Local news for local people
What did you learn today?
August 13, 2026
About the photos
Photos of children on the Internet
Legitimate search engines are blocked from indexing any images on this site but it is almost impossible to prevent web site content from being scavenged by AI robots and the only alternative is to not publish photos, so over the next few weeks I will be going through all the sports and school reports on the site and removing any photos in which kids can be identified. (This tiny and obscure site is continually trawled by AI bots, although all except ChatGPT try to remain anonymous. The papers published by Nine Entertainment are currently being hit 30,000,000 times a month by AI content thieves. It is work for several people just to try to keep up with the blocking.) The two articles below from The Conversation address the danger of putting your kids' photos online. |
It's a tragedy of our times that anything can be abused by perverts. The latest is that AI systems are being used to exploit photos of children by removing clothing or putting other heads on bodies. The world's largest pornography site, PornHub, recently banned one of their advertisers who was paying a million dollars a year to advertise AI-generated child porn. That company is Australian. Elon Musk is threatening to sue a US state because it has banned Musk's Grok AI for the ease with which it can be used to produce images of naked children. Musk claims this is an infringement of free speech, a statement that renders sane people speechless.
Oberon Public School
Principal Appreciation Day, August 7
We want to say a big thank you to our amazing Principal, Mrs Jo'elle Frampton. She leads with dedication, expertise and care. Mrs Frampton helps our students learn, grow and thrive. Today we celebrate Australian Primary Principals Day and thank her for making such a positive difference in our school community. We appreciate everything you do at OPS!
OPS staff and students
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Stage 2 Dubbo Excursion
Years 3 and 4 students have had a great start to their excursion. All students had a great time at Wellington Caves and are keeping warm.
Stage 2 Teachers
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PSSA Hockey
Our girl's hockey team travelled to Parkes on Friday to play Parkes Public School in round 3 of the PSSA knockout competition. Unfortunately, the girls were beaten 4-0. All the girls can be very proud of themselves, they played exceptionally well against a strong Parkes team. Special mention to Penny Sinclair who did some incredible saves as goalie. Thanks to the parents and grandparents who travelled to support the girls. We are already looking forward to next year!
Danni-Lee Thompson | Coach
Photo supplied
St Joseph's Catholic School
From the Principal
We have enjoyed another very busy week at St Joseph's, and it certainly doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon! There is always something happening around our school, and it is fantastic to see our students embracing every opportunity with enthusiasm and pride.
Thank you to all parents and carers who were able to attend our Parent-Teacher Interviews last week. The partnership between home and school plays a vital role in every child's success. When families and teachers work together, our students are supported to achieve their very best both academically and socially. We greatly value these opportunities to celebrate each child's achievements and discuss their next steps in learning.
Thank you also for supporting our Pupil Free Day last Friday. This dedicated professional learning day gave our staff the opportunity to focus on faith formation and staff wellbeing. As educators, it is important that we continue to grow both professionally and personally, ensuring we are equipped to provide the very best learning environment for every child in our care.
We wish Mrs Pointon all the very best for her six weeks of Long Service Leave beginning next week. We hope she enjoys her break and look forward to welcoming her back later this term. During Mrs Pointon's absence, Mrs Hayden will be Acting Assistant Principal, and I thank her for stepping into this leadership role.
Congratulations to all of our students who represented St Joseph's at yesterday's Eastern Region Athletics Carnival. Our students displayed outstanding determination and sportsmanship throughout the day. It was particularly pleasing to hear teachers from other schools comment on the talent of our students. Watching them cheer one another on and celebrate each other's achievements was a wonderful reflection of our school community.
A special congratulations to our Age Champions, Myah Kilby and Kataya Miller, on their outstanding achievements. Myah now shares the Eastern Region 11 Years Girls High Jump record of 128cm. We also narrowly missed taking home the Aggregate Trophy, finishing just 11 points behind the winning school—an incredible effort by every competitor.
This Saturday, 8 August, we celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia's first saint and the co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph. It is through the vision, courage and faith of Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph that our beautiful school exists today. May we, like Mary MacKillop always serve others with compassion, courage and hope.
NSW Netball Trials
Well done to Hudson Sutton who represented our school in Homebush last week and trialled for the NSW Netball teams. He demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and skill throughout the day, playing a variety of positions too. We are very proud of Hudson making it this far and the way they represented our school.
Eastern Region Athletics Carnival
A HUGE congratulations to all 26 students who represented our school at the Eastern Region Athletics Carnival at MacKillop in Bathurst. What a wonderful and successful day we had. We are all so incredibly proud of the way each student demonstrated sportsmanship, determination and the support they showed each other. Another big CONGRATULATIONS to two of our students who achieved the amazing result of being the age champion for the whole carnival.
- Junior Girls: Kataya Miller
- 11 Girls: Myah Kilby
A big thank you to Tahlia Nugent for taking the time to train our students over the past week and being willing to share her knowledge and skills with them. A special thank you to Miss Booth and Mr Brown for accompanying the team with me on the day and fulfilling various roles.
Photo supplied
Finally, thank you to all of our parents and carers who gave up their time to transport students, brave the cold weather and cheer on not only their own children but our entire school team. Your support and encouragement are greatly appreciated.
Maths Afternoon
Our students had a wonderful time working alongside each other in their family groups this afternoon as they rotated through a range of fun and engaging maths activities. It was wonderful to see older students supporting younger students, everyone sharing ideas, solving problems together and encouraging one another. The afternoon was filled with teamwork, perseverance and plenty of mathematical thinking.
Oberon High School
Crane Quest
Last Thursday, students from Years 9 and 10 attended the Bathurst Showground Pavilion for Crane Quest . Crane Quest was hosted by RIEP (Regional Industry Education Partnerships) and CICA (The Crane Industry Council of Australia). Students were educated about pending changes to the industry training protocols, different types of cranes, safety procedures , and various employment opportunities. They also had the chance to try Dogging, Rigging, and a Virtual Crane Operation.
Tristan Goodwin | Principal
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Playful Learning
Exploring Early Childhood students visited Oberon Public School to work with Kindergarten students, gaining practical experience in child development and learning through play . They observed firsthand how engaging activities can support young children's social and cognitive skills . The session began with a fun card game, "Snap", followed by a telling-the-time activity. Students enjoyed interacting with the Kindergarten children, applying their classroom knowledge in real-life settings . Next week, they will visit Galloping Gumnuts.
Ebony Fenton | Teacher
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Hampton
Public SChool
What a wonderful way to celebrate Education Week! It was a pleasure to welcome our families and community to Hampton Public School for our Open Day. Visitors enjoyed creating colourful canvas artworks, exploring our beautiful school grounds on a nature hunt, testing their skills in a paper aeroplane flying competition, and taking the opportunity to view the fantastic learning and achievements of our students throughout the year. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the joy of learning and the strong partnerships that make our school community so special. We loved sharing our school with you!
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