Principal's
News Flash
Corinne Pupillo - Principal
Welcome back to Term 4!
I've spent the last two weeks, reconnecting with students and staff and it appears everyone has enjoyed the school holiday break and has re-established their daily routines back at school.
We have some exciting events planned on the Term 4 calendar and we kick off with the official opening of the playground project on Monday 19 October where local Member for Callwell, Basem Abdo, will officially cut the ribbon for the $900,000 federally funded project.
Students will not miss out on some fun either with the following cultural calendar events to take place in the next few weeks.
Halloween celebrations across the school on Friday 30th October
Ninja Warrior Course - Thursday 12 November
Thank you to Dan Moloney
I’d like to take the opportunity to extend my gratitude to Dan Moloney for “holding the forte” during my period of long service leave. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to spend more time with my family, knowing the school was in good hands.
A highlight was my eldest son's wedding in March and spending more time with my parents who reside in aged care.
Whilst the daily operations continued in my absence, I’ve not been too far away from work, as Dan and I have been in regular contact with each other. From sharing celebrations, working through logistics to just catching up on day-to-day matters, I always appreciated being kept up to date with how the school community was going from Term 1 to Term 3.
It’s not only been an opportunity for some rest and relaxation for me, but also a wonderful opportunity for Dan to lead the school in my absence, continuing to build his leadership capacity beyond the Assistant Principal role. Dan has now returned to the Assistant Principal role and will work closely with myself as we prepare for the busy term ahead.
Staffing
While I've been on long service leave, 18 staff have moved on [retired/ resigned /other employment] and the school has appointed 23 new staff. I'm slowly getting around to meeting each of them, some new staff have returned to JSA which has been great to see their circumstances have changed, and returned them back to us.
Thank you to the selection panels for your unwavering focus on recruitment, we are keen to not only recruit but also retain staff.
New appointments
- Stefania Mantinioti - Assistant Principal [Inclusive Practices]
- Sadie Grant Butler - Classroom Teacher
- Ruby Johnson - Classroom Teacher
- Will Godson - Classroom Teacher
- Fiona Leary - Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
- Grace Blundell - NDIS Navigator
- Adeela Shahzadi - Teacher Assistant
- Huma Zafar - Teacher Assistant
- Abdul Bolat - Business Manger ( commencing 28 October)
School Council Update
Our next School Council meeting will be held on Thursday 29 October.
Please note that all existing policies are found on our JSA Website under the following Policy tabs:
Child Safety
Management
Occupational Health & Safety
Parent Payments
Teaching & Learning
We encourage the ongoing engagement of our families. Any feedback or discussions you may have can be forwarded to me directly.
| MEMBER | POSITION |
| Corinne Pupillo | Executive Officer |
| Radha Fayad | School Council President |
| Daniel Moloney | DE Representative |
| Mary Boutros | DE Representative |
| Andrew McDonaugh | Parent Representative |
| Paul Malavisi | Parent Representative |
| Amir Khan | Parent Representative |
| Chrisy Maglis | Parent Representative |
| Chris Ernst | Parent Representative |
| Denise Clarke | Community Member Representative |
| Deb Brereton | Community Member Representative |
Communication with Staff Policy (Revised 12 December for 2026)
Jacana School for Autism understands the importance of providing helpful and timely responses to common enquiries from parents and carers. To ensure that members of our school community are directed to the most appropriate person to assist them, the information below outlines key contacts for common queries:
to report a student absence, please text the Student Absence Line on 0439 114 197
to report any urgent issues relating to a student on a particular day, please contact the general office on 9309 6258
to discuss a student’s academic progress, health or wellbeing, please contact your child’s classroom teacher/ sub school leader.
Primary Sub School Leader: Zoe Pirotta | zoe.pirotta2@education.vic.gov.au
- Middle Years Sub School Leader: Stefania Mantinioti | stefania.mantinioti@education.vic.gov.au
- Secondary Sub School Leader: Amelia Frantz | amelia.frantz@education.vic.gov.au
Senior Secondary Sub School Leader: Sean Procko | sean.procko@education.vic.gov.au
For enquiries regarding camps and excursions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.
To make a complaint, please contact the Principal/Assistant Principals on
9309 6258.
Principal
Corinne Pupillo | corinne.pupillo@education.vic.gov.au
Assistant Principal | Curriculum
Daniel Moloney | daniel.moloney@education.vic.gov.au
Assistant Principal [Wellbeing] :
Stephanie Torchia | stephanie.torchia@education.vic.gov.au
- Assistant Principal [Inclusive Practices]:
Stefania Mantinioti| stefania.mantinioti@education.vic.gov.au
Please also refer to our Complaints Policy, available on the school website:
https://www.jacanaschoolforautism.vic.edu.au/policies/management/
to report a potential hazard or incident on the school site, please contact:
OHS Manager Nominee
Mary Boutros on 9309 6258 or mary.boutros@education.vic.gov.au
for parent payments, please contact the general office on 9309 6258
for all other enquiries, please contact our Office on 9309 6258
School staff will do their best to respond to general queries as soon as possible and ask that you allow us 2-3 working days to provide you with a detailed response. We will endeavour to respond to urgent matters within 24 hours where possible.
Unwell students
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.
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/
School Website