From the Principal
Earlier this week I came across an article published by the ABC titled How deepfakes, nudes and teen misogyny have changed growing up.
It gives an alarming account of the frequency of gendered misconduct, and in particular the creation and use of deep fakes.
A deepfake is created when a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness using Artificial Intelligence (AI). These manipulated images or videos can be incredibly convincing and can be used maliciously to harass, embarrass, or blackmail individuals, particularly women and girls.
While there is no doubt that AI has many advantages, its misuse can have significant consequences for the well-being of our girls and female teachers.
According to the article,
- Gendered misconduct is increasing in high schools, with female teachers fearing the rise of ‘deepfakes’ and parents often protecting misbehaving boys.
- The integration of internet and smartphones into young people’s lives has exacerbated real-life gendered misconduct into the digital realm.
- Male students have used the technology to bully, harass, and abuse both peers and teachers. Females are most often the target of this behaviour.
- Gendered misconduct is significantly under-reported.
- Deepfakes pose a new threat, and there is a need to hold creators and sharers of non-consensual material accountable, moving away from victim-blaming narratives.
So, how do we protect our children and our staff?
The most important step we can take it to educate our community.
At the start of this term, all MLC School staff attended a presentation by Leon Furze who is committed to helping educators understand the practical and ethical implications of Generative AI. This workshop provided us all with a sound understanding of the opportunities and the risks associated with the use of AI in schools. However, to ensure that we continue to grow in our understanding, we also have a staff AI Taskforce led by our Director of eLearning, Marianna Carlino, and Head of Information Technology, Steve Swarts. This group is responsible for researching and recommending plans for the ethical and effective use of AI at MLC School.
Through our classroom and pastoral programs and Academic Care in the Senior School, students are made aware of their responsibility to be ethical users of digital media from a very young age and how to report and respond should they be bullied or harassed online (or, for that matter in real life). Recently, Marianna spoke to Senior School students about deepfakes.
Should your daughter be subject to any online bullying or harassment including deepfakes, it is essential that she feels confident to report it to you or another trusted adult. It is important that she knows that she will be taken seriously and not in any way made to feel that it is ‘her fault’ even if she has been unwise in the images that she has shared.
Inappropriate use of AI by an MLC School student is addressed according to the relevant policies which include Student Use of Electronic Facilities, Social Media, Anti-bullying, and the Code of Conduct. (Policies can also be found in Omnia by clicking here). Should you have evidence that your daughter has been bullied or harassed through the creation of deepfakes or other digital means, please take screenshots of the offending materials and contact your child’s teacher, Luminary or Head of Year as soon as possible.
Next year, we plan to include a presentation on this topic as one of the P&F forums so that parents also have the opportunity to learn the latest information.
Protecting and educating girls about deepfakes and other inappropriate use of technology requires a multi-faceted approach involving education, preventive measures, and fostering a culture of respect. By equipping all members of our community with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital world safely and advocating for robust protections, we can create a safer and more equitable environment for all.
– Lisa Moloney
Principal
Our Year 5 students are in Canberra for their ‘Immersion’ experience. Every Year 5 student undertakes an experiential leadership program and their Immersion to Canberra is a component of this enriching learning experience. We also look forward to hearing about the Year 4 excursion to Botany Bay. Thank you to our Year 3 parents who joined us for our Kindergarten to Year 5 assembly this week. 
HSC and IB examinations
Building Positive Relationships
Congratulations to the Year 7 students who represented MLC School at IGSA Gymnastics last Friday (Week 3)
This week, Year 8 participated in a pastoral care session that focused on building positive and respectful relationships. The purpose of this session was to support students to reflect on what respectful relationships look, feel and sound like at MLC School. 
Year 9 have been ticking along nicely. Throughout the term, the year group have been focusing on building more positive relationships and connections in their own Luminary groups, between Luminary groups and across the entire cohort. This week saw the students involve themselves in a Luminary challenge singing the School Song. It was gorgeous to hear the Year 9 students singing so proudly on a Monday morning with the encouragement of some friendly competition.
We have all been excited about the impending immersive experiences happening next week for Year 10. Year 10 have had a fun and short day planning, discussing scenarios and team building.
Year 11 student spent this week on retreat in Katoomba. The week was a wonderful experience full of laughter, a few tears, joy and challenges. Being away from home is a big learning curve and not easy for everyone but is a valuable lesson on the path to independence and formation as a young adult. Also, we had lots of fun! A big thank you to the teachers who gave up their time away from families to share this experience with Year 11: Sarah Papachristoforou, Jo Cilia, Helen Kondos, Jake Morrissey, Robyn Langford, Dani Rodrigues, Liz Gilberthorpe, Andrew Simos, James Larsen, Dexter Rodriguez and Joseph Pfeffer. Each group were also privileged to be welcomed to country on our retreat site.
Congratulations to Elena Sun (Year 10) on her fantastic Fencing results. Elena recently competed in the 2024/2025 Australian Fencing Circuit #2 in Melbourne.
