Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the new year everyone… and what a start it has been. All students have appeared to settle in well and attendance and engagement for the few alternative days (Personal Development Day & Swimming Sports) was outstanding. I am so pleased with how many students embraced all that was offered in Week 2. I would also like to acknowledge the effort of Miss Sarah Adolph, who organised both days and all the JMSS staff who helped facilitate these amazing events. I want to remind the school community that we expect both parents and students to embrace these days, as ‘giving things a go’, ‘stepping out of your comfort zone’ and participation and contribution are all part of what JMSS is about. How students conduct themselves in all aspects of school life is noticed and those who uphold the ‘JMSS Way’ certainly open up more opportunities, such as attending International science fairs, scholarships and leadership endorsement.

Settling into a new school or even a new school year can have its challenges; new systems, new expectations, etc. I want to refer to a fantastic school resource JMSS Pro Tips. This website is a school resource that JMSS staff have built to enable students to be their best academically and personally. I would like to particularly draw your attention to the Strategies for Success page, which has fantastic resources on everything from sleep habits to study habits!

As communicated via a Compass Newsfeed, school photos will be occurring on 28th February. It is important that all households familiarise themselves with our Student Dress Code policy (https://jmss.vic.edu.au/community/policies/) and ensure students are in full school uniform on that day and every day. The photos taken on the day will be used as the student’s photo identification on Compass, but they can also be purchased. Please see the ordering details in the relevant Newsfeed.

Like all schools, JMSS has many policies that govern the school. I encourage all households to familiarise themselves with relevant school policies (https://jmss.vic.edu.au/community/policies/). This year, many of our policies are due for review and I encourage feedback from the community (please write to policy@jmss.vic.edu.au).

I want to remind the community of our wellbeing email – wellbeing@jmss.vic.edu.au. Community members can use this email to contact the JMSS Wellbeing Team. This email is primarily about allowing JMSS to support a student’s needs outside of the classroom. If the email is of an urgent matter regarding a student’s immediate safety, please type ‘URGENT’ in the title of the email. For academic support, please direct those emails to either the subject teacher or the student’s mentor.

Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal