Peter Corkill
Principal
Dear fellow members of the JMSS Community,
Sincere thanks to all members of our community for your wonderful support for JMSS and its students and staff this year. As we near the end of the 2023 academic year, with much enjoyed and much more achieved, we have plenty to celebrate and be thankful for.
Presentation Night 2023, at Robert Blackwood Hall, with our Graduating Year 12 Students
There are few appropriate words to describe how fantastic Presentation Night in the Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University, followed by the Year 12 celebration back at JMSS, felt. It is a credit to so many people who all played their part in the planning and execution of a superb night. However special thanks must go to Jeremy Mackinnon and his teams of staff and students, especially the members of the school’s student leadership and Year 12 Committee, for their planning, communication and co-ordination of these events. I would especially like to extend a special thanks to Sean Smyth and his Music team for their superb performances on the night, after all the preparation and rehearsals they all put in. I hope everyone who attended had a fantastic time. We simply saw JMSS at its best, again.
The Graduation ceremony for our Year 12 students, with the presentation of the new JMSS graduation Stoll to each graduate, and then their symbolic procession from the stage and up the ramp on the side of the Hall, was such a powerfully symbolic moment, giving rise to a vision of sincere thanks for the wonderful contribution the Class of 2023 has made to our school, alongside sincere best wishes for their futures. The ‘After Party’ for parents, students and staff back at JMSS was again a wonderful event and has now become part of the Year 12 graduation tradition at JMSS.
Release of 2023 VCE Results
The VCE results for 2023 were released to schools early on Monday morning, and then to the thousands of anxious students a bit later in the day. On behalf of everyone at JMSS I would like to sincerely congratulate our Year 12 students on their exceptional results this year. The Class of 2023 has surpassed their own expectations in many cases, and have again done themselves and their school very proud indeed. Of special note are those students who have been challenged by circumstances somewhat out of their control and triumphed anyway, and they lifted one another when people needed it most. This indeed is the ‘rising tide’ I often speak of, and its very positive impact on the whole group is simply inspiring. Despite the challenges they have faced through the last few years, their outcomes are exceptional, with some of the statistics the best in the school’s recent history. We wish them all well for the tertiary offers which will follow soon. Australia’s and the world’s STEM study and capacity is about to get another huge boost! The summary statistics follow:
Summary of VCE Results 2023
220 students completed their VCE this year at JMSS:
• 4.8% ATARs over 99;
• 36.4% ATARs over 95;
• 61.9% ATARs over 90;
• 88% ATARs over 80;
• 96.5% ATARs over 70;
• Highest ATAR of 99.75 - JMSS Dux 2023 – Qiana Kam;
• Study scores over 40 – 21.43%
I am sure you will all join with me in congratulating this outstanding group of young people. Each and every one is a credit to their families, their teachers and themselves. We have loved having them all at JMSS for the past three years and know that the future is bright indeed now it is in their hands. We look forward to seeing any of those Year 12 students who are able to come into school to catch up with and thank their teachers – you are always most welcome!
Our Pathways Manager Kirstine Carter, assisted by Erin Veldsman, is now working feverishly to ensure each of our students is able to access a course of their choice, now that their results are known. I would like to sincerely thank them both, and the whole VCE team, for their management of these complex processes over the recent months. It is a job so superbly done. So as one door closes, another one opens. We urge each of you to grab the opportunities that come your way with both hands, and with the same courage and determination which brought you to JMSS in the first place. We are so very proud of you all.
Sincere Thanks to all in our Community
On behalf of our leadership team, I would like to publicly thank everyone for their superb contribution to our school again this year. In particular:
● My senior Executive Team of Assistant Principals Andrew Chisholm and Jeremy Mackinnon, Business Manager Corey Goodes, Head of Science Mel Denney and Senior Laboratory Manager Anna Zonneveld for their wisdom, guidance and vision throughout the year;
● Our families, whose unwavering love for and encouragement of their children helped as always to keep them going whenever the ‘heat was on’;
● Our teaching and support staff whose hard work, commitment, support and collegiality saw JMSS thrive through the inevitable challenges each school year presents. Their commitment and hard work have been superb yet again;
● Our School Council, and members of our wider parent community, who kept our students going, who gave them belief when they needed it, and whose genuine love and support saw our students successfully reach the end of the academic year. This ‘invisible army’ behind every student got each and every one of them though. A smile, a hug, a push, a cuppa, a lift to school or home, just being there despite the challenges of our own jobs. It meant the world to each and every one of our students;
● Our colleagues at Monash, who again worked with us all year to enrich the learning opportunities made available to our students. Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Allie Clements and her Academic Liaison team, to our many colleagues in Buildings and Facilities, to our colleagues in the Faculties of Science and its many schools, as well as the Faculties of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Information Technology, Education, and Engineering – a huge thank you for your help, advice and genuine support;
● Our colleagues in the Department of Education and Training, especially from our Inner East Network of schools, and especially Senior Leaders Ms Jo Wastle and Mrs. Eva McMaster, who supported our review and oversaw the development of our new Strategic Plan which will take us through to 2027.
Have a wonderful festive season, and a restful, well-earned break, happy in the knowledge that each and every small cog in the JMSS machine played its part in negotiating the challenges and taking up the opportunities presented in 2023. I am so thankful for another outstanding year you all made possible
Best Regards
Peter Corkill
Principal