Principal's News Flash 

Corinne Pupillo

Dear parents, carers and friends of the school community,

Congratulations to all our 2023 school leaders. Building school pride and connectedness will be the focus for 2023.   It's an exciting year for us all and they will be invited to play a significant role on our Open Day on 18 March where some of our leaders will assist with school tours for all our visitors. 

10th Birthday Celebrations 

Jacana School for Autism is turning 10 this year. 

Saturday 18 March - Open Day for current and past students, staff and families.

We would love to see as many past and present students and staff as possible.   Bookings close Friday 10 March so please don't miss out on registering your attendance.

Bookings: Trybooking: http://www.trybooking.com/1013656

Attendance 

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by texting the STUDENT ABSENCE mobile 0439 114 197, informing the name of the student, room number and reason for absence.

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

All Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained.

This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

The Jacana School for Autism Attendance Policy, which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up on student absences is available from the school office or on the school website.

Staffing Updates 

A very warm welcome to the following staff 

• Sarah Lyons - Classroom Teacher (Room 8) 
• Sven O'Flynn - Health and PE and Music 
• John Hill - Classroom Teacher (Room 21) 
• Isabella Deluca - Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer 

We still have some staffing positions to fill but continue to work closely with the department to find more suitable staff.   

SCHOOL COUNCIL

School Council Meeting 

A number of policies were endorsed by School Council last night.  If you would like a copy please contact reception.  Policies endorsed by School Council include:  

1. Staff Information Register 2023 
2. Policy Development and Communication Policy 2023
3. Social Media Facebook, Instagram Policy 2023 
4. Communication with Staff Policy 2023 
5. Code of Conduct for School Council 2023 
6. Standing Orders for School Council 2023 

Notice of Election 

Nominations closed on 23 February and due to the number of nominations equalling the DET and Parent vacancies, it's my pleasure to congratulate the new School Council members commencing 2023 to 2025 

Parent Reps: 

• Paul Malavisi 
• Andrew McDonough
• Michelle Owen 
• Cherie Lueng 

DET Reps:

• Stephanie Di Salvo 
• Daniel Moloney 
• Corinne Pupillo 

The community member will be decided on at the next School Council Meeting and if you are interested in being part of the School Council as a community member, please contact me for more details.   

I'm looking forward to working with you all and strengthening the learning and wellbeing for our students. 

Thank you to Alisha Minns who has served on the School Council since 2019, we appreciate your contributions and willingness to give up your time to support the school. 

Our School Council meeting is our Annual General meeting and is scheduled for 23 of March.

School Council Sub-Committee Representatives

• Finance Sub Committee Representative - Mark Mansfield 
• Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Denise Clarke
• Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette
• School Council Representative on Student Representative Council (SRC)  

Reminder: Our newsletter is published each fortnight and will provide you with important information about the school and events that may be of interest to you. I encourage you to read the newsletter that will be sent home via your home email, on the school's Facebook Page or on the school's website. 

JSA also has a Facebook Page administered by the leadership team. Please like and follow our page.

REMINDERS

• Monday 13 March - Public Holiday 
• Tuesday 14 March - Curriculum Day  
• Friday 7 April - Good Friday 

End of Term Thursday 6 April - students finish school at 2pm, 1 hour earlier than usual 

Unwell Students 

Each morning when students are getting ready for school, I ask that you be mindful of how your child is presenting.  If they/he/she is feeling/looking/acting unusual or is complaining of being unwell please take them to the doctor. Minimising the cross-infection will assist in reducing the risk of spreading bugs and viruses.

All student absences can be made through the dedicated student absence notification number. Text the student's name, room number and reason for absence.

Make sure you have the student absence notification number saved in your contacts: 

Aerial View - Jacana School for Autism

This aerial photography has captured our school from above to complement our school's Virtual School Tour. Please take a look and see how wonderful the facilities look from above. 

Sun Smart 

Dear parents/carers JSA is a SunSmart community. You can help our students to be SunSmart at school by:

1. Dressing them in clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
2. Apply a generous amount of SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen at the start of the day before drop-off.
3. Packing their sun-protective hat each day.