Wellbeing & Community News

Information on Vaping

Dear parents, carers and guardians,

Parents, carers, schools, and community all play an important role in protecting children and young people from, and educating them about, the harmful effects of smoking and vaping.

Research from the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne shows many parents and carers are not aware of the harmful effects or how their views about smoking and vaping can impact the likelihood of a young person taking up smoking or vaping, to view this information, click here. 

The Department of Education has developed resources to help you learn more about the health risks of smoking and vaping. The resources include advice about how to talk to children and young people about vaping, and where to get support. There is also a list of parent resources in the attachments below.

Get the facts | Quit Vaping Facts

Further Information:

To access the resources, go to https://www.vic.gov.au/smoking-and-vaping-advice-parents

You can also view this video on smoking and vaping from experts at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne for health advice and tips for starting a conversation with young people.

Anna Syposs 

Adolescent School Nurse 

School Student Broadband Initiative

Free internet until December 2025!

The Australian Government has announced that they are extending the School Student Broadband Initiative until 31 December 2025.

The extension means that the SSBI nomination period will remain open until 31 December 2024 with free National Broadband Network (nbn) internet service for all new and existing families on the SSBI until 31 December 2025.

Is my family eligible for the School Student Broadband Initiative?

To be eligible, families must:

✓ Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school.

✓ Not have an active National Broadband Network (nbn®) Internet service at home. Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility.

✓ Live in a premises that can access the National Broadband Network via a standard connection – this will be checked for you.

✓ Not have had an active nbn connection during the previous 14 days.

Call 1800 954 610 (10am – 6pm AEDT Monday to Friday, excluding Victorian Public Holidays) and their team will check your eligibility. Click the image below to find out more!

Outside of School Activities

Parent Support

Introducing ACA – People Outdoors: Camps for People Living with Disability

‘Adventure For All’ People Outdoors, a program of the Australian Camps Association, was established in 1989 to provide outdoor recreation for people of all ages living with disability. Our programs include two-night weekend through to four-day residential camps held during the school holidays. Our participants are looked after by our team of disability support workers for the duration of camp. So, if you’d like the opportunity to experience the social and developmental benefits of adventure outdoors, please contact our team on 03 9863 6824 or visit our website for more information – www.peopleoutdoors.org.au