Christopher Mann
Acting Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
Rest, Reset and Reconnect
As we approach the end of Term 3, it is worth taking a moment to recognise just how much has been achieved across our school community.
For our Year 12 students in particular, the end of this term represents an important milestone. By the time we break for the holidays, students will have completed their internal VCE assessments and will turn their attention to trial examinations, final examination preparation, and, before too long, opportunities to celebrate their time at JMSS together in Term 4.
For students across all year levels, however, Term 3 has been busy. Assessments, classes, co-curricular activities, leadership responsibilities, friendships, and the many other demands of school life can add up. The holidays therefore, provide an important opportunity to rest, reset and reconnect.
Rest is not wasted time. Good sleep, exercise, spending time outdoors, seeing family and friends, pursuing interests, and simply having periods where there is nothing that needs to be achieved all contribute to our capacity to learn, perform and feel well. For our Year 12 students preparing for trial and final examinations, maintaining this balance is particularly important. Effective preparation should include focused study, but also time to recover.
The break also gives each of us an opportunity to reset. It is a chance to reflect on what worked well this term and what we might approach differently when we return. That may mean reorganising study habits, establishing a better sleep routine, asking for help earlier, becoming involved in something new or simply making a commitment to begin Term 4 with renewed purpose.
Perhaps equally important is the opportunity to reconnect with family, friends, and, when we return, our school community.
Our recent R U OK? Day activities at JMSS provided a simple but important reminder of what this can look like. With the support of our Wellbeing Team, students made lolly bags for one another and were encouraged to check in with their friends and ask that important question: Are you OK?
The significance of the day was not really about the lolly bags themselves. It was about noticing others, starting conversations and reminding ourselves that sometimes a relatively small gesture can have a meaningful impact on another person.
We can easily underestimate the influence of everyday interactions. Asking someone how they are going. Making space for someone to join a conversation. Saying hello. Offering help without being asked. Choosing kindness when it would be easier to walk past. Noticing when someone seems quieter than usual. These actions help create a community's culture just as much as our larger events and achievements.
This idea of contributing to something beyond ourselves has also been particularly evident over the past three weeks through the election and selection of our 2027 student leaders.
We have seen an incredibly strong and enthusiastic group of students put themselves forward for a diverse range of leadership opportunities, including School Captains, House Captains, Art Captains, Communications Captains, Debating Captains, Music Captains, Sport Captains, Wellbeing Advocates, Year 12 Parliamentarians and Year 11 Parliamentarians.
It takes courage to nominate for a leadership position, to put forward your ideas and values, and to be prepared to represent and serve others. We congratulate not only those students who have been appointed or elected to formal leadership roles, but every student who was willing to participate in the process. The enthusiasm, commitment and quality of our applicants demonstrated just how strongly our students want to contribute to the life and culture of JMSS.
At the same time, this process is also a useful reminder that leadership at JMSS extends well beyond a badge, title or formal position.
Some of the most important acts of leadership happen quietly and may never be formally recognised. Leadership can mean including someone who might otherwise be left out, checking in when a friend does not seem themselves, helping a classmate who is struggling, speaking respectfully about others, taking responsibility when something goes wrong or simply choosing to make the environment around you a little better.
Our formal student leaders will play an important role in shaping JMSS in 2027, but every student has the capacity to influence our community through the choices they make each day. In that sense, leadership is not simply something we are elected to do; it is something all of us can practise.
That is also part of what it means to reconnect.
A strong community is created not only through major events, achievements, or formal leadership positions, but also through hundreds of small interactions in classrooms, corridors, mentor groups, lunchtime spaces, and friendship groups. Every member of our community contributes to the experience others have at JMSS, which is why it is so important that each of us thinks before we act and, when we do act, acts with integrity.
It is also important at this point in the term to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of our staff. The work of a school is collective, and the learning, wellbeing and opportunities our students experience each day are made possible by the efforts of people working across many different roles.
My sincere thanks go to our teachers, who continue to challenge, support and encourage students in their learning; our education support staff, who provide invaluable assistance across the school; our laboratory managers and technicians, who support student projects and help make practical and experimental learning possible; our eServices team, who support the digital systems that underpin so much of our teaching, learning and communication; and our maintenance, building and property staff and daily organisers, whose work keeps the complex operations of the school moving each day.
I am equally grateful to our careers counsellors, who help students navigate important decisions about their futures; our office staff, who are often the first point of contact for students, families and visitors and who provide essential support behind the scenes; our Emerging Sciences Victoria staff, who extend the reach of JMSS learning well beyond our physical campus; our business manager for leading the financial, operational and administration of our school; and our alumni and co-curricular staff, who enrich the experiences available to students and strengthen the connections between JMSS, its past students and the wider community.
Much of this work is not always visible, but it is deeply important. Schools are sustained by countless acts of preparation, problem-solving, care, organisation, encouragement and collaboration. We are very fortunate to have staff who bring such commitment and professionalism to their work, and I thank them sincerely for everything they have contributed throughout Term 3.
As we head into the holidays, I therefore encourage everyone to take some genuine time to rest and recharge. Step away from the pressures of the term, spend time doing things you enjoy and reconnect with the people who matter to you. But also take the time to look beyond yourself. Check in with a friend, help someone at home, spend time with family or simply be mindful of the impact your words and actions can have on others.
To our Year 12 students, congratulations on reaching another significant point in your VCE journey. Completing your internal assessments is an achievement worth recognising. Prepare well for your trial examinations and the final stages of your VCE, but also make time to recover and enjoy the break. There is still important work ahead, but there is also much to look forward to as you enter your final term at JMSS.
To all of our students, families and staff, thank you for your contribution to our community throughout Term 3.
We hope the holidays provide an opportunity to rest, reset and reconnect, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for a positive and purposeful Term 4.
Regards,
Christopher Mann
Acting Assistant Principal