Finigan School of Distance Education

The NSW Department of Education has introduced NSWEduChat, a generative-AI (GenAI) tool built specifically for NSW public school students.

From early November 2025, students in Years 9-12 will be able to access the platform (from 3 November) and students in Years 5-8 from 17 November. 

The tool is designed to support learning in a safe, private and equitable way. Student inputs are secured — the department does not use student data to train the model nor share what students input. A multi-layered filtering system is used to screen for inappropriate or harmful content. 

Unlike generic GenAI tools, NSWEduChat emphasises educational design: it prompts students with open-ended questions, encourages independent thinking and critical reasoning, rather than simply providing finished answers. While it only handles text (not images, audio or videos), it does include text-to-voice capability. 

For students to use the tool at home they simply log in via their NSW Education portal using their school credentials. To ensure ethical and safe use, parents and carers are encouraged to support their children’s school-related use, review the parental privacy notice, and talk to students about usage. Also, schools will guide how NSWEduChat can be used in assessments and homework: students may need to declare when they’ve used the tool and cite it appropriately. 

Access NSWEduchat by clicking here.

Childhood and adolescence are periods of rapid emotional, social and cognitive development. As a parent or carer, you play a vital role in helping your child or teen navigate these changes and build strong mental health.

Adolescence refers to the developmental stage between childhood and adulthood, usually spanning ages 10 to 24. It’s a time of major change, and your support makes a lasting difference.

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Black Dog Institute are hosting an insightful and empowering webinar focused on providing strategies and resources to help you in supporting your teen.

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• How to make sense of adolescence
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This webinar is free and open to all parents, caregivers, and anyone interested in supporting the mental health of teens in their care.

Reserve your spot today by clicking here!

We are proud to share the recent achievements of two of our Year 12 students, Skye and Indie, who have both represented our school with outstanding results in equestrian competitions.

Skye – NSW State Interschools

Skye competed on two of her horses, both qualifying for the National Championships.

• Riding Solly, her 7-year-old off-the-track thoroughbred, Skye claimed the title of State Champion in the 2* CT115 (Combined Training 1.15m).
• On her 5-year-old off-the-track thoroughbred Jack, she placed third overall in the Senior Novice Dressage Championship and finished fifth in the 1* CT105.
• Her results secured her a place on the NSW State Team for the National Interschools, where she will compete in the 2* Eventing, the CT105, and the Senior Novice Dressage. Skye has also been named Eventing Team Captain for NSW.

Indie – Australian Youth Dressage Championships

Indie represented Australia at the Australian Youth Dressage Championships, where she achieved exceptional results:

• Competing in the Medium class on Friday, Indie placed 6th in the 4.2 and 7th in the 4.3, finishing 5th overall in Australia.
• On Saturday in the Elementary class, she placed 10th in the 3.2 and 3rd in the 3.3, finishing 6th overall in Australia and helping her team to secure 1st place for Australia in the international teams event.
• At the NSW State Interschools, Indie again competed in the Elementary and Medium classes.
• Wednesday’s Elementary round didn’t go as planned, but she bounced back strongly in Thursday’s Medium classes, achieving a personal best.
• She placed 5th in the 4.2, 8th in the 4.3, and finished 6th overall in NSW, earning the position of second reserve for the Nationals team.

Both Skye and Indie have shown remarkable commitment and resilience in their equestrian pursuits. We congratulate them on their achievements and wish them the very best as they continue to ride at the highest levels.