A Message from the Principal
Dear Students, Parents and Caregivers
Welcome back to Term 2! I am delighted to see all our students back, ready to embrace the challenges of the new term. The term ahead is a busy and meaningful one.
Last week, we held a special liturgy to celebrate the life of Pope Francis, reflecting on his contributions and legacy. In relation to Pope Francis’ passing, the words of our Archbishop Timothy Costelloe convey powerful sentiment: “The main thing that went through my head was that the papacy itself, and Francis in his unique and particular way, has an enormous capacity to be a force for unity in the world... The capacity of the papacy to be a unifying force struck me strongly, and Francis was very successful in that”. Together with the millions of Catholics around the world, we pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Papal Conclave as they elect a new Pope to lead the faithful.
We also held an ANZAC liturgy across the College, paying tribute to the brave men and women who have served our country. We are grateful to those who continue to serve and protect Australia.
On Tuesday, we held Parent-Student-Teacher Interviews with Pre-Primary to Year 11 families. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for open communication and collaboration to support our students’ learning and development. I challenge students to establish clear learning goals as a consequence of these interviews.
This morning, our Secondary students participated in the Cross Country Carnival at Briggs Park. It was fantastic to see parents and families supporting our students, and the fantastic display of sportsmanship and house spirit!
We also started the day with a morning tea for all our beautiful mothers and mother-figures. May you have a wonderful Mother’s Day with your dear ones and families this weekend.
Lastly, I would like to leave the community with some food for thought about children and the use of social media.
Children and Social Media Use
Social Media has rapidly become a growing presence in our day to day lives. With its frequent notifications and users feeling the need to attract ‘likes’ and add to their friendship tallies, we do need to consider the extent to which these platforms condition user behaviour and the extent to which these behaviours relate to real world relationships. The reality is that given the prompt upsurge in social media use, longitudinal studies examining its impact simply don’t exist. In addition, studies on this area within a Western Australia context are few and far between.
Last Saturday’s The West Australian contained a powerful article which focused on data gathered by Surf Online Safe founder, Paul Litherland. Paul, who has previously delivered sessions at Salvado, works with more than 250,000 West Australian students each year.
I would imagine that parents would find Paul’s research interesting and potentially disturbing:
48% of Year 4 students are using social media, compared to 52% of Year 5 students, 60% in Year 6 and 72% in Year 7.
Of the Year 4 to 6 cohort, 32% were doing so without parental consent.
Children are mainly utilising SnapChat, TikTok, Discord and Instagram.
Issues that were prevalent in Year 9 and 10 students five years ago, such as intimate image abuse, addiction, grooming and predatory behaviour are now being seen in Years 7 and 8.
Sextortion scams targeting young boys have increased 2,300% and gaming scamming is becoming a huge problem. A particular concern is younger children being groomed into sharing sexually explicit material in exchange for gaming currency.
Parents will consciously consider potential risks when children are permitted to go out with their friends. It is important that a similar mindset is used when considering how a child navigates the digital world. When children do attempt to persuade parents that they need social media access, it would be helpful for parents to remember that Federal legislation was passed in December 2024 which sets social media access to many platforms at a minimum age of 16.
Regards,
Jason Meynell
Acting Principal