Principal's News

Welcome back to Term 4, I hope you all had a great holiday with the children.

Term 4, as always, will be jam packed and filled with great learning, assessments, extra curricular activities and end of year celebrations.

We finished Term 3 on a high note with the wonderful school production. Photos are still available to be ordered using the form that was sent home via Operoo last term. We are still awaiting some samples to display in the office for you to view.

Our Year 5 students and their teachers along with Grace, Lara and myself took part in a wonderful Year 5 camp in the city. Next week I will be commencing interviews with our 2025 foundation families. We also have our "Blessing of the Animals" service on Friday 25th October at 9.00 a.m. with Brother Louis and it is also world teachers day that day.

We will celebrating the Sacrament of First Communion with many of our Year 4 children and their families on 26th and 27th October and wish them all the very best on this next important step in their faith journey.

Please see the recent Operoo notice that outlines some special activities that we are undertaking for "RUOK? Day" that we will celebrate on Friday 1st November.

Please check out the "Dates to Remember" page for all important Term 4 dates.

Child Safety/eSafety:

We had a fantastic night with Doron from the Federal Police who presented an information evening for parents using the "ThinkUKnow" program on keeping our children safe online. We had a great turn out of parents from all levels. Thanks to Mr McGuinness who organised the event. Please see his article below recapping the information shared.

ThinkUKnow

With a busy start to the term, we were fortunate enough to have Doron from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) visit our school to speak with parents around the ThinkUKnow program. This program, designed by the AFP and presented in conjunction with their partners: Microsoft and CommBank, speaks about the increasingly important topic of online safety. In today’s digital world, the internet offers incredible opportunities for learning and connecting, but it also presents challenges – especially for our children.

Doron emphasised the importance of staying vigilant and aware of what your children encounter online. He reminded us that while the internet can be a fantastic resource, it is essential for parents to actively guide their children and establish boundaries to ensure a safe online environment.

Supporting a child if they experience abuse

If your child tells you they have experienced abuse try to remain calm and take action to support them:

• Do not blame your child – they have done nothing wrong

• Make sure they are safe

• Listen and believe them

• Collect evidence including screenshots, URLs and usernames

• Make a report to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and get support for your child or the eSafety commissioner.

If a child is in immediate danger, or at risk of harm, call Triple Zero (000). To make a report, complete the online form at www.accce.gov.au/report

For anonymous reporting contact Crime Stoppers at crimestoppers.com.au or 1800 333 000.

You can also contact your local police on 131 444.

For more information about the ThinkUKnow program and for valuable resources, visit www.thinkuknow.org.au

By Kieran McGuinness