Assistant Principal Pastoral Care
Welcome back to Term 4. Like every other term this one is very busy with so many opportunities for our students to engage with, followed by the promise of the summer holidays at the end.
Student Leadership
Our new Student Leadership Team led their first college assembly last week. It was wonderful to see the team work on display from a group that has only recently formed. Our new SLT were able to speak with confidence and passion about their school and connect directly with the younger students.
On Thursday and Friday this week these new leaders had the opportunity to attend their Leadership Camp in Canberra. We look forward to hearing more of their ideas.
The Student Leadership Team and the Student Representative Council (Years 7-11) participated in the YLead program last Friday. Thank you to Mrs Elle Berry for organising both these events and for her ongoing passion to develop the capacity of our young leaders.
Each year October is the month designated with a focus on Mental Health. World Mental Health Day was on October 10, this time shines a spotlight on the importance of mental wellbeing. It’s a moment to raise awareness, challenge stigma and advocate for stronger policies and services to support mental health for all.
Thank you to our new Social Justice Captains Minny Holland, Max Ivanoff and Sophie Barling who have refreshed our posters informing students of how to access support if they need it.
Wellio delivers a webinar each term to assist parents. These webinars are developed by Wellio’s in-house team of educators and psychologists to give parents strategies to support their children’s wellbeing. Topics include managing technology at home and supporting children with stress and anxiety.
The upcoming webinar for this term is titled Social Media, Boundaries and Cyberbullying: Guiding Teens Through the Digital World. With teens spending more time online, this session will help you to:
- Set Clear Limits: creating guidelines for your family that balance independence with online safety.
- Spot Online Pressures: how to identify and address signs of cyberbullying or social stress.
- Supporting Digital Connections: strategies you can use to help teens develop safe, meaningful friendships in the digital space.
This 60-minute webinar is scheduled for Thursday 6 November, 6:30pm (AEDT). You can register at https://collections.humanitix.com/2025-parent-webinar-series
If you can’t attend at this time, please feel free register anyway as a recording will be sent through after the event.
The Parent Pulse: Social Media and Our Children
From 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.
Your voice matters. By completing this survey, you are helping Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) understand the real experiences, challenges, and hopes of families in our Catholic school communities. The insights gathered will directly shape our advocacy with Catholic Education authorities and Government, ensuring that the needs and perspectives of parents and carers are heard at the highest levels.
Your input will guide us in championing initiatives that strengthen learning, wellbeing, and partnership between home and school.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L65CL58
Navigating the social media changes
From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms will not be allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account, giving them more time to develop important skills and maturity.
Last week, eSafety launched new pages on the social media age restrictions hub, designed to support parents and carers, educators and young people, as we prepare for the restrictions to come into effect. Please visit the link below for more information.
Last week was Children's Week!
This year’s theme, “Everyone should know about Children’s Rights”, is based on Article 42 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In NSW there are more than 2.1 million children and young people aged 0–18, with around 1.4 million living in metropolitan Sydney and over 700,000 growing up in regional and rural areas. Each child deserves to feel seen, heard and valued, no matter where they live.
Children’s Week reminds us that every step we take to raise awareness of rights is a step towards making NSW a safer, fairer and more inclusive place for children and young people.
Council of Catholic School Parents
The CCSP invites parents to join the free webinars for Term 4 2025. By using the link below you can easily register for the webinars.
- PRACTICAL STEPS FOR ACTION: EMPOWERING YOUR CHILD’S CAREER JOURNEY
This session will show parents how Senior School sets the foundation for your child’s future. You’ll learn how to guide subject choices, foster transferable skills, and explore career pathways using the latest tools.
We’ll share practical tips on resumes, workplace exposure, and preparing for the final years of school, while keeping balance and wellbeing at the center of career planning.
Presented by Beyond
- THE CHANGING FACE OF CYBERBULLYING: HELP PROTECT YOUR CHILD ONLINE
Presented by the eSafety Commissioner
AI tools are evolving fast – and some are being misused in ways that can harm or exploit children and young people, including through the creation of deep fakes and digitally altered images. This 45-minute webinar covers how these technologies are being used, their impact and how to support and protect your child. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students.
Academic Care
This week in the Academic Care period the focus was on academic skills and learning. The topics covered are listed below so that parents and carers can continue to conversation at home.
Year 7 – Study Skills Handbook- Your Brain and Memory
Year 8 - Atomi – Task Memory and Learning
Year 9- Atomi: Memory and Learning and Assessment and Study techniques
Year 10 – Atomi -Study Plan with template and study for exams
Year 11- HSC Introduction and Yr 12 Mentors
Uniforms
Overall our students have made a smooth transition into their summer uniforms. We would appreciate support from our parents and carers to ensure that our older boys are clean shaven and for our girls that the uniform expectations around jewellery, make up, eye lashes and nail polish are adhered to. Any students with long hair below the collar need to have it fully tied back so they are compliant with safety expectations as well as the uniform policy.
A reminder our new skorts that will be included in the Junior Girls Summer Uniform will be available to purchase solely at the college from the beginning of November.
Safe and Welcoming environment
Part of the College Mission Statement refers to our partnership with families to build a safe and welcoming environment for our students. Each day from how we speak and greet each other, how we move through the school and how we respond to people in need and address issues and concerns – we all have a role to play in creating this safe and welcoming environment.
From the moment the students walk through the front gate they are surrounded by caring adults who focus on their wellbeing and academic success. Here at Carroll College our students can easily access their Homeroom teacher, class teachers, support staff, Pastoral Coordinators, Counsellor, and College leaders throughout the day. Students are encouraged to mention any concerns they have as soon as they arise so we can support student safety and wellbeing. This same invitation is extended to our parents and carers as we work together to support our young people.
Kind regards
Mrs Louise Ibbett
Assistant Principal Pastoral Care