Online Safety First: What the New Social Media Bill Means for Families
Today, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, was introduced to parliament today. If passed, this Bill will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under 16’s from having accounts. The law places the onus on social media platforms – not parents or young people – to take reasonable steps to ensure these protections are in place.
The Bill and the associated rules will ensure young Australians have continued access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education related, like Headspace, Kids Helpline, and Google Classroom, and YouTube. The Bill creates a new definition of ‘age-restricted social media platforms’. This will include Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and X, amongst others. It has been designed following extensive feedback from young Australians, parents, experts, industry, community organisations and state and territory governments. It will be interesting to see the response if the Bill is passed, but it highlights the serious situations our children can find themselves in online.
Online safety is so important. Recent media reports have told us about the sad and tragic consequences that can come when children are not protected from unsafe online behaviour. We are continually reminding our students of the ways they can stay safe online, but we need parents to work with us, as children are often online outside of College hours. I have written about this in previous newsletter articles, but I want to remind you of the wealth of information and advice to be found on the eSafety website. Information for parents, teachers and children about how to navigate the online world safely. There are some excellent articles and webinars on what to do and how to have conversations with your children about cyberbullying, sending nudes, sexting, gaming and screen time. We need to train and equip our children to navigate the online world with confidence and awareness. This is a task we can do together.
Can I encourage you to sign up for the eSafety parent newsletter? The following link allows you to register your email address and receive up-to date information on a variety of topics, as it becomes available.
God bless,
Mrs Jenny Squire
Deputy Principal – Head of Junior School
Sport
IPSSO
The Summer IPSSO season concluded in Week 5 with games against Mount Annan Christian College. All our teams showed great sportsmanship, determination, and courage in some very close and hard-fought games! Congratulations to our junior cricket team, which won 92-57; the senior Oz Tag team, which won 12-3; and the senior basketball team, which won 36-28.
This result secured 2nd place in our zone for the senior basketball team, which meant that they qualified for the IPSSO finals in Week 6! At the IPSSO finals, they played against the top two schools from the other IPSSO zone, Thomas Hassall Anglican College and Georges River Grammar School. They finished the day 4th overall, which is an outstanding achievement.
IPSSO is only possible because of the hard work and dedication of the teachers, who give up so much of their time each Wednesday to coach and look after these teams. I wanted to thank the following teachers who have sacrificed so much of their time over Terms 1 and 4 to coach summer IPSSO teams:
Mr Plunkett- Oz Tag
Mr Sawyer- Girls Soccer
Ms Palmer- Basketball
Mr Barber- Cricket
3-6 College Sport
This term, our Year 3-6 students began learning Zumba skills from an expert instructor, Miss Sarah, and netball and cricket skills from our teachers. These skills will benefit them as they develop their sporting skills and prepare to participate in the House Cup at the end of the term.
Year 1 Swimming Program
On Thursday, Week 1, the Year 1 Swimming Program began. This is the most important part of our College Sport program in Junior School, as the swimming skills these students are learning could save their lives. In Australia, so many children drown each year, so it is really important that every child knows how to swim. This program will run for the next few weeks and will equip these students with the essential skills to swim and survive in the pool and other bodies of water.
Todd Woodbridge Cup State Finals
On Monday, Week 6, several students represented the College at the Todd Woodbridge Cup tennis state finals events. Both teams played with excellent courage and determination and achieved solid placings within their groups. Congratulations to each of these students, who qualified for the state finals by winning zone and regional events throughout the last few months.
CIS Cricket Trials
On Monday, Week 6, Ollie, in Year 6, represented the College at CIS Cricket Trials, where he was trialling to be picked for the CIS Cricket Team to compete in 2025. He played with great skill and determination and had a great day. It was great to hear how much he took from the experience and how beneficial it will be for his cricket going forward, particularly when representing the College.
CSSA and CIS Nominations
From time to time, the College can nominate some of our exceptional athletes to trial for CSSA or CIS representative teams. These teams are selected for high level representative competitions, drawing from almost 100 schools across NSW. If you would like the College to nominate your child for one of these events, please follow the procedure below:
- Go to the CSSA website to see the list and dates of these trials (cssa.net.au)
- Email me (jbarber@opac.nsw.edu.au), expressing your child’s interest, background, and skills in the sport
- If they fit the requirements of the trials, I will nominate them to attend
- Attend the trials with your child
God bless,
Mr Joshua Barber
Junior School Sports Coordinator
