End of year

It is great that we were onsite for the full year. There were certainly trials but also plenty of tribulations as well. The last two years of Covid lockdowns probably made us not ‘match ready’ particularly in the first term. We also had staffing issues due to the national shortages across Australia. Life was pretty tough there for a while. Mistakes were made but we learnt, improvised, innovated and improved. I want to thank you (the school community) for your combined grit and resilience throughout this year.

We implemented many improvements this year that included:

• Sub School structures to enhance a supportive and orderly learning environment
• Diverse and student led electives in Year 9 & 10
• Teaching and learning initiatives e.g. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria in every class

I encourage you to spend the holidays doing the things you love and are passionate about. Rest and recharge for an incredible 2023 filled with inspiring and innovative learning. I’m excited to be on the learning journey with you.

Return to School Interviews

Late November, 2023 Y8-12 parents/carers would have received a Return to School Interview email from the school. There will be a booking link in the email parents/carers. This link will be available for a few weeks. After this time parents/carers who have not booked a time will be allocated one.

The mandatory interviews will be held on 30 January, 2023, from 11am-7pm

The key aims of the Return to School Interviews is to:

• Ensure a positive start to the year for students
• Build closer relationships between parents/carers, students and the school
• Provide important 2023 information to parent/carers and students

We look forward to meeting with parents/carers and students on the day.

Please see more information on the return to School Interviews later on in the newsletter.

Sexual extortion

The Australian Federal Police through the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is seeing a concerning global trend of teenage males being targeted to send explicit images of themselves and then blackmailed. This is called sexual extortion, or sextortion.

The AFP is urging families to have important safety conversations ahead of the school holidays to prevent young people from becoming victim. This crime can have serious wellbeing and psychological impacts.

How does sextortion start?

• Unsolicited friend and follow requests on social media
• Direct messages on one app and then being asked to keep chatting on a secondary app
• Conversations suddenly and quickly becoming sexualised
• Requests for sexualised images or content.

What can families do?

• Have open and regular conversations about your child’s online activities and interactions
• Know what platforms, apps and games they are using and who they are interacting with
• Remain open and approachable, victims will be reluctant to come forward if they feel they will be punished or blamed
• Ensure your child knows that it is okay to leave conversations if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe
• Support your child and know how to respond. The Online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit has been created to recognise sextortion and get help.

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation is here to keep young people safe from online sexual exploitation and abuse.

You can make a report via accce.gov.au/report

For further information, resources and advice visit thinkuknow.org.au

Ian Van Schie
Principal