still being finalised.

In the lead-up to this change, families may find it helpful to:

Stay informed through the eSafety Commissioner’s website.
Join a 30 minute free information session for parents and carers hosted by the eSafety Commissioner - the first one is being held this term on 14 November 2025.
Begin gentle conversations with your daughter about their online use, in anticipation of the 10 December date.
Explore alternative ways for your daughter to connect, create and socialise safely online or in person.
Review privacy, safety and screen time settings across devices and platforms already in use within your family.
If your daughter has social media accounts and they have data that they wish to save, it might be useful at this time for them to begin downloading anything they would like to save, such as connections, posts, photos or videos, before 10 December 2025.

It is important to appreciate that this will be a time of change and uncertainty for some young people. Our pastoral care program will support students to understand the approaching changes, and how it may impact them.

Kambala is a member of the Association of Independent Schools, and we will continue to work with this association to ensure information and avenues of support are shared with our school community as the date nears.

Samantha Gooch

Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care

Year 7 2026 - Welcome to Kambala Senior School

Last Friday we welcomed the Year 7 2026 cohort to the Senior School.

A key day in this transition is the annual Test and Quest Day. After the morning program in the Alexander Hall, Year 6 students enjoyed lunch and the opportunity to connect with current and new students. They were supported by select Year 8 students who answered questions and led a competitive, yet fun game of handball. Our Year 7 2026 cohort then participated in an afternoon of activities, including receiving goodie bags and having conversations with their ‘big sisters’ in Year 11. Year 6 were then introduced to their Peer Mentors who assisted them to navigate around the school to enjoy four taster lessons of Drama, Maths, Physical Education and Science.

A huge thank you to all of the students in Years 8, 9 and 11 who supported the day, making the newest members of the Senior School community feel comfortable and welcomed. The Sisterhood is strong, and we are excited to welcome the Year 7 2026 cohort in January.

Julie Laytham

Head of Student Life

Exploring World-Class Creative Study Opportunities in the UK

Congratulations to Izzy Kellett (Yr 12 2025) on her successful Early Offer to attend the University of the Arts London (UAL), one of the world’s leading creative universities. Izzy successfully completed a comprehensive portfolio and interviewed well for the place at UAL which is a very significant achievement.

We look forward to hearing how she progresses in this wonderful course.

Mr Ian Pettit

Future Pathways Advisor

First Robotics at Macquarie University

Five of Kambala's best Engineers went to Macquarie University on Saturday 25th October to compete in the FIRST Lego League Challenge. A robotics competition in its 25th year, teams are challenged to use Lego robotics kits to build a robot, design tool attachments, write programs to automate the robot and attempt to complete as many of the years missions as possible.

Competing against 31 other teams at this regional competition (and 1300 across Australia) our team was able to slip into the top half of the field, and as this was Kambala's first time entering this competition we even earned the Rising Star Award for being the top scoring rookie team on the day.

Over the day we had 3 attempts at solving the robot missions and while each run saw some missions unsuccessful between all 3 attempts every program the students made was successful at least once.

Our lead engineers Charlie Hafferden and Serena Yu were each able to solve some of the more complex missions with their coding skills.

Laura Washer was our note taker, precision expert and overall team player keeping photos and drafts of all our work, and making sure we were able to accurately place our robot to start each mission. The lead researchers Jade Croll and Giselle Wheeldon-Steele took charge in creating our team innovation project and scripted our presentation for the University judges.

The Senior STEM club is now building a Smart Weather station including wiring up its own tv display. Next year we hope to enter more than one robotics team so keep your ears open for other STEM opportunities.

Mark Goodwin

STEM Club Coordinator

*2027 Kambala Scholarships are open

Applications are welcomed from girls currently enrolled at Kambala or attending other schools.

Click here to learn more about the scholarships on offer and how to apply. Clickhere to apply.

All scholarship enquiries are to be directed to Mrs Tracy Mulligan, Director of Enrolments.