No doubt parents and carers have heard that from 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent young people under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account with a variety of platforms.
The restrictions are about protecting young people from the pressures and risks that they can be exposed to on social media. This legislation is a world first, brave and bold move from the Australian government and a positive step in protecting and preventing harm to young people’s health and wellbeing. The constant pressure that young people have been subjected to in responding to continual notifications and alerts has been linked to adverse consequences including reduced sleep and attention, and increased stress levels. Over-exposure to harmful content can have severe repercussions. Extended time on screens can result in increased likelihood of young people seeing negative, upsetting or manipulative content.
Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube meet many of the conditions the legislation uses to define an ‘age-restricted social media platform’.
The government has outlined specific conditions to determine which platforms will have age restrictions apply.
There will be no penalties for under-16s who access an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents/carers. However, age-restricted social media platforms may face penalties if they don’t take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from having accounts.
This is a big change for many young people and it is likely that they will be upset, confused, angry and frustrated by these restrictions. As the advertising campaigns outline, this is not a ban, it’s a delay to having social media accounts.
Parents/carers are encouraged to begin supporting their young person by talking calmly and openly about upcoming age restrictions. It's important that parents/carers understand how their child uses social media now, and help them understand how the law might affect them, and support them to prepare for the change.
"The eSafety Commissioner has developed specific FAQs for parents/carers including advice on:
Here are some tips for parents/carers:
eSafety Commissioner website
Keep in mind, the aim of the delay is to give young people more time to develop digital, social and emotional skills before facing the risks presented by social media.
Our staff will be having conversations with our Cycles 2, 3, 4 students leading up to 10 December 2025.
I encourage parents to visit the eSafety Commissioners website and utilise the outstanding resources provided to help navigate this complex change.
Cathy France
Principal
Music is far beyond just entertainment, and is long known to be a shaper of cultural identities and a catalyst for social change. It fosters community and intergenerational connection, particularly storytelling, and encourages belonging. Our young emerging musicians came together for a night of music at the end of last term, showcasing their love of music, their creativity, commitment and incredible performance skills, supported by our resident instrumental teachers, Sanjay & Lisa. These Cycle 2 & Cycle 3 students performed songs individually, in duets and numerous vibrant bands surrounded by their extended families, friends and staff community. Original compositions were the highlight of the incredible evening, and a testament to Sanjay & Lisa who foster & encourage individuality and creativity.
We know these young people will continue to use music to forge communities and inspire change, and as the lights came up we felt a sense of optimism for the future of humankind.
Our October Vacation Care was our busiest and most exciting holiday period yet! Across two weeks of themed fun, we made the most of the warmer weather with hands-on activities, creative projects, and plenty of opportunities to learn through play.
On Space Day, we made sparkly galaxy slime, solar system mobiles, and our very own DIY Planetarium experience. The children loved exploring outer space — from decorating the walls of the Hall with stars and planets to creating themed crafts!
We introduced Carnival Day for the first time, and it was a huge hit! Sigrun even arrived in a full lion-tamer’s costume to match the theme. The Hall turned into a carnival party, complete with carnival games, fairy floss and face painting. It was wonderful to see the children excited about their face paints and participating in all the games, like mini-golf, darts, ball toss, and fishing.
Wheels Day was our busiest day yet, with a sea of bikes, scooters, and helmets taking over both the indoor and outdoor courts. Everyone showed fantastic coordination, balance, and confidence and we all worked hard on being aware of others and following our ‘road rules’ to keep everyone safe.
Of course, no school holiday program would be complete without some delicious creations from our kitchen. The children enjoyed making pasta from scratch, which Lenny described as “the best thing ever!” and said he “wishes he had a pasta maker at home!” We also rolled up our sleeves (and our sushi) to create homemade sushi rolls for lunch on Sushi Day. Our chefs wore their aprons and hats, showing off their independence and creativity in the kitchen.
Vacation Care is such a valuable time for our students to build independence, develop social skills, and strengthen friendships. Through our themed activities, children explore new interests, take on challenges, and most importantly have fun in a safe, supportive environment.
Thank you to our incredible coordinator Lauren with her dream team of Shannon, Daisy, Sascha, Gemma, Tiiu, Ella and Nellie with their amazing support and contributions to the program and thank you to all our Vacation Care friends who made our last two weeks full of fun and adventure. See you in December!
Welcome back to Term 4! We had a lovely start back; it is always so nice to see each other after the holidays. The preschool has the Henny Penny hatching program this term, so we got to have a visit and some pats with the little chicks, they all loved them. We also welcomed our newest Infant Program bubba, Alara's little sister Liana, 2.5 weeks old.
We began the term by welcoming Fred, Lola, Eloise, Archie, and Halley to our preschool community. It has been lovely seeing them settle into the routines of the classroom and making connections with peers. The warmer weather has seen us spending time outside exploring the mud kitchen, flying paper planes, watering the garden and having fun with water in the sandpit. We have introduced our term focus of vertebrates to the children and more specifically the five classes which include birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
To explore the class of birds, we engaged Henny Penny to bring some chicks and eggs in an incubator to allow the children to see the bird life-cycle first hand. Some of the learning experiences have included learning about the life cycle of a chicken, the parts of a chicken, creative craft and using binoculars to identify the variety of birds visiting the preschool.
This week the children spent some time in the garden smelling and guessing which herb was mint or oregano. They practised observation skills, watching Strawberry the turtle enjoy the sunshine and noticing that her shell is 'peeling off'. They also explored some different rock and mineral samples.
Axel said "I'm looking forward to Christmas craft", Hawk said "I'm looking forward to the café and choosing what we will cook". Lachie thought that seeing the new elephants at Monarto was "going to be good". Frances was excited to choose what we could cook and to prepare the food for class café. Elara said "I am excited for Christmas craft". Jemma wants to look for horses at Monarto because that's her favourite animal. Jasper is keen to ride on the bus and Hunter, well he said "I'm just excited for EVERYTHING!"
'I am looking forward to learning more about conservation status' - Eleanor
'Conservation means protecting wildlife for generations. I would like to know more about how conservation status levels are worked out '- Felix
'Some parks are called Conservation Parks like Cleland, they are keeping animals safe' - Alinta
'A newborn koala is the size of a jellybean' - Eloise
'I'd like to know when something becomes extinct, like dinosaurs did, how it changes everything else' - Cooper
'I'd like to learn about all the levels of conservation status' - Walter
'Koalas are not bears they are marsupials' - Vivienne
'Conservation means helping animals thrive and survive' - Alice
'Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous but koalas can eat them' - Angus
'Fires can destroy trees that koalas need' - Chloe
This term, our class is beginning an exploration of world beliefs and religions. Through thoughtful discussion, research, creative projects, and hands-on experiences, students will be encouraged to think deeply about questions such as: Why do people believe what they do? What connects different faiths? How do beliefs shape the way we live and treat one another?
Throughout the term, the children will conduct research into a variety of world religions and belief systems, learning about their key values, traditions, and stories. They will explore the perspectives of people who do not follow a religion, discovering how different individuals find meaning, purpose, and moral guidance in their lives.
Students will learn about cultural celebrations from around the world and explore the universal messages of love, peace, gratitude, and compassion that run through many belief systems. They will also have opportunities to create art forms such as symbolic patterns, mandalas and totems that reflect different spiritual and cultural traditions.
Later in the term, we look forward to an excursion to visit several places of worship, giving the children a firsthand opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of belief in our community.
Maria Montessori believed that, despite differences in race, language, and religion, all people belong to one human family. She encouraged children to see this unity and to seek peace, understanding, and love.
Keeping in line with Montessori’s philosophy, this unit is about understanding others, recognising shared values, and developing the ability to think and speak thoughtfully about big ideas. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own ideas, listen with empathy, and appreciate the many ways people seek meaning and connection.
Adolescence is characterised by a heightened sense of social consciousness, moral independence, and the quest for identity. During these formative years, collaborative planning and brainstorming play a critical role in shaping adolescents’ understanding of themselves and their place within the community.
Recently, Cycle 4 staff participated in a two-part workshop focused on developing collaborative opportunities and engaging students in meaningful work with authentic audiences and real consequences. We left the workshop feeling validated and excited about the potential to implement this learning framework with our students.
By involving adolescents in the planning process, we honour their emerging autonomy and recognise them as capable individuals. This approach cultivates a sense of ownership over their learning experiences, fostering not only engagement but also a deeper connection to the tasks at hand. When we invite young people to share their ideas, we’re not just facilitating an activity; we’re encouraging them to reflect on their education, strengths, and interests.
In the Montessori Adolescent Program, "occupations" encompass meaningful tasks that resonate with adolescents on multiple levels. These occupations might include community service projects, entrepreneurial ventures, or farm and garden work. The aim is to connect adolescents with experiences that extend beyond the classroom while enhancing their skills and intellect.
We plan to hold brainstorming sessions centered around these occupations. For instance, when preparing for a community garden project, we will engage in open-ended discussions around questions like:
What work needs to be done?
What impact do you think this garden could have on our community?
How can we design it to reflect our values and needs?
What roles will each of us play to ensure its success?
By posing these questions, we invite adolescents to think critically and collaboratively about the implications of their work, encouraging them to explore their personal values while establishing a collective vision for the future.
As part of our commitment to advancing the learning of both adults and students, we are thrilled to announce the recent addition of a laser cutter to complement the 3D printer in our maker space. We also acquired a class set of Pixel phones (without SIM cards) that students can use for filming, editing, recording music, and accessing useful learning apps such as identifiers and maps. Most excitingly, we’ve added an advanced robotics kit! By incorporating technology that resonates with adolescents, we enhance their engagement and allow them to build upon their existing knowledge, moral framework, and interests—facilitating a deeper exploration of complex concepts in their learning.
Term 4 is a cumulative term in music as it often is in many subjects. Throughout the year, students work on numerous skills through activities that we hope will both challenge and inspire them. As is the case with music, a culminating event, as in a performance opportunity like our end of year celebrations, offer the students the perfect showcase for these skills to have a public airing.
Despite any early-shown bravado, there is a necessary lead-in time that honours the work and we call this process rehearsal. Despite a number of intellectual researchers in education demoting the rote process, within the neural developmental realms of memory retention and recognition, through shape and aural means, many subjects necessarily adopt this method, as it builds muscle-memory and long-term intellectual integrity, which leads eventually to skills mastery.
As will be reflected in term 4 Music cycle overivews, student groups will choose, rehearse and in our final week, be able to show with confidence some of their 2025 learned music skills. In my own performance standards, I believe a song needs at least 100 deeply played studies, before it’s likely to succeed a single performance playing with little or no error. Please encourage your children through this term-long process.
Rhys Thompson has worked hard all season to win the title of JJ Australian Enduro Champion for his category in the 65cc. This is the first year that he has competed in the Australian Enduro Championship, which saw events held throughout SA, VIC, NSW and finishing with the final round in Gympie, QLD. Winning this championship has been a huge achievement, considering that Rhys broke his arm in August at a motorbike training day and had to miss a round of racing in Kyogle, NSW. Thankfully, he was able to come back and race the final round in Gympie and earn enough points to hold onto the Championship title for the year. Rhys has also competed in the SA Offroad Championship where he has placed 2nd for the year, unfortunately losing the number one spot he was holding due to his broken arm. Next year Rhys will move up to compete in the 85cc 12 - U15 Yrs.
Join us at Wairoa for outstanding coffee, a range of couverture hot chocolates and a menu of fabulous food made, and served, by the Cycle 4 students.
Friday 14 November 8.30am - 11am
400m up the driveway @ 142 Mt Barker Road, Stirling.
Crafter & Young will also have a range of hand made crafts on sale. Everyone (including children) welcome!
See you there! ☕🍰
The End of Year concert for Yultiwirra students will be held on Monday 8th December at 10am in the hall. We invite parents to come along to enjoy some performances from our students. All welcome!
This year our school is trialling a new twist on Games Day and will hold a Spring Sports Carnival. This is to be held on Friday, 21st November at the Stirling Oval. The aim of this carnival is for our school community to come together to celebrate physical activity, teamwork, and school spirit. Our focus for this event is on participation, skill development, and having fun! Cycle 2, 3 & 4 will take part in a range of athletics events in class groups in the morning. Cycle 1 (primary) will join the other Cycles at the oval for lunch as a whole community. In the afternoon Cycle 1 - 4 will divide into coloured teams of mixed cycles for novelty games and team building challenges, designed to build coordination, encourage working together, and promote a love of being active.
Please note the school is organising transport to the Stirling Oval, however collection will be from the Stirling Oval at the conclusion of the day (3.30pm). There will be alternatives for those families requiring OSHC care. Parent and caregivers are welcome to join us on the day to help create a positive, inclusive atmosphere for all.
Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to this wonderful event!
Our new set of Festival of Arts Greeting Cards are here! Each design showcases the creativity of our cycle groups and have been professionally printed. Cards are available for purchase from the Yultiwirra office:
🖼 $4 each🎁
$20 for a bundle of 8
(Envelopes included)
All proceeds will support school-wide fundraising initiatives. As always, thank you for supporting our community!
Have you visited our Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages? Social media is another way we communicate with parents. Follow us to keep up to date with school community news, events and activities. We also aim to use our social media to help develop your understanding of the Montessori Philosophy. You might also like to let grandparents and friends know so they can also enjoy the news, photos and updates!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehillsmontessorischool.sa/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehillsmontessorischool.sa/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hills-montessori-school-sa
