Meg Carroll – Deputy Head of Primary

Among Us

About the game and what you need to know to keep your child safe

If you’ve heard your kids calling everything “sus” lately, it’s likely they are playing Among Us, a multiplayer social deduction game that is based on the concepts of mistrust, misdirection and paranoia. Among Us exploded over the last few months with millions of kids watching other kids play it, playing it themselves and ‘meme-ing’ about it. This game is available online as a free PC or mobile download. It is simple in terms of game play and goal and is visually appealing with cartoon-like characters and colourful graphics. 

The game begins when all spaces are filled and the app randomly selects a number of ‘imposters’ and allocates the rest of the players as ‘crewmates’. If you’re a crewmate, your goal is to figure out who the imposter is before they kill everyone and complete as many of the tasks listed on the screen. If you’re an imposter, your goal is to kill as many other players as possible without being seen while sabotaging the tasks they’re trying to complete. The game is not suitable for children under the age of 12 as players use virtual weapons such as knives to stab and kill off characters. 

Besides the obvious concerning violent nature of the game, there are other factors that make this game one that parents should keep a close eye on. There is a chat function that is unmoderated, screen names can include rude and inappropriate language and items are available for purchase that have absolutely no bearing on game play. The online gaming feature within this app allows children to chat and play with anyone anywhere in the world and unfortunately cannot be turned off. This poses risks to children coming into contact with potentially problematic strangers and engaging in conversation with them.

Accusations by team members on who the imposter is, could also potentially lead to cyberbullying style behaviours by players in the game.

The e-Safety Commissioner has an e-Safety Guide for you to access to learn about this game (and other games and apps) and to know what to look for in order to keep your child safe.

Our stance on COVID restrictions

I would like to clarify our stance on the decisions we are making regarding COVID restrictions. I understand some of our community members are disappointed that the School is sticking so closely to the guidelines and therefore not allowing more parents on campus and at events. Please note that our position takes into account both the health and ethical implications of the situation.

Health: Our community’s health is our priority and we will continue to follow the expert advice on how to best keep our community safe.

Ethical: Whilst transmission is so low, I am aware that many organisations are ‘bending’ the regulations. We take seriously our position as role models to our students and believe that ‘bending rules’ does not set the example we want for our students and community.

Meet the Teacher

This year, due to COVID restrictions, we will run our Meet the Teacher evening virtually on Zoom. We ask that you join us on Zoom on the evening of Monday February 15 at the times shown below:

• 6.00 pm: K-2 sessions
• 7.00 pm: 3-6 sessions 

You will receive more information about the event as well as Zoom links shortly. We look forward to sharing our 2021 vision with you!

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival

We have liaised with the swimming pool about the possibility of parents attending our Swimming Carnival. Our booking is for the indoor pool as it means that the Carnival can go ahead in rain and the children are not burnt if it is a very sunny day. The indoor pool has a limit to the number of people allowed inside. Our students and staff reach this number and therefore unfortunately we are not able to have parents attend. We have spoken to the pool about any possible ways around this and unfortunately, with our size school, there aren’t any other options.

Registrations open for 2021 parent webinars

The e-Safety Commissioner is running FREE live webinars for parents to attend in 2021. The series begins with a session focused on Cyberbullying and Online Drama and will be held on Safer Internet Day (9 February 2021). Parents are encouraged to register to attend this valuable event.

Go With the Flow (GWTF) – reminder

Parents/carers are reminded that GWTF starts at 3.20 pm with the departure of  Years K-2 students only. If you arrive before or during the 3.20 pm time slot and are not collecting children in Years K-2, you will be asked to drive around the block and re-enter the queue. The reason for this is to maintain the steady flow of traffic in the GWTF zone as well as the safety of our staff and students. If you are asked by a staff member to go around the block, please do so in order to keep this system running smoothly for all users.