Corinne Pupillo

Dear parents, carers and friends of the school community,

My apologies for missing Part 2 of the Durrung of the Yan-yan in last fortnight's newsletter. We have so much exciting events and activities happening so hopefully you will enjoy reading Part 2.

Part 2 - The Durrung of the Yan-yan - Heart of the young man.

Told by Aunty Doreen Garvey- Wandin including Wioiwurrung words

Part 2

Wirrirrap looked into the durrung (heart) of the yan-yan (young man) and believed him to be sincere, so wirrirrap (magic man / traditional Doctor) granted the yan-yan (young man) his wish. The yan-yan (young man) became the greatest hunter the gulinya (people) had ever known, even better than his mama (father) and lalal (grandfather) . As time went on the yan-yan (young man) became ngabun-bambunya (bold) and thought only of himself and did not want to share with the Wurundjeri. He became a butadu gaang yan-yan (Greedy big nose young man .

Leading Communities - Principal Conference 29-31 May (Echuca / Yorta Yorta Lands)

Dan, Steph and I were very grateful to have the time to attend this years PASS conference along with 140 other specialist school leaders from all over the state.

The focus for the conference was “Leading Communities” which was a dynamic and multifaceted exploration of leadership in diverse contexts by building and changing team culture, recognising that effective leadership is often contingent on nurturing a collaborative and adaptive ethos within communities. Dan, Steph and I had an opportunity to reflect on our own leadership roles and how we can continue to contribute meaningfully to the collective success of our community. “Leading Communities” acknowledges the challenges posed by the complexity in today’s world. Dan, Steph and I gained valuable insights into leading through complexity, mastering the art of navigating intricate conversations, and leveraging innovation to drive positive change within our personal and professional lives.

The list of very experienced and knowledgeable presenters provided us some thought provoking insights. Our speakers included:

Lucy Bloom - Doing Business Differently
Thomas Mayo - The importance of Indigenous history and culture in the classroom
Michelle Gibbings - Find your leadership edge
Dr Jason Fox - Beyond the Default
Brendan Maher - Leading High Performing Teams
Paul Taylor - Stress Fit

Real School

Our schools expert facilitator, Sheila Bollard has shared a short video focusing on The Human Behaviour Muscle.

Part of working in Partnership with your amazing community at Jacana School for Autism, includes bringing parents along with us on our journey. We are trying these little videos to see if we can somehow connect with parents in small ways rather than relying on the one hour sessions.

When we talk about behaviour, we often separate it into 'kids' and 'adults' however, when we understand our brain a little more we begin to understand that behaviour is behaviour for everyone - there is no age distinction! By understanding the brain we can begin to regulate our own behaviours so that we can help our young people manage theirs.

Parent video #3 The Human Behaviour Muscle

Staffing Update

We will be farewelling two staff at the end of this term, Health and Wellbeing Officer, Isabella De Luca and Occupational Therapist, Tara Martin.

On behalf of the school community, I wish them both well as they move from JSA.

Congratulations to Xingquing Wong for being appointed to the Speech Therapist position at JSA. Xing comes with specialist school experience and we are delighted to have her on the team.

We will continue to recruit for a range of staff as we continue to have vacancies for classroom teachers, Music, PE, Mental Health Officer and Occupational Therapist.

Pupil Free Day - King's Birthday 10 June

School Council News

Fundraising Co-ordinator - Vacancy

If you are interested in coordinating the Fundraising Sub Committee, please contact Corinne Pupillo on 9309 6258.

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Thursday 13 June at 5.30pm

MEMBER	POSITION
Corinne Pupillo	Executive Officer (Principal) /corinne.pupillo@education.vic.gov.au
Lisa Sette	Community Representative & President / lisa.sette@education.vic.gov.au
VACANCY	Community Representative
Paul Malavisi	Parent Representative
Mark Mansfield	Parent Representative
Chris Ernst	Parent Representative
Michelle Owen	Parent Representative
Andrew McDonough	Parent Representative
Jay Murali	Parent Representative
Stephanie Torchia	DE Representative
Daniel Moloney	DE Representative

School Council Sub-Committee Representatives

Finance Sub Committee Representative - Mark Mansfield
School Infrastructure Sub Committee Representative – Denise Clarke
Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Vacancy

Unwell student

If your child is presenting with cold and flu like symptoms we kindly ask families to keep your child at home if they are experiencing symptoms. In the event that your child tests positive on a RAT for COVID, we strongly recommend a 5 day period of recovery in this case.

Each morning when students are getting ready for 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 bugs and viruses.

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

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

Student absence line: 0439 114 197

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 and Instagram Page, Seesaw or on the school's website.

JSA also has a Facebook and Instagram Page. Please like and follow our pages.

https://www.facebook.com/JacanaSchoolforAutism

https://www.instagram.com/jacana.school/

Virtual School Tour

Our virtual school tour is now live on our school website. Please check it out and refer any members of the community to our page.

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

ANZAC Day Public Holiday	25 April
NDIS Navigator	08 May - 10 May
School Council Meeting	09 May
SSG Week	13 May - 27 May
School Photos	24 May
Curriculum Day ( Student Free Day )	07 June
King's Birthday Public Holiday	10 June
School Council Meeting	13 June
Last Day of Term 2 - 2pm finish	28 June

Important 2024 Dates

TERM 2