Principal's Report

Social Media Restrictions and Digital Safety

From 10 December, certain social media platforms will no longer be permitted to allow Australian children under 16 years of age to create or maintain an account. Please see the flyer below from eSafety.gov.au for more information.

We are aware that a number of students currently have accounts with platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Discord. All of these already have a minimum age requirement of 13, meaning that primary school students should not currently hold accounts.

Delaying access to social media provides valuable time for young people to develop digital literacy, resilience, and a sound understanding of how to interact safely and respectfully online. Research shows that early and unrestricted access can have negative effects on wellbeing, relationships, and mental health.

What We Are Doing as a School

At Rosanna Golf Links Primary School, we are committed to teaching responsible and safe technology use. We:

Communicate clear expectations about appropriate digital conduct
Apply consistent consequences when expectations are breached, in line with our Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy
Deliver structured, age-appropriate lessons on cybersafety and cyberbullying using eSafety Commissioner resources
Supervise all digital learning activities and provide a filtered internet service to block inappropriate content
Build digital resilience through our wellbeing programs and explicit teaching

How Parents Can Support at Home

Families play a vital role in developing safe and healthy digital habits. We encourage parents to:

Discuss social media with your child and reinforce age restrictions
Support your child to delete or deactivate accounts they are too young to hold
Set clear expectations around when, where and how devices are used
Use parental controls and filters to limit inappropriate content
Model positive online behaviour and maintain open conversations about what your child experiences online

At RGLPS, our goal is to ensure all students are equipped to participate safely, respectfully and responsibly in the digital world. For more advice and resources, please visit www.esafety.gov.au.

Finally, a reminder that the Department of Education’s Mobile Phone Ban requires all personal mobile devices (including smartwatches) to be switched off and securely stored during school hours. This policy, in place across all Victorian government schools, helps to create a focused learning environment and encourages students to engage face-to-face during recess and lunch. You can find our own policy on the RGLPS website. Governance and Policies — Rosanna Golf Links Primary School

We thank all families, staff and students for continuing to support the safe and responsible use of technology at our school.

Finlayson Street Entrance

As you already know, we have new fencing around the perimeter of the Finlayson Street entrance. To further enhance safety, from Monday 21 October, the back gate will be locked each morning at 9:05am. Families arriving after this time will need to enter via the Interlaken Parade entrance and check in through the office as usual.

In the afternoon, the gate will be unlocked at 3:25pm to allow families to collect students. We ask that families do not attempt to enter via this gate before this time.

These changes are part of our continued efforts to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students during the school day. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in adjusting to this updated access arrangement and helping to keep our school community safe.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to make improvements to our facilities and ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child at Rosanna Golf Links Primary School.

Transitioning to 2026

Don't forget, we are currently preparing for the organisation of grade placements for 2026. This is always a tricky process as multiple considerations must be made to ensure that our students are placed in an environment that will best support their learning needs. As such, this does need to be a collaborative process where students, parents and staff combine their collective knowledge to ensure success.

The Process:

Upon our return to school, children will be asked by their teachers to nominate peers they would like to be with in 2026. Conversations will be had regarding what makes a good learning friend, and students will be able to nominate those who support their learning and reduce distractions. During the process, teachers will ensure that every child is placed with at least one of these friends.
Parent considerations are also collected and valued during this process. Parents often have specific insights into student need, including but not limited to health, emotional or learning matters, peer or sibling relationships, or changes in the home situation. Please note that selecting a particular teacher does not fit within the realm of special circumstances. If parents wish to provide additional information to be considered, please email the school office address rosanna.golf.links.ps@education.vic.gov.au. Letters should be addressed to “The Principal” and reach the office no later than November 3rd.
Classroom teachers will predict where students would be best suited based on learning, behavioural and social needs and any relevant information they have gathered throughout the year.

This year, we will also be transitioning to a new software system to support with class creation called Class Solver. While we will transfer past data into the program, we anticipate there may be some issues during this first year of use. For this reason, we strongly encourage families to clearly articulate any previous or ongoing needs in their letter to ensure that nothing is overlooked.

Specialists will check the lists for anomalies and then the leadership team will confirm placements.
Towards the end of term, children and their new teacher will have an opportunity to spend the whole day in their 2026 classroom and step up into the next grade level. During this day, the children and new teacher will complete an activity notifying parents of their new grade.

Moving to 2026

As we work through all our 2026 preparations, we are also looking to determine how many classes we will have in each area. At this time of year, we traditionally ask families to let us know if they intend to move schools in 2026. Typically, it is at this time that people move suburbs, states, and even countries. If you are in this situation, please give us a call or email to let us know of your plans.

New Back Fencing

Over the holiday period, our school grounds received a well-deserved refresh. Trees were trimmed to improve safety, lawns were mowed, and our gardens cleared so that students returned to a neat and inviting environment. In addition to this regular maintenance, we also invested in some important infrastructure upgrades. The old fencing along the back perimeter of the school at the Finlayson Street entrance was replaced with new, secure fencing. This upgrade not only improves the appearance of our grounds but, most importantly, ensures the safety and security of our students.

To further support this, from next Monday we will be closing and locking the back gate at approximately 9:05am each day. Families and visitors who need to exit after this time are asked to use the Interlaken Parade entrance instead. We kindly encourage everyone to make their way out prior to the gate being locked to avoid inconvenience.

We thank our community for supporting these improvements, which help us maintain a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all students and families.

Take care,

Kirrily Lamers

Principal