PRINCIPAL REPORT

From the College Principal

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Staff,

I am writing to thank you for all your hard work this term. The transition back to normal school routines has been challenging for some within our community, and we are aware that we are still dealing with some of the after-effects of last year’s lockdown. Your commitment to developing our young people, and to the students, for your commitment and perseverance for developing yourselves, has been magnificent.

The launch of the Tutor Learning Initiative, next term, will support those students who may have fallen behind in their learning because of lockdown to catch up, and our Well-being Team will continue to provide care and support for students who are still suffering from a range of emotional and psychological challenges caused by, or exacerbated, by lockdown.

I wish you all a happy and safe holiday over Easter, and for our many Jewish families a good Pesach (or Seder). 

Park Safety

The recent reporting in the media about alleged serious assaults committed in local parks should prompt us to think about what we can do to ensure our children are safe at social events held after school hours or on weekends. 

The perpetrators are responsible for these alleged assaults, and I do not blame the victims for being assaulted, but what we do know is that young people, unsupervised, and particularly when intoxicated, are much less perceptive of danger within their environment. Their situational awareness is often impaired to the extent that they are unaware they are in danger until it is too late. Therefore, I urge parents/carers to talk to your children about staying safe when moving around the suburb, particularly at night. 

We do know that Dendy Park is often used as a venue by young people for social gatherings which often have no parental supervision. I urge parents to actively try to find out the actual locations and level of supervision of social events their children want to attend. Please don’t be afraid to contact other parents to confirm these arrangements, and please do not be afraid to say “no” to your children if you are not satisfied with the arrangements. The safest place for social events involving our children is in private homes or hired venues, with parental supervision by people you know, or, at least, have spoken to and vetted. 

It seems some social media platforms, particularly the Snapmap function within Snapchat may allow predatory individuals to home in on social events. Those held in public places, such as parks, are, naturally, more vulnerable to these individuals using this technology.

I include links to the Victoria Policy Party Safe page, which contains good tips for holding safe parties, as well as to the eSafety site which has information on Snapmap.

https://www.police.vic.gov.au/party-safe

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog/location-location-location

Yours sincerely, 

Richard Minack 

Principal