Principal's Desk 

Corinne Pupillo 

Dear parents, carers and friends of the school community,

Welcome back to the 2022 school year. The longer break allows you and your family to enjoy some quality time together with fewer restrictions on travel and indoor gatherings.  

We have another busy year ahead and hope that you are well rested and recharged for the upcoming school year. 

A very warm welcome to our new families and new staff,  I hope your time at JSA is positive and rewarding as we build a strong partnership with you during this time.   

Statement of values and school philosophy Policy 

Vision

Jacana School for Autism fosters resilience and independence, enabling students to be engaged participants in community life.

Mission Statement 

The school continually implements highly customised teaching and learning programs to ensure all students access an inclusive curriculum using evidence informed practice in a safe and supportive environment. Students are supported by a committed professional multi-disciplinary team, focussed on recognising and developing individual personal and educational potential.

Objective

Jacana School for Autism’s objective is to ensure all students leave our school with a practical understanding of the curriculum. 

Values

Jacana School for Autism values are Empathy, Respect and Inclusion.

Jacana School for Autism actively encourages a student-centered approach by building a positive relationship between students, parents/carers and the staff.

We all have the right to be treated fairly and courteously, even under difficult situations. This includes demonstrating empathy towards one another. Everyone should feel valued and be treated with respect and has a collective responsibility to build positive relationships and promote inclusion and to feel included.

Please go to the school website or call reception for a digital or hard copy of the policy. 

Baby News

Rachael Peck has a healthy baby boy.  In the early morning hours of the 12th of January baby, Harvey John Gregory-Peck made his grand entry into the world. 

Born at 6:56am, weighing 7.5oz and measuring 51cm.  Even though she is a little sleep-deprived they are slowly settling in back at home. On behalf of the school community, we congratulate them on the safe arrival of Harvey. 

COVID Update 

As the world moves into the 3rd year of the pandemic we continue to provide a safe environment for our community by following the Department of Education and Training Operations Guide which also includes a COVID Safety Management Plan.  Please contact reception for an updated version.  If you visit the school you can also collect a hard copy from the table in the front airlock of reception.  This plan provides our community with a clear set of actions that have been implemented to protect us all. 

Staffing Updates

It's well known that recruiting staff during the pandemic has been a significant challenge, not only for our school but many other schools.  Despite the challenges, I'm pleased to announce the following staff appointments:

• Learning Specialist:  Joel Hockings 
• Learning Specialist:  Ashlie Hassall
• Leading Teacher (Transition coordinator): Natalie Conboy
• Health and Physical Education: Ben Clancy 

Congratulations to all of those staff, we look forward to working with you in your new role. 

During the January break, there was some staff movement which has also impacted recruitment.

• PE Specialist, Liz Adamson resigned from her position at JSA and is moving interstate. On behalf of JSA I would like to wish Liz and her family all the best for the future and thank her for her contributions to JSA. 
• Michelle Zammit has been successful in picking up a job closer to home.  Michelle has worked primarily in the welfare area and would be known to many families.   On behalf of JSA, I would like to wish Michelle all the best in her new role and thank her for her contributions to JSA especially over the past 2 years where the pandemic has had a significant impact on students' wellbeing. 
• Joseph Kaldas resigned from the student wellbeing role and we are also looking for a replacement to fill this 2-day position. 
• Classroom teacher, Marita Grafe-Tschur has resigned from JSA and her last day will be Monday 21st February.  Thank you Marita for your contributions at JSA and wish you well as you travel back to Germany. 

Despite many attempts to recruit for 3 classroom teachers without success and challenges with accessing casual replacement teachers, we have condensed these three classrooms for the remainder of the term so we can ensure the school remains operational. The families of classrooms were individually notified by the sub school leaders.   

The Principal Class Team assessed the feedback from staff and families and have considered carefully all the factors and have decided to continue with the modified class list until the end of Term 1.  This was a difficult decision to make and one that has been the  last resort under the current workforce climate.    We are hoping that we will have more success as the international borders open up and more staff from overseas will boost the education workforce.    I sincerely thank staff and families for their understanding and patience as we manage this complex situation. 

Notice of School Council Elections

Please refer to the School Community News Page for details.  

School Organisation

This year we are anticipating an enrolment of 224 students. 

The school is structured to accommodate the stages of learning and includes: 

• Primary Sub School: Rooms 1- 9.  Sub School Leader is Rachael Macmillan
• Middle Years Sub School: Rooms 10 – 18. Sub School Leader is  Linda Wakeling
• Secondary Sub School: Rooms 19 – 27. Sub School Leader is Miranda Ingram.

I would also like to acknowledge the staff who have been in attendance prior to the official start of school, ensuring the school is well prepared for the start of the school year for our students.   Thank you to you all. 

School Improvement 

Jacana School for Autism’s core business is educating students who have a primary diagnosis of autism.  The school motto is “Learning for Life” and strategies to support students with autism are embedded strongly at JSA and students will be supported to reach their full potential. In 2018 the school actively participated in a rigorous school review and a new School Strategic Plan was developed. Copies of the School Strategic Plan (2018-22) may be obtained by contacting reception or alternatively you can access the plan from the school website.

The 2022 Key Improvement Strategies were developed as part of the School Review this year and include: 

GOAL 1:  

Learning - Support both those who need extra support and those who have thrived to continue to extend their learning, especially in numeracy

GOAL 2: 

Wellbeing - Effectively mobilise available resources to support students' wellbeing and mental health, especially the most vulnerable

2022 THEME: EMBEDDING LEARNING AND WELLBEING 

When integrated, these elements build a positive environment through strong relationships that enables all students to become happy, healthy, and resilient; successful lifelong learners; and active, informed members of just and sustainable communities.

In our fourth year of our strategic plan, our focus is to consolidate the work from the past three years, however we also recognise that some of our students have thrived in the remote learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some need extra learning and wellbeing support despite the best efforts of their teachers and families. 

In 2022 we will continue to focus on student learning - with an increased focus on numeracy - and student wellbeing through the 2022 Priorities Goal, a learning Key Improvement Strategy and a wellbeing Key Improvement Strategy. We will teach and support each student at their point of need by: 

• embedding a whole school approach to support student regulation by using the School-Wide Regulation Package (SWRP) 
• Plan how whole school professional learning on the SWRP to assist teachers to assess student's current abilities and formulate goals in relation to teaching regulations skills as well implement effective teaching practices
• Plan whole-school professional learning on Tier 1 student social / emotional wellbeing supports:- Continue to embed the MTSS Framework to support student learning and wellbeing
• Embed the Classroom Team Meeting Cycle to evaluate, plan and monitor student learning outcomes and wellbeing 

Privacy Policy

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website https://www.jacanaschoolforautism.vic.edu.au/?page_id=1445.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in nine community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese.

Communication 

For our new families, 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 with your child, emailed to you, if you provide an email address or alternatively it is on the school website.

http://www.jacanaschoolforautism.vic.edu.au/

All students will be provided with a JSA Diary again this year.  This diary is used for day-to-day notes and correspondence, and it also has key dates and important information for families. 

Friday 28th January – In preparation for the new school year all staff were involved in presentations facilitated by members of the Leadership Team regarding important updates on how we intend to support the community to achieve the 2022 Annual Implementation Plan. Time was also set aside for staff to prepare and set up their classrooms in readiness for the students arriving on Thursday. 

Reminder:  Unwell students 

When we return to 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 the winter bugs and viruses.

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

Make sure you have the student absence notification number saved in your contacts: 0439 114 197

School Council 

Our first School Council meeting for 2022 is scheduled for 24th February and will be conducted via Webex

Casual (parent) Vacancy on School Council 

We currently have two parent representative vacancies on School Council.  If you would like to learn more about the school and be part of our team that shares the governance role, please get in contact with Corinne Pupillo - Principal, either by email corinne.pupillo@education.vic.gov.au or calling the office.

Aerial View - Jacana School for Autism

To complement our Schools Virtual School Tour, this aerial photography has captured our school from above.    Please take a look and see how wonderful the facilities look from above.  

School Council Meeting 

The next meeting of School Council will occur Thursday, 24th February at 5.30pm.

School Council Sub Committee Representatives

• Finance Sub Committee Representative - Alisha Minns
• Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Alisha Minns
• Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette
• School Council Representative on Student Representative Council (SRC) –Alisha Minns

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.

https://www.facebook.com/JacanaSchoolforAutism