Principal's Message

Anthony Jackson (Principal)

Jackson School is a collaborative learning community for all. We aim to develop independence through safety, respect and responsibility. We aspire to offer authentic, quality educational experiences that develop futures, create opportunities and inspire student potential; enabling our students to be valued and contributing members of the wider community. We share and celebrate our successes and achievements.

Dear Parents/Carers,

Happy New Year!

We look forward to welcoming you back to a new school year on Thursday 29th January 2026. I would also like to welcome our new families to the Jackson School Community. I hope you're having a lovely holiday and are able to spend some quality time as a family over the holiday period.

School Council have agreed on our Pupil Free Days (Curriculum Days and Common Professional Practice Days) for 2026. These are:

Tuesday 27th January
Wednesday 28th January
Monday 13th July
Monday 2nd November
Thursday 17th December

The first day for students in 2026 is Thursday, 29th January.

On behalf of the Jackson School Community, I would like to officially welcome our new staff for 2026.

Teachers: Julie Sinclair, Ashleigh Kelly, Michelle Nowak

ES Staff: Aby McCue, Allana Harvey, Janani Rajarajan, Sonja Rowe, Thuy Duong, Jacqueline Honeywell and Michael Deans (Facilities & Grounds)

To view the staff list on our website, please click here: https://www.jacksons.vic.edu.au/our-school/our-staff/

School Structure

Our school is structured into three collaborative learning communities: Junior School (Prep - Year 4), Middle School (Year 3-8) and Senior School (Year 7-Year 12). Within these communities, staff and classes work in smaller collaborative Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) led by an Assistant Learning Specialist (PLT Leader). For 2026, these are:

Junior School Leadership

Meggan Decker (Leading Teacher)
Louise-Amy Thomas - PLT Leader, Foundation (Prep)
Chloe Dennis - PLT Leader, Foundation (1/2)
Casey Nocen - PLT Leader, Lower Primary (Years 3/4)

Middle School Leadership

Kathy Pham (Leading Teacher)
Uzer Coskuner - PLT Leader, Upper Primary (Years 5/6)
Aaron Le - PLT Leader, Lower Secondary (Years 7/8)

Senior School Leadership

Helena McAloon (Leading Teacher)
Taleisha Elston (PLT Leader), Upper Secondary (Years 9/10)
Jo Portelli - PLT Leader (ASDAN)
Faith Agius - PLT Leader (VPC)

Other Teams

Ben Everson - PLT Leader, Specialists (Prep-Year 12)
Briana Petrocco - PLT Leader, Allied Health

To develop a strong home-school partnership, Parents/Carers main point of contact for school communication should be your child's classroom teacher. This can be through SeeSaw, by phone (leave a message at the school office), or by appointment (SSGs can be booked through the school office). The whole school's communication will continue to be sent out through Xuno email and SMS notifications. Our staff and students are supported by many learning and wellbeing staff who work outside of the classroom. Each collaborative learning community has a Leading Teacher who supports teachers with the day-to-day student coordination and is the second point of contact for families regarding your child's health and wellbeing. PLT Leaders lead the professional learning of their teams focused around teaching and learning.

Leadership Team

The senior leadership team is responsible for managing the daily operations within the school and leading our annual implementation plan (AIP) actions focused on learning and wellbeing.

Deborah Munoz - Leading Teacher (Transitions & Disability Inclusion)
Kelly Sherrard - Leading Teacher (Curriculum & Assessment)
Gabrielle Maher - Learning Specialist (Professional Learning)
Jaclyn Everson - Learning Specialist (Teaching & Learning - Numeracy)
Sarah Brens - Learning Specialist (Teaching & Learning - Literacy)
Meggan Decker - Leading Teacher (Junior School)
Kathy Pham - Leading Teacher (Middle School)
Helena McAloon - Leading Teacher (Senior School)
Michelle Zammit - Leading Teacher (Mental Health & Wellbeing)
Alex Baynes - Social Worker (Child Safety Officer)
Jessica Richards - Inclusion Outreach Coach (1 day at Jackson School / 3 days Maintream Outreach)

Principal Team

The principal team is the executive leadership team responsible for the overall management of the school, delivering DE and School Council policy decisions, and leading our school strategic plan (SSP) to improve student outcomes.

Anthony Jackson - Principal & Executive Officer of School Council
Bernadette O'Sullivan - Assistant Principal (Community Partnerships)
Julie La Bouchardiere - Assistant Principal (Inclusive Practice)
Matt Gravatt - Business & Operations Manager

Please do not hesitate to contact one of the leadership team if we can be of assistance to you and your family. The office staff may also forward any queries to a member of our leadership team who has a range of differing responsibilities in leading our school community.

50 Year Golden Anniversary

This year we celebrate our 50th Year Golden Anniversary. St Albans Special School was officially opened on 16th March 1976. St Albans Special School was renamed Jackson School in 1989. For a summary of our history please visit:

In additional to our "50th Birthday Party" on 16th March, we aim to celebrate our jubilee throughout the whole of 2026.

Essential Information

To support families with the start of the 2026 school year, our administration team have compiled essential information in the pages in this issue, which provides you with all the necessary information to start the year. This includes:

Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on

(03) 9366 4322 or email us at jackson.sch@education.vic.gov.au.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to welcoming our staff, students and families back to school.

Enjoy the remainder of your time as a family.

Anthony Jackson

Principal