John Monash Science School

Peter Corkill


Principal

Dear fellow members of the JMSS community,

 

We are now into the fourth week of Term Four, always a busy time for students and staff. Our Years 10 and 11 students will be finishing up their studies soon, and our Year 12 students finished up their formal classes at JMSS last week. I again would like to wish them all the very best for their final exams. We are all looking forward to their return to JMSS following their exams for Celebration Day, on Friday 9th December, beginning with breakfast and their traditional assembly, and concluding with their formal graduation as part of our annual Awards Presentation Night, followed by a celebration back at JMSS with their parents and school staff.

 

World Teachers Day Friday 28th October 2022

On Friday this week all Victorian schools will be celebrating ‘World Teachers Day’. This annual event gives all of us an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful teachers who have shaped our lives for the better. I am sure all of us can remember that one teacher (or maybe a few if you were fortunate) you connected well with, whose teaching inspired you, who’s encouragement kept you going when times were tough, and who believed absolutely in you when you were struggling to find that belief in yourself. This is their day.

 

To all of our students, today is the day that you should make an effort to thank those teachers who have shaped your lives for the better. An email, a card, a handshake – whatever it is it will mean the world to those people who have inspired you to become the terrific young people you are today. They believe in you absolutely, ride all the bumps with you, pick you up when you fall and give you a firm nudge or worse when you need it. All because they believe you can be better, that you can be great. 

 

Today is their day. Make it for them through an acknowledgement of what they mean to you.

 

 

VIT Chair Lesley Lamb had this message for teachers which I thought I’d share.

“In a newspaper article many years ago, I wrote that I had ‘a privileged education’. It was not privileged in the old school tie, manicured lawns and ivy-clad walls sense. Far from it! My kindergarten was in a nissen hut, my state primary school and high schools were light-timber-construction (chicken coop!) schools in the industrial western suburbs of Melbourne.

So why did I write I was privileged? It’s because I was taught by passionate, committed teachers, who not only believed in the power of education, but also believed that the children and young people of Victoria deserved the highest standard of teaching and education which they could - and did - provide!

 

Now many things have changed in schools and early learning environments since these largely ‘chalk and talk’ days, but the single most significant factor in a successful education has not: quality, professional teachers.

 

While there have been technological advances in schools that allow teachers and students to access more resources than ever before, a teacher’s task has only become more demanding as they prepare young people for an infinitely more complex and competitive world.

The environment in which teachers teach always reflects the current social, economic and cultural challenges which teachers are required to navigate. Indeed, teachers are often asked to ameliorate any perceived problems to equip young people to survive, and thrive, in difficult circumstance. And I shouldn’t have to mention the particular challenges of the last few years of pandemic and widespread disruption to teaching, schools and early childhood services!

 

So, it is more important than ever that we recognise, thank and celebrate these professionals who are resolutely educating, inspiring and empowering young people everywhere to be the best that they can be.

Thank you to the teachers who allowed me the privilege of being educated.

 

Thank you to those to whom I confidently entrusted my children’s futures, and now my grandchildren’s futures.

 

We, in Victoria, can all share the privilege of a quality education made possible by the dedication and calibre of our Victorian teachers.”

 

 

Final Assessments at JMSS

All of our students will soon be embarking on a period of written assessments either here at JMSS or inside the University. All students will be given a timetable indicating the dates, times and venues relevant to their exams, and must ensure they are at school or at the right venue in the University at least one hour prior to that exam beginning.

Please note that all final VCE exams, except Mathematical Methods Exam 2 and a small number of exams involving small classes, will be held within Monash University. The tech-active Mathematical Methods Exam 2 will be held in the labs here at JMSS, as well as some Year 10 and 11 exams.

I would like to wish all of our students the very best for this important period, and I know all their hard work will deservedly come to fruition over the coming weeks. A few important things for all students to note with regard to this important assessment period:

  • All students must be in full school uniform when sitting their final exams;
  • Students must not take any electronic items such as mobile phones into their exams. These should either be placed in their lockers beforehand or left at home;
  • Students should ensure they have everything they need with them prior to the exam. Those doing VCAA exams will need their VCAA number, personal ID (school card), calculator or any notes or other equipment they have been advised they are able to bring into the exam;
  • All students should arrive at school at least an hour prior to their exam. This especially applies to those doing final VCAA exams. Please leave home early just in case you get held up in heavy traffic or roadworks. There is nothing more stressful for either you or school staff when you are late for an exam, especially if it is for a Year 12 VCAA exam. Furthermore there is nothing more stressful than being locked out of a final VCAA exam because you arrive too late to be admitted!

Important Change to Covid Protocols – Reduced Isolation Period for Covid19 Infection

In terms of managing a confirmed case of COVID-19 in schools, the Department of Health recommends that a student who tests positive to COVID-19 report that result to their school. Where a student is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken:

  1. If a student tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test), parents/carers should complete the Student COVID test portal via the following link: https://covidtest.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/login/?ec=302&startURL=%2Fs%2F.
  2. Where a parent/carer informs the school by phone or written notification, the school should complete the Schools COVID Case Management Tool.
  3. Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved. Students who isolate as a result of a positive COVID-19 test should be supported in the same way as students with an extended absence due to illness or injury, with learning materials provided to support their continued learning;
  4. There is no longer a requirement for principals to inform the school community of a positive case associated with the school.

As far as JMSS is concerned, we strongly encourage the continued wearing of masks by everyone when inside the building and in class. As social distancing has its own obvious challenges at school, the consistent wearing of masks is one sure way we have to minimise the risk of spread of any airborne diseases, including Covid19 and the flu.

 

Important Events and Dates To Note

I wish all students the very best over the next important weeks of assessment. These will be followed by some further important events to note:

  • Course Counselling interviews for all Year 10 and 11 students returning to JMSS in Years 11 and 12 in 2023, beginning on Monday 14th November;
  • Model UN Day for Year 10 students, Thursday November 17th;
  • Year 10 Personal Development Day, Friday November 18th;
  • The Australian Science Fair involving all Year 10 students as well as students from interstate schools onsite for the first time in three years, from Monday November 21 to Wednesday November 23;
  • Peer Mentoring Training for all Year 10 buddies for new students on Thursday November 24th;
  • Year 10 Information technology Immersion day, and Orientation day for new Year 11 students on Friday 25th November;
  • Orientation for all of our 2023 Year 11 and 12 students from Monday 28th November to Wednesday 7th December. Our new Year 11 students will also join us for this program;
  • Year 12 Breakfast and Assembly, Friday 9th December, AM only;
  • Awards Presentation Night for all students and families, Friday 9th December, starting at 6pm, in the Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University. This will be followed by a celebration in honour of our Year 12 students and their parents back at JMSS.

There is so much to look forward to in the remainder of 2022. I wish all of our students the best of good fortune in their upcoming exams, and I look forward to our students, staff and parents engaging fully in the many events to follow. It is always a very busy but exciting and fulfilling time of year.

 

Peter Corkill

Principal