From the Dean of College

Online Safety

Online safety is an ever-expanding issue for families and educators alike. With the growth of communication devices and social media in the last decade, mobile technology has become the new haunt for child predators who are using apps like snapchat, tik tok and instagram to target naive and unaware young people. 

A recent ABC article provided a great insight into the real dangers that unsupervised use of social media and mobile devices can have for young people. It is a worthwhile read for every parent about the real dangers out there and the potential lasting impacts of predatory online behaviours. 

As a parent myself it can be overwhelming to talk about the issues surrounding the online world. One of the best resources on the internet is the E-Safety Commissioner’s website, with advice for young people and parents about a huge range of issues from age limits, unwanted contact, gaming, inappropriate contact, hard to have conversations, good habits and privacy. 

The best advice for parents is to be actively involved in the digital lives of your children. Even though they are teenagers and need a certain level of privacy, their safety should override any of these concerns. 

Uniform and Grooming

Thank you to the vast majority of students and families who support our College’s expectations in terms of uniform and grooming. Being a student at our College means that students and families have agreed to support our expectations in all aspects of College life including the way we wish our students to present themselves. 

Please refer to the Uniform and Grooming Expectations distributed earlier this year. 

As we move into winter uniform next term we will be monitoring uniform very closely. Communication around winter uniforms has been communicated a number of times through compass, newsletters as well as College assemblies and emails with students. Please see some of the main points below 

Winter Uniform

A reminder to all students and their families with the commencement of Term 2 all students will return to school in full winter uniform. 

Year 7 & 11

All Year 7 and 11 students please see the uniform document attached below for full uniform requirements. All items listed are compulsory unless indicated as "optional".

Please note that summer uniform shirts and shorts are not to be worn as part of the winter uniform. All students must wear the long sleeve shirt. The blazer is a compulsory item of the winter uniform and should be worn to and from school.

Year 12

For Year 12, students will continue to wear the full winter De La Salle College uniform. In recognition of the old uniform being phased out and no longer being available for purchase, the Year 12 school jerseys may be worn Monday-Friday. Students may continue to wear their school blazer, and this will be required for all official school events. Stockings or long pants are required for the female students and a tie for the male students.

The Resilience Project

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, professional development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness. You’ll hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our kids' learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.

View the first presentation of the series here:

Part 1: Meet Martin and learn about The Resilience Project https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-martin/

Family Co.

The Family Co are a non-profit organisation that work in our community to assist families with the stresses and issues of raising children and managing a family. They run personalised programs for parents and children but also run a number of group sessions for families and parents either for free or low-cost. Below are the programs being offered during term 2.