Andrew Chisholm

Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Students,

I write this newsletter after participating with staff completing a full day of professional learning on discovering the capabilities of Webex; the platform we will be using to run virtual classes in Term 2 should full remote learning strategies to deal with the Covid 19 virus be fully implemented.

The onset of rapidly evolving strategies to deal with corona virus at JMSS are published in bulletins on Compass. We will continue to use this form of communication to inform you all of the latest updates as well as any measures we are implementing here to continue learning.

Canvas Feedback to replace Parent Teacher Student Conference

The first Parent Teacher Student Conference were scheduled for Thursday March 26th. This event has been cancelled and in its place teachers are completing a rubric for each student that summarises their academic progress across Term 1 as well as any suggestions for improvement. 

This feedback about progress to date will be very important for students to take note of as we move into Term 2.

Reef and Rainforest Trip 2020

A decision about the likelihood of this trip going ahead will be made early Term 2 based on advice we will receive from the department.

Other Camps and Events in Term 2 that are now cancelled

Many events scheduled for Term 2 have now been cancelled. This includes Generations in Jazz in Mount Gambier, The JMSS Athletics Sports, Dynamic Earth Camp 2, Olympiad Training Camps in Canberra, MWITs International exchange from Thailand, Regional Science Exchange 1 and Water is Life conference in Florida. The Singapore International Maths Competition due to be held in May has been rescheduled to November. We will keep you updated about any further changes in upcoming newsletters.

Year 10 Work Experience

We will make a decision about whether Year 10 Work Experience scheduled for June will go ahead at the start of Term 2.  

VCE and Assessment

All communication from VCAA has indicated that VCE and assessment will continue as normal albeit with changed circumstances. Nothing has been confirmed yet regarding changes of dates for exams, GAT and the like although this has been mooted in the media. We are also expecting changes to how particularly VCE Unit 3 studies will be internally assessed. Again we will communicate these changes with you when we receive further advice.

Senior Baseball Team Are District Champions!

Recently JMSS sent 2 teams to compete in senior district round robin. Mr Sargent and myself accompanied both teams and a great day was had by all.

The A team came up trumps winning all games with a number of standout performances.

Captained by Chris Feng the wins were highlighted by great pitching from Thenuka Perera, Livjot Singh and Aravind Saravana Ganesh. Spencer Ryan and Kendrick Lo caught brilliantly and Bi Yan low was impassable at second base. Great hitting from Januda Weerasinghe, Spencer Ryan and Tom Goode kept the runs flowing. Tom Goode hit 3 home runs on the day!

The A team move now to the Zone final on a date yet to be decided.

Term 2

The start of term 2 will be a challenging time for staff and students as we most likely transition into a remote learning model. There will be a bulletin sent to all parents and students on Tuesday 14th April that will detail all arrangements for the start of Term 2. 

If you do need any further clarification on any of the points mentioned in this newsletter, please do not hesitate to email me at school.

And make sure you stay safe and remain socially distant!

Andrew Chisholm

Assistant Principal