Principal's Message

Jackson School is a collaborative learning community for all. We aim to develop independence through safety, respect and responsibility. We aspire to offer authentic, quality educational experiences that develop futures, create opportunities

 and inspire student potential; enabling our students to be valued and contributing members of the wider community. We share and celebrate our successes and achievements.   

The Issue Highlights

• 100 Days of Prep
• Student Support Group (SSGs) Parent-Teacher Meetings
• SunSmartPost Schools Careers Expo
• Parent, Carers and Guardian Opinion Survey
• Coming Up: Book Week - Week 7
• Showcase of students' learning from across the school in the Junior School, Middle School and Senior School
• Health and Wellbeing information to support you and your child.
• Community news including from Jackson OSHC provider TheirCare.
• School Dates: For the most up-to-date calendar dates, always refer to the Xuno Calendar in your Parent Portal.

Dear Families, 

100 Days of Prep

Last week our students celebrated 100 Days of Prep! Our Foundation students have now completed their first 100 days of school, and what an incredible journey it has been so far as they begin their 13-year school careers. From learning routines and making new friends to developing early literacy and numeracy skills, our youngest learners have grown in confidence and capability every day. To mark the occasion, students have taken part in fun-filled activities and celebrations that honour just how far they’ve come.

Congratulations to our amazing Prep students (and dedicated staff) - we are so proud of you all!

Student Support Group (SSGs) Parent-Teacher Meetings

Thank you to all families who participated in our Parent-Teacher Student Support Group (SSG) Meetings this week. We had a 93% participation rate. The purpose of the SSGs are to establish a strong home-school relationship, complete your child's Individual Education Plan & Jackson Learner Profile and review progress against your child's “Long Term” goals. The Term 3 SSGs are also an opportunity to discuss your child's Individual Learning Plan Goals for Semester 2. 

Following your SSG your child's teacher will finalise your child's Semester 2 Individual Learning Plan (ILP). These will be emailed to families once they are published and will also be available on Xuno for you to access anytime. We aim to have every child’s parent or carer meet with the classroom teacher to discuss the learning of each child. If you have not yet had an opportunity to make an appointment to meet with your child's teacher, please contact them directly on SeeSaw to make a time. Thank you for your ongoing partnership with us.

SunSmart

Hats

For Primary students from mid-August to end-April 2026, all students must wear a sun-protective hat that shades the face, neck and ears for all outdoor activities. Hats may also be worn for all outdoor activities outside of the August to April time period, by parent or student choice.

Hats can be purchased for as little as $6 at Kmart. We remind families to ensure your child's name is written on the hat as we have many hats which look exactly the same. 

For Secondary students we expect students to take responsibility for their sun safety by wearing a hat during outdoor activities and adopting other sun protection measures such as wearing sunscreen or using shade. Secondary students may wish to wear a cap instead, however we always recommend a wide-brimmed bucket hat for the best sun protection.

Many of our students find it difficult to know when to dress appropriately. They need constant reminders and prompting to wear sun hats and take off coats/jumpers in hot weather. On extreme heat days (adverse weather) our students may spend recess and lunch inside rather than playing outside. 

Sunscreen

Jackson School encourages all staff and students to apply SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen daily whenever UV levels reach 3 and above. Sunscreen should be applied at least 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapplied every two hours (or more frequently if sweating or swimming).

Jackson School supplies Woolworths Sunscreen Lotion, SPF50+. water-resistant sunscreen for staff and students to use. It is readily accessible in all classrooms and shared staff spaces.   

Jackson School has strategies in place to remind students to apply sunscreen before going outdoors through reminder notices, sunscreen visuals and sunscreen stations.

Post School Careers Expo

Thank you to Vu (Jobs, Skills and Pathways Manager) and Thana (Work Experience Coordinator) for organising our annual Post School Careers Expo this week. 70 families attended to gather information from providers about the wide number post-school options available for our students. Thank you to the providers who exhibited:

• Victorian University

• Kangan Insitute

• Yororella

• Cape

• Wallara

• Miti

• Your Journey

• MCM

• Beyond

• St John of God

• Lean On Me

• Camp

• Project Growth

• Distinctive Options

• Mambourin
• St Albans Saints Football Club
• Brimbank Learning Futures
• Wallara
• Hurdle
• Jobsupport
• Carers Victoria
• ACD 

Coming Up: Book Week - Week 7

A reminder about Book Week character dress-up in Week 7 on Friday 28th August.

At Jackson we have been rolling out the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) program since 2023 in Years 3-6. Students may wish to dress up as a LLLL characters instead of their favourite book character. Here are all of the characters below:

Parent, Carers and Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school will be conducting a survey to find out what parents, caregivers and guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. A random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents / caregivers / guardians has been selected to participate in this year’s survey. If you have been chosen to participate and complete the survey, you will go into a draw to win a $100 Woolworths voucher. 

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from 17th August to 18th September. If you have been randomly selected to complete the PCGOS you will be contacted directly.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. If you would like access to a computer, then please let the school office know. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Anthony