Principal's Pen
Grow Great People
We employ many people at the College to support your child’s journey in faith and knowledge so they may go into society knowing they are valued, valuable and ready to make a positive impact in our world. As a collective staff, we often talk of “Growing Great People”, and recently, I have been constantly reminded of the great people we have at our College. It is very evident through the interactions across the College every day that this is a priority, and is confirmed by the interactions I have the privilege to see. It is pertinent that we as a College analyse the work we do and determine if what we provide is actually what is provided to our community. Earlier this week I reflected on our last few graduating cohorts from OLSCC, and I am in no doubt that our graduates are heading out into the world to make a positive difference. And more importantly, we deliver on each student’s individual pathway. Whether it is to become a surgeon like Josh, a tradesman like Blake, an engineer like Zahra, or start your own business like Shawnee, our College provides the opportunity for all students to achieve and excel in their own pathway. And this is despite, or possibly because of the fact that we value the learning dispositions and how to build students to be drivers of their own success. We don’t offer every class face-to-face at OLSCC in senior secondary, though every opportunity exists for students to excel. In 2025, we will continue to refine and improve the subjects we offer as our numbers in senior secondary continue to expand.
I personally believe that the difference at OLSCC is that we really are an OLSCC family. Students have stable teachers, the expectations are consistent, our staff are invested in supporting students every day, and there is a constant sense of care, kindness and mutual respect, as well as getting the job done. Our students enjoy considerable opportunities to engage in, and the world is their oyster.
I trust everyone will enjoy a break this holiday and get to spend some quality time with those we love. I have again reminded our staff that for those on holidays, they must turn off their work devices for at least a week over the holidays and take some time to reset for Term 4.
Good luck to our Year 12 students as they relive their wonderful experiences from retreat this week, and prepare for their final assessment submissions, external assessments and graduation celebrations. These last 2 months of school will fly by no doubt.
Enjoy the break, and see you next term!
World Teachers’ Day – Teachers (like Mrs Dellit) make a difference
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on 25 October this year, and we have our very own superstar teacher, Mrs Dellit, featured in the World Teachers’ Day material this year. She is being showcased for both her work in the inclusion of Braille into the classroom curriculum, and her love of teaching in a place that is very special to her – right here at OLSCC! See the attached World Teachers’ Day story of Mrs Dellit and please take the time to recognise and celebrate at least one of the wonderful teachers in your family’s life on the 25October.
Student Use of Mobile Devices and Social Media
The greatest cause of poor student mental health that I see across the middle years and senior years stems directly from students who engage with social media platforms, especially dark social, which are the private features of an app. These are especially prevalent in apps such as Facebook Messenger, Twitter Direct Messages, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Minecraft and Roblox. Secret rooms, multiple profiles, sharing of personal information with others they wouldn’t recognise face-to-face, perceived safety in the sharing of images, and the assumption that children (all persons under the age of 18) are capable of operating these platforms appropriately, are all causing major impacts on the mental health of our teenagers.
The real challenge is that we, as adults, are concerned regarding how our young people are using the device, though the reality is that it only takes one person, or a small group, in an online community to create significant damage to many technology users. Images on social media can be copied or captured and then used for a variety of purposes. Others can create a fake profile and communicate inappropriate messages, requests and “deepfakes” (a “deepfake” is a digital photo, video or sound file of a real person that has been edited to create an extremely realistic but false depiction of them doing or saying something that they did not actually say or do).
While there is considerable legislation surrounding firearms, vehicle operation, medication, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and now vaping to protect our young people from causing significant harm to themselves and others, social media platforms are effectively unregulated. This means we must act in a protective manner for our children by monitoring their device usage, and only providing them with the platforms they need.
Please monitor your child’s use of social media platforms on their device if you choose to allow them to use a smart device. This includes all apps and games with public and/or private messaging capability. Below are a few useful links from the eSafety Commissioner for you to peruse when considering how you can help your child keep safe from the impact of others on these platforms.
Most importantly, don’t let devices become private and secretive for your child. All young people need to be taught how to use devices ethically, responsibly and legally. This is the responsibility of the parent and/or carer that allows them to have the device. Also enable everyone in your household to talk openly and honestly about their communication with others throughout the day, whether that be face to face or online. Be sure to talk about concerns, share challenges and how to move forward, and keep a clear understanding that as the responsible adult it is your responsibility to monitor the device on a regular basis to ensure that what they encounter on their device aligns to your family values.
Please take responsibility for teaching your child to use technology in an ethical manner, and take responsibility for dealing with situations that occur due to the decision to allow your child to have a mobile device.
Peter Cuskelly
Principal
