The Wellbeing Page 

Starting the conversation about gaming online

There is no one right age to go online. Generally, it is recommended that younger children play offline or only play online games with their family. For guidance on starting the conversation about online gaming with your child, please see below.

1. Find out why it's important to your child

Encourage your child to seek permission before playing an online game. You can say things like: ‘I am glad you asked me first. Why do you want to play this game online?’ This can help you find the safest way to support them. For example, if it’s because their friends are playing it, you might want to focus on who they’ll be interacting with and whether the game has tools to limit contact with people they don’t know.

2. Talk about the risks and how to stay safe together

You can say things like:

• ‘I know this matters to you. Let’s make sure it’s safe by agreeing you’ll only make purchases with my approval or only communicate with friends we know and trust.’
• ‘I think the safest way we can make this happen is to make sure you…
  • ‘only make purchases with my approval.’
  • ‘only communicate with friends.’
• ‘Before I decide, let’s have a look at the game together.’

You can also take a look at the video, ‘Supporting your preschooler with online games’, co-created by eSafety, Alannah and Madeleine Foundation, the Australian Federal Police and Raising Children Network for more advice.

3. Make sure they know when and how to get help

You can say things like:

• ‘I know playing online can be fun, but let’s talk about what to do if things go wrong.’
• ‘I want you to know you can always come to me if things go wrong. We’ll find a way to work through things together. Nothing is too scary or embarrassing to share with me.’

It’s not just about saying the right things – how you respond matters too. Staying calm and supportive helps your child believe they can come to you the next time something goes wrong.

Reference: eSafetyComissioner

Management of Allergies at School 

Allergic disease is one of the fastest growing chronic conditions in Australia, with the most common types of allergies being hay fever, food allergy, and drug allergy. Here in South Melbourne Primary School, we have several students diagnosed with potentially life-threatening allergies (i.e. anaphylaxis), with the most common causes being allergies to food and insects (bees). An allergic reaction can be triggered by a small amount of food eaten or even touched, and it can progress quickly to a life threatening emergency. Therefore, we are seeking your help to support the students in our school with allergies. 

In the case of these children, the trigger foods are: 

Dairy, Egg, Peanuts, Pistachio, Cashew, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Sesame, Tree Nuts, Wheat, Honey, Kiwi, and Fish  

To prevent allergic events at school, our school implements the following risk minimisation: 

• Children at risk of food anaphylaxis should eat food that is supplied by their parents or food that is agreed to by parents prior to events. 

• Wiping down tables and washing hands with running water and soap before and after eating are encouraged. 

• No trading and sharing of food, food utensils, and food containers. 

• All drink bottles, other drinks and lunch boxes provided by parents should be clearly labelled with the name of the child for whom they are intended. 

• Food and drink spills are immediately wiped up. 

We kindly ask parents to help our efforts in supporting all children with allergies by: 

• Being mindful of trigger foods when packing snacks and lunches, therefore avoiding sending them to school where possible or reminding your child to be careful of not sharing or leaving these foods around. 

• Discussing the issue with your child, particularly stressing that the anaphylactic child doesn’t wish to be singled out or excluded 

We appreciate your understanding and support for all children and their safety at South Melbourne Primary School. 

For more information about our Anaphylaxis Policy, please visit our website.