Jeremy Mackinnon
Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
In the blink of an eye, we are halfway through the term!
This term has already contained so much. The whole school Athletics Carnival was in Week 2 and is always a highlight for me. It is fantastic to see the spirit and camaraderie amongst our community and the clear display of students (and in some cases staff) pushing their bodies to the limit. Well done to Doherty on the win, but a huge congratulations to all students and staff for a fantastic day and a special thanks to Mrs Adolph for organising the event.
There have been too many other highlights to mention, but the next major event I look forward to is the World's Greatest Shave on 30th May. This is such a special event, as it takes the focus away from performance and winning and puts it on service and working as a collective towards something other than ourselves. Every year, students (and sometimes staff) shave, cut or dye their hair to raise money to support the Leukaemia Foundation. JMSS encourages donations by having milestones along the way; for each reached, a teacher 'wins a prize'. So far, we have:
- $2,000- Dr Cook (ice bucket)
- $4,000- Mr May (runway)
- $6,000- Ms Adolph (ice bucket)
- $8,000- Ms Cvetkovska (hasn't spun the wheel yet)
Join in the fun and donate:
https://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/fundraisers/JohnMonashScienceSchool1060
'Every dollar helps provide families with the support they need, while powering critical research projects that bring us closer to a blood cancer-free future. By joining the World's Greatest Shave community today, you'll help fuel real, tangible change tomorrow. - Leukaemia Foundation'
Term Two also involves a peak assessment period across the school. We hope students have a good study plan to help them achieve their best. However, we also encourage both students and parents to keep these assessments in perspective. They assess a single point in time and are not the 'be-all and end-all' in a student's education.
Instead, I encourage both students and parents to view the upcoming assessment period as an opportunity to learn and grow. A chance to get valuable feedback about strengths and areas for improvement. A worthwhile experience to navigate peak assessment periods. A possibility to learn more about themselves, as people, as learners. Having said all that, sometimes students' perspectives take time to change, and if they place an over-inflated importance on these assessments, they may experience heightened anxiety and a lack of appropriate coping strategies.
There are many avenues of support for students experiencing heightened anxiety that will help them develop healthier thinking and better coping strategies.
We encourage our students and parents to contact Wellbeing if they need it - wellbeing@jmss.vic.edu.au. The Department of Education also has some helpful information on Mental Health;
Students - https://www.vic.gov.au/tips-building-mental-health
Parents - https://www.vic.gov.au/parents-mental-health-toolkit
Finally, JMSS has many policies that govern the school.
Of particular note is our Student Dress Code. Please note that we are a uniform school, and students must wear (and remain in) full school uniform from home to school and back home. I encourage all households to familiarise themselves with relevant school policies (https://jmss.vic.edu.au/community/policies/).
This year, many of our policies are due for review and I encourage feedback from the community (please write to policy@jmss.vic.edu.au).
I wish our students all the best for the remainder of term.
Jeremy Mackinnon
Assistant Principal
