I am sure you have seen the media coverage regarding the fact that, from mid-December, Australian children under 16 will no longer be allowed to hold accounts on certain social media platforms. The age restrictions are likely to apply to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, among other platforms. Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among a number of types of services that have been excluded.

It’s not a ban. It’s a delay to having accounts.

Being logged into an account increases the likelihood that under-16s will be exposed to pressures and risks that can be hard to deal with. For example, the pressure to respond to a stream of notifications and alerts, and the risk of exposure to content that can harm their health and wellbeing. We see the detrimental effects of this all too frequently in the school environment. Delaying account access until 16 can give young people more time to build digital literacy, critical reasoning, impulse control and greater resilience.

It’s important that as parents and carers we support our children by talking openly about these age restrictions, considering how they currently use social media and how they may be impacted by this new law.

The eSafety Commissioner will be providing plenty of information and guidance over the coming months as we all prepare for this change. You can visit their website for more details and to check out their tips on what you can do now to help your family prepare.

eSafety Commissioner - information on the social media ban

If you would like to discuss or seek support with anything to do with your child’s access to social media, you are very welcome to contact the school to speak with a member of our Wellbeing Team.

God bless
Angela Myles

After our Book Week Parade this morning our students were incredibly lucky to have some visitors from the Penrith Panthers. Whenever we have our NRL teams attend St Matthews, they always bring important messages for our students. This morning, as a great promotion of reading for our students, Isaah Yeo shared an award winning book, ‘The Wobbly Bike’ by Darren McCallum and Craig Smith. The message of reading everyday and finding enjoyment in a good book is hopefully one that will stay with our students for many years to come.

The players were also able to articulate some very key learnings for our school community. They spoke of ensuring that we are looking after our wellbeing and mental health. This week being ‘Wellbeing Week’, students were provided with a number of strategies to ensure they are safe, happy and confident in their own lives.

Lastly, the important message of living a healthy lifestyle was encouraged. Eating healthy, sleeping well and remaining active by exercising regularly are all components that are beneficial to finding the next Mudgee star of the future. We thank the Penrith Panthers club for their ongoing support of our Mudgee community.

Cyberbullying

This week we are promoting the awareness of Cyberbullying with our school community. Information is being shared with families and students are participating in lessons throughout the week to support the challenges that our young ones can face in the online world. Our resources come from ESafety, which is Australia's independent regulator for online safety. They educate Australians about online safety risks and help to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children. We encourage families to utilise the resources they have to offer schools and families.

Justin Yeo

A simple smile, a helping hand, or a kind word can brighten someone’s day and create ripples of positivity. Let’s encourage our students and staff to choose kindness daily—it builds stronger friendships, a caring school community, and makes the world a better place.

"You are richer than 93 percent of people. Not in money, but in time.
Over 108 billion people have lived throughout history. 93 percent of them are dead.
You have what every king and queen, every pharaoh and ruler, every CEO and celebrity of the past would give all their wealth and power for:
Today." ~ James Clear

What can you do today to ensure kindness is shared in our community?

Ross McKeown | Leader of Mission

As the primary campus embarks on wellbeing week for this term we want to focus on the growing issue of cyberbullying, and encouraging our children to be safe online.

The eSafety Commissioner has embarked on a “Spotlight on Cyberbullying” campaign, aiming at educating children, parents and educators about the dangers of cyberbullying, and where to go if you are experiencing problems online. Using the link below we encourage all parents to familiarise themselves with signs to look out for in cyberbullying and understand the steps to take if you are worried about the occurrence of cyberbullying with your children.

Cyberbullying

This week, the children at school will have conversations in their classes about cyberbullying, how to protect themselves online and what to do if they believe they have been bullied online. We encourage all families to have conversations with their children about their activity online.

Matthew Cassidy | Wellbeing Officer

Elective Drama students are busily preparing for their upcoming class production of Stories in the Dark by Debra Oswald.

We warmly invite all members of the Mudgee community to attend.

The promotional poster was created by Year 9 student - Holly Hill - one of the many important roles in preparing for a production.

Kirsty Skinner | Drama Teacher

RISE 2025 is coming up soon!

Here’s all you need to know:

When: October 2–3, 2025 (starting October 1 for the RISEN Team)

Where: Ridgecrest Christian Education & Convention Centre (621 The Circle Road, Mumbil NSW 2820)

Who: Youth in Years 6–9 (Youth in Years 10–12 can join as team members)

Cost: $139 per participant

What: A dynamic youth festival filled with games, music, workshops, and opportunities to encounter Jesus.

Promo video – made by our RISEN Youth Team

Register here

Natalia Pucheu | RISE DeoQuest
Diocese of Bathurst, Chancery Office

The beginning and end of the school day are busy times for pedestrians and vehicles outside schools. Parking signs are planned with your child's safety in mind.

You should always:

• park legally
• avoid dangerous manoeuvers such as U-turns and three-point turns
• give way to pedestrians, particularly when entering or exiting driveways
• avoid parking in the school bus bay

Drop off:

• make sure your child uses the Safety Door (rear kerb-side door) to get in and out of the car.
• parents and guardians remain in their cars at all times, no exceptions.
• if your child needs help entering or exiting the car, please park and support them away from the zone in front of the school.

Pick up:

• Cars should not be parked in the pick up zone until children are ready to be collected at the end of the day. This means that arriving at 3pm and waiting in the queue until your child arrives 15 mins later is not an option.
• Our advice to all families is to wait until 3:15pm or later to enter the pick up zone. That allows time for students to leave classrooms and make their way to the front of the school.
• If you are waiting for your child for 2 mins or more, you will need to lap around and join the queue again.
• If your child requires some support getting into and out of the car, staff are available to assist, or you may want to consider the option of parking elsewhere and walking to meet them at the gate instead.
• Have your family name clearly displayed on your windscreen.

Please note - The fine for stopping in this zone for more than 2 minutes is $227 and the driver also incurs 2 demerit points.

EFTPOS only, no cash

Enjoy the convenience of online shopping. Save time and energy by ordering your uniforms online in six easy steps:

1. Go to midford.com.au
2. Select St Matthews Catholic School from the Online School Shops tab
3. New users to click the ‘Register New Account’ button
4. Start the registration process by selecting St Matthews Catholic School from the drop-down menu and add the unique school pass phrase: “Matthews1912”
5. Add your personal information, create a username and password
6. Order the items you need, select pick-up in store/deliver to school.

As a part of our biannual pricing review, uniform items will have a 2% price increase, rounded up to the nearest dollar.

St Matthews uniform pricing from Term 4:

If you have any queries please contact the uniform shop directly:
Phone: 0439 442 509 or by email

Katie Ruth | Uniform Shop Manager