Digital Learning

(Repeat)

Hello everyone,

At Williamstown Primary School, we know that helping children stay safe and confident online is a partnership between school and home. The eSafety Commissioner’s “Hard-to-have Conversations” resource highlights the importance of having regular, open and supportive conversations with children about online safety, respectful relationships and tricky topics they may come across online. These conversations can sometimes feel uncomfortable for adults and children alike, but they are an important part of helping our students grow into safe, respectful and responsible Willy Kids.

The resource encourages families to move away from having one “big talk” and instead aim for lots of smaller, age-appropriate conversations over time. These chats can happen naturally during everyday moments such as driving in the car, walking together or while sharing a meal. Keeping conversations calm, open and judgement-free helps children feel safe to ask questions and seek support when needed.

Some key advice for families includes:

• Be curious and listen carefully to your child’s thoughts and experiences.
• Ask open-ended questions about what they may already know, see or hear online.
• Reassure children that they can always come to a trusted adult for help, even if they are worried or embarrassed.
• Discuss respectful relationships, consent, body safety and safe online behaviour in age-appropriate ways.
• Remind children that not everything they see online is real or healthy, particularly on social media or in online videos.
• Encourage children to pause, think and seek help if something online makes them feel uncomfortable, unsafe or confused.

At WPS, these conversations strongly connect to our Willy Kids values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Learning. We want our students to show respect in the way they communicate online, responsibility in the choices they make, resilience when responding to challenges and confidence in seeking support from trusted adults.

The eSafety Commissioner website also provides practical conversation starters, videos and family resources to support parents and carers. We encourage families to explore these resources together and continue building open communication at home. Working together helps ensure our students feel safe, supported and empowered both online and offline.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/hard-to-have-conversations 

Warm regards,

Steven Puhar

Apps List 2026

WPS Digital Learning Statement

Attached is the school’s digital statement outlining the online platforms and their privacy policies that the school uses on a day-to-day basis. 

As part of the school’s ongoing student education, the school will further enhance key understandings around user privacy, as well as the tools available on selected devices.

This will be embedded within the current school’s eSafety program that currently sees students undertake numerous digital workshops run by both school leadership, classroom teachers and external providers such as the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart organisation.

Parents are advised of a key iPad feature to turn tracking off. This feature will be explicitly demonstrated to students within the school-based workshops.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking.

The list shows the apps that requested permission to track you. You can turn permission on or off for any app on the list.

To stop all apps from asking permission to track you, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track (at the top of the screen).

Williamstown Primary Digital Information

Below is a link to the schools Digital Learning page. This page contains key information about the school's implementation of the digital technology curriculum as a tool within a blended learning environment.

JB HiFi Digital Purchase Portal 2025/2026

The JB HiFi purchase portal is again available for Willy PS families. The schools recommended minimum specification device is the iPad Gen 9, but the portal does also offer a range of iPad models and accessories. Although students have access to bluetooth keyboards we also recommend the Smart Keyboard or a 3rd party keyboard incorporated within the cover. This accessory will add value to the users experience.

Please also note the change in School Code.

Although the portal is set up through JB HI-FI on behalf of the school, we encourage families to explore all purchase options.

Further GoogleSuite for Education Information 

Please find attached documents released by DET.

The first document gives a deeper understanding of the DET licences G Suite for Education, how it is set up and how it differs from the public Google platform.

The second document provides families with supporting resources on how to protect individuals privacy online.

The Department of Education information pack for parents is available from the following link: