And now a word from
Mrs Richards...
We are delighted to share that Parkdale Primary School has been included in the 2026 rollout of the Mental Health in Primary Schools Program (MHiPS)! This exciting initiative is part of a national effort to support positive mental health for all primary school students.
Over the course of Term 1, both I and Jarrod Sing will be attending training and induction sessions to deepen our understanding of the program and how best to apply it across our school community. These sessions will help inform our tier 1 wellbeing strategies, which focus on building strong connections, emotional resilience, and supportive learning environments for every child.
The initiative is designed to upskill experienced teachers to become Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders and aims to increase the capacity of Victorian primary schools to support the mental health of their students. The program emphasises proactive approaches to wellbeing — embedding mental health awareness into everyday school life so all children feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. We look forward to sharing more with families as the year unfolds and incorporating key insights from the training into our school’s wellbeing work.
Roblox and Online Safety
As of 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms now need to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.
It is eSafety's view that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit are age-restricted platforms. This list will continue to be updated.
Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among a number of types of services that have been excluded under the legislative rules. However, messaging services that have social-media style features which allow users to interact in other ways apart from messaging may be included in the age restrictions, as well as messaging features accessed through age-restricted social media accounts. Many families will be familiar with Roblox, a very popular online gaming and creative play platform for children. While it can be fun and social, there are important safety considerations for parents and caregivers to know.
In Australia and elsewhere, governments and online safety regulators are focusing closely on children’s experiences on platforms like Roblox due to reports of young users encountering inappropriate content and online safety risks — including contact from strangers or exposure to harmful material. In fact, Australian officials have recently asked Roblox to meet about child grooming and content safety concerns, and warned that the platform must comply with online safety requirements or face potential fines under the Online Safety Act.
WHAT PARENTS CAN DO:
Talk with your children about where and how they play online.
Use parental controls on devices and gaming platforms.
Encourage open conversations about safe online behaviour and what to do if something feels uncomfortable or unsafe.
Check privacy settings regularly and help your child understand why we keep personal information private.
Roblox can be a creative space, but like all online worlds, it’s important families stay informed and involved in children’s digital activities.