Assistant Principal -

Wellbeing

Working Together to Support Our Students to Finish the Year Well

How quickly has the year gone by!

As we move toward the end of Term 4, it is vital that we work together—as families, staff and students—to help our young people finish the school year positively and well. The final weeks are important learning weeks. They offer opportunities for consolidation, growth and strong routines that will set students up for success in 2025.

Across the College, we continue to emphasise readiness for learning. This includes being on time, having the correct equipment, wearing the appropriate uniform and arriving each day, on time, with a willingness to engage. When students are prepared—mentally and physically—they are far more likely to experience success.

We appreciate your support each morning in helping your child meet these expectations. Simple actions such as checking their bag, ensuring their device is charged and encouraging a focused mindset make a significant difference.

Learning Engagement and Behaviour: Partnering for High Expectations

While many of our students continue to meet expectations and work hard, we are also seeing an increase in challenging behaviours in recent weeks. These include:

• Refusal to engage in learning tasks
• Disrespectful or uncooperative interactions between students, and at times towards staff
• Racial vilification or racially charged language, which is wholly unacceptable in our community
• Willful damage to school property or the property of others
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These behaviours disrupt learning and impact the sense of safety, belonging and respect that every student has the right to experience. O’Connor Catholic College is firmly committed to maintaining high expectations for behaviour and learning, and we will respond decisively when actions do not align with our values or with our Living Well, Learning Well framework.

We ask families to speak with their young people about these concerns, reinforcing the importance of respect, kindness and responsibility. When school and home work in partnership, students receive a consistent and powerful message about what is acceptable and expected.

Although the year is drawing to a close, learning has not slowed down. Teachers have carefully planned meaningful lessons, assessments and activities through to the final day. The habits students display now—attendance, effort, organisation, and respect—strongly influence their momentum heading into 2025.

We encourage students to remain committed to their learning and for families to support regular attendance and positive routines during this period. High engagement now sets students up for a confident start next year. I feel it is important to note the impact on other students when there are one, two or three students who are making choices to be disruptive and disrespectful. As a staff we have been looking at a variety of data sets, and the impact is being noted in the Living Well Learning Well Survey - especially in years 8 and 9. Over the past few weeks several students and their families have been asked to make a commitment to the values of the college and if this is not possible then we need to work together to look at alternative learning pathways.

Changes to Social Media Access for Young People: What Parents Need to Know

The Australian Government has recently announced strengthened regulations aimed at improving the online safety of children and adolescents. These changes include:

• More rigorous age-verification systems required on major platforms
• Stricter age limits on access to certain social media services
• Greater parental-consent requirements
• A stronger national push for safety-by-design measures

These reforms acknowledge the significant impact that social media can have on young people’s wellbeing, sleep, behaviour, relationships and learning. As a College, we welcome changes that promote safer online environments.

How you can support your child with these changes

We encourage families to:

• Discuss the upcoming changes openly and calmly
• Review device settings, privacy controls and app permissions
• Set healthy routines around screen time—especially before bed
• Monitor online activity in an age-appropriate way
• Model balanced technology use

If your child’s access to certain platforms changes, reassure them that these adjustments are in place to support their wellbeing and safety.

If you are keen to find out more information or are looking for ways to support your child, we recommend you visit the esafety commissioner website - https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Working in Partnership

At O’Connor Catholic College, we deeply value our partnership with families. By working together—setting clear expectations, reinforcing respectful behaviour, ensuring readiness for learning and supporting safe online habits—we can help every young person in our community finish the year well.

If you have any concerns or need support, please contact your child’s House Leader or a member of our Wellbeing Team. 

Thank you for your continued commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and high-expectation learning environment for all.

With regards,

Mellissa Bell

Assistant Principal Wellbeing