Peter Corkill

Principal

Dear Parents, Students and Friends of John Monash Science School,

We are finally at the end of term three, traditionally a long and tiring term which certainly presents its challenges to students as the winter months stretch out and the first signs of spring still seem far away. But true to form the days are now getting a little longer and brighter, so too the horizon for students who will be looking forward to a welcome break from study. This is equally true of staff, and I trust all members of our learning community take the opportunity to take a well-earned and much deserved break over the coming holiday period.

JMSS Music Soiree, and Battle of the Bands

Last week saw JMSS host its eighth Spring Music Soiree to an enthusiastic audience of parents, family members, students and teachers, on the ground floor at JMSS.

All were thrilled with the high standard of performances. When in full flight as they were on that night, the talent of our students is something to behold. I would like to sincerely congratulate Music Co-ordinator Mr Satoshi Sanada, our instrumental music teachers and especially our Music Captains Amanda Chhoeu, Amy Le, Bryan Hung, Chloe Wynen, CJ Santos, Evelyn Chan, Kian Huat Ang, Nelly Ou and Tony Gu for preparing the performances so effectively, to other staff members Peter Palankay, Peter Toronyi and Luke Rochford, as well as students Hewet Ng, Rebecca Jenkins, Bianca Chan and Vinh Nguyen for their help, and to the parents, family members and visitors for their support of the night.

The Battle of the Bands was a terrific way to finish off such a busy term on Friday afternoon. I would again like to congratulate all of the student organisers and the staff who so capably supported them, especially the Music Staff and the Music Captains who played leading role in the organisation of the afternoon. This event enables a full showcase of the extraordinary range of talent we are blessed with across our community, and it is great to finish the term with a burst of such memorable energy.

Student Leaders for 2019 Announced

On behalf of the entire school community, I would like to offer congratulations to newly appointed School Captains for 2019, Francine Machin and Raj Gaddam, and Vice Captains Sadhana Sridhana and Ned Callander.

The applicants were all excellent and the final shortlist provided the selection panel with quite a challenge. We are confident that this group of students will be fantastic ambassadors and leaders for JMSS in 2019. On that note, we are most grateful for the outstanding contributions made by Captains Angi Frentiu and Andrew Harrison, and Vice Captains Jonathan Deng and Tikiri Silva this year. Their work has been fantastic and they have made another memorable contribution to JMSS.

New Students to JMSS in 2019

We have completed the selection process for Year 10 and Year 11 for 2019, with formal offers made by the end of week 8. We had 900 students apply for approximately 200 places, again more than ever before. We also had some 140 students apply for up to 30 places in Year 11. At the time of writing over 200 students have accepted places into Year 10 for 2019, and 29 students will join our Year 11 cohort next year.

JMSS Students Win National Science Award!

Angad Singh and Praneel Chugh were awarded the National Merit Award for their 'Movement Impeding Device: A Biomedical Apparatus' invention. This is the National runners-up award in the Secondary Schools category. They have been invited to attend the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards in Guangzhou, China in October.

This is an amazing achievement and the judges commented that their project was a very clever solution, driven by a real problem that was identified by the students which led to an innovative solution.

Monash Uni (ARMI) was an outstanding support and partner, particularly Dr Alasdair Wood. The students presented their device to teams of experts and judging panels from industry and the Department of Innovation. It was a huge night, with major sponsors and many state and federal government representatives in attendance, as well as two members of the JMSS staff and the boys’ parents. We sincerely congratulate them on this fantastic achievement.

Students and Teachers Work Together On The Student Survey Results

Some 30 students from all year levels joined the entire teaching staff last Wednesday afternoon to look over the results from this year’s Student Attitudes To School Survey.

A small group of staff worked with student leaders to put the session together, and developed focus questions to help the groups focus on those aspects of the data which can help improve the classroom experience for students at JMSS, as well as build even better staff-student relationships.

The session went exceptionally well and I would like to sincerely congratulate the organisers, as well as all of the participants, for a job so well done. We are looking forward to synthesising all of the feedback into a plan to gain further improvement in these areas.

Australian Science Fair

An early highlight of term four will be our Science Fair on the evening of Monday 29 October, a date you should all put in your diaries now.

The Science Fair, this year for the first time known as the Australian Science Fair, will extend to three days of activity, and we have invited fellow Science Specialist schools from Adelaide and Brisbane, as well as the Elizabeth Blackburn School of Science from University High School to attend.

I would like to thank our Monash University colleagues for helping make this possible by assisting with the accommodation for our guests over their three days in Melbourne. We have also invited all of our Regional Exchange students this year to come back to the fair with their projects, as well as all of our ‘Little Scientists’ from Primary Schools across Melbourne.

The main exhibition of projects is again on the evening of October 29, beginning around 5.00pm.

A Chance to Rest, a Chance to Recharge, and a Chance to Prepare

After all of the interim reports received by students and parents, feedback via assessment tasks and discussions at course-counselling sessions, all students should be in no doubt as to where they are in their learning in each subject, and what they need to do to improve.

The holidays will give students a chance to rest from the demands of term three, which is completely appropriate and should be a key focus. It will also be an opportunity for them to catch up if they have fallen behind in any particular study.

Finally it will also give students facing important exams early in term four, especially all Year 12 and some Year 11 students undertaking Unit 3, 4 exams, an opportunity to practise past papers and get their revision materials in order. I wish you all well for what lies ahead, and have every confidence in you that you will perform at your best when it counts.

Remember that all of the Year 12 Practice Exams will be held at JMSS in week 2 of the holidays – all students should consult the schedule and make sure they are at JMSS at least 30 minutes prior to each exam.

I would like to sincerely thank all members of our community for their wonderful work this term, especially our staff who again have contributed above and beyond. I wish you all a safe and restful break, in preparation for another busy term to end the year.

Peter Corkill

Principal

John Monash Science School