We know that childhood is an important time for healthy development, learning , and establishing the foundations for future wellbeing. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, most Australian children are healthy, safe and doing well. However, childhood is also a time of vulnerability and a child’s outcomes can vary on their circumstances.

Data indicates that 7 in 10 children aged 12-13 experienced at least 1 bullying-like behaviour with a year. Bullying refers to any intentional and repeated behaviour which causes physical, emotional or social harm to a person who has, or is perceived to have, less power than the person who bullies.

Bullying is a complex issue and comes in many forms and occurs in various settings. With increased access to technology in our homes, cyberbullying is invasive in nature and cannot be physically escaped in the same way in-person bullying can. It can happen anywhere and anytime of the day.

 Children who are bullied are:

• More likely to have poor academic performance;
• At risk of struggling with transition points throughout life, such as adjusting to secondary school;
• More likely to have mental health concerns, such as feelings of anxiety and depression;
• At high risk of suicide.

The mental health and wellbeing of the children and young adults in our community is all of our business. If we work in partnership, we can work to safeguard them against things such as harassment and bullying-related self-esteem issues, anxiety and isolation. We cannot turn a blind eye and justify harassment as ‘normal teenage behaviour’. IT IS NOT! It is not normal or acceptable to tease someone because of their body shape, their complexity, their hair colour, their sexuality or their family background. We are better than that and, as a school, we will not accept it. We are being proactive in this space around respectful relationships and we are immediately responsive if we become aware of an incident of bullying in our school or local community. But, we need your help!

• We need you to model inclusive and appropriate behaviours in your home.
• We need you to have open and transparent conversations with your child about the importance of inclusivity and respect.
• We need you to monitor the online and phone behaviours of your children.
• We need you to consider appropriate consequences for your child should they be causing harm towards others through harassment or bullying. 

As a country we need this to stop. We can’t change the entire country but we can change what happens in our local community. Please speak with your child today and together we protect our most important assets, our children.

Day for Daniel

We are proud to be a school engaging in raising the awareness of child safety, protection and harm prevention. Today we walked together as part of our recogition of Day for Daniel and encourage our parents, students, and staff to start a conversation about personal safety.

School Review 

We thank the many members of our school community who have met with or spoken to members of the Review Team from the Department of Education. We look forward to sharing the Executive Report with you as we celebrate our achievements and look forward to our next areas for continual improvement.

Until next time

Kym Amor

Kym Amor