Jacana School for Autism Newsletter

Assistant 

Principal News Flash 

Stephanie Torchia & Dan Moloney 

Stephanie
Dan
Stephanie
Dan

Dear Parents/carers, 

As Term 1 draws to a close, we hope you have enjoyed observing your child grow and develop as a lifelong learner. 

 

Please note that Friday 29 March is Good Friday and a public holiday, therefore student's last day of school for Term 1, will be on Thursday 28 March concluding at 2pm. 

 

We wish the JSA community, including students, staff and families a restful break. Spending time to focus on family, friends and activities that bring you joy, is an important way to recharge and rebalance after a busy term. 

 

We look forward to seeing our students return on Monday 15th April! 

12th March Curriculum Day – Trauma Informed Practice

As Corinne mentioned in her report, on March 12th Donna Richards (Senior Consultant) from Making SPACE for Learning (Australian Childhood Foundation) delivered whole-school training on Trauma Informed Practice. 

 

Topics included:

  • Understanding of developmental trauma, impacts on children’s brain, body, emotions, relationships.
  • Recognising the signs of trauma / differentiate from autism behaviours.
  • Practical strategies to support trauma responsive practice in classroom.
  • Information on how to identify mental health early warning signs.
  • Exploring practical ways to embed self-care strategies into everyday practice.

The topics are so critical to the work we provide to support our students to learn, grow and thrive. The PD was positively received by staff as it provided them the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of children’s development and the needs of children who have experienced trauma.  It also supported staff to increase their confidence in connecting with and supporting children and young people impacted by trauma. 

 

The Wellbeing Team will continue to provide opportunities to enhance staff understanding of trauma informed strategies and supports during classroom team meetings, when reviewing strategies that support student engagement and wellbeing outcomes, and during restorative conversations with students. 

 

NDIS Expo

Our school’s NDIS Navigator Kaylah Defeudis has arranged a NDIS Expo on the following dates:

  • Wednesday 8th May 2pm-4:30pm
  • Thursday 9th May 2pm-4pm
  • Friday 10th May 2-4:30pm

The Expo aims to help families in understanding and utilising their child’s NDIS Plan. Our school will be having a representative from NDIS including the Local Area Co-Ordinator (LAC) attend to further provide information, guidance and support to families related to their child’s NDIS Plan. 

 

Kaylah will also be available to answer questions parents/carers may have regarding NDIS which can include accessing further services, the process to request a funding review or to apply for NDIS through the ARC process. 

 

We are looking forward to seeing all parents/carers who are interested in learning more about NDIS!  Parents and carers are able to drop in anytime during those times.

Unexplained Absences

As you can appreciate, we want to encourage ongoing school attendance. If your child has been away, we ask that you routinely contact the school to confirm your reasons to rectify any 'unexplained absences'. That way, we can accurately reflect this information in your child's ongoing attendance record.

 

All student absences can be made through the dedicated student absence notification number. Text the student's name, room number and reason for absence. Ensure you have the student absence notification number saved in your contacts:

Student absence line: 0439 114 197