Wellbeing & Inclusion
Elissa Wilson and Rita Carino
IMPORTANT MESSAGE - Online Safety for Children
Across Meadows Primary School, staff have noticed an increase in behaviours we believe are influenced by our students screen time. This includes online bullying creeping into the school yard, tiredness from late nights on screen, and an increase in body/healthy eating issues in both male and female students.
The online social media ban brought in by the Australian Government in 2025 was introduced to counter these types of concerns. However, we are hearing from a number of students that they are still accessing social media and/or have extended access to devices without parental controls We understand it is hard to implement restrictions on these things in our modern world, but the research is now clear that early access to digital devices is having a detrimental effect on young children's brains across the World.
The eSafety Commissioner has a wealth of resources to help families navigate digital technology. Please take some time to have a look:
eSafety Commisioner - parent site
Online safety for families (Multiple languages)
Sign up for the free eSafety Newsletter here
Iris's first day
A huge thank you and well done to all students, staff and families for making Iris, our Wellbeing Dog, feel so comfortable on her first day at Meadows Primary School. Students followed the three expectations without fault and were so respectful as Iris and Ms Wilson walked around the school. We think Iris is going to love it at Meadows!
Currently, students are being asked to follow the following three expectations to allow Iris to settle in:
- Say hello to the person, not the dog
- Keep moving, don't stand around and stare
- Give her space
Once Iris is settled, Ms Wilson will send new rules around how students can interact with and pat Iris. Watch this space!
