Welcome Back!

I hope you all have had a relaxing and well-deserved Easter break. I hope you've been able to recharge your batteries in readiness for Term 2. I know many of you have been able to get away these holidays. I also used the holidays to take a break from work, starting with a trip to visit Han's family for Easter. At the end of the first week we pushed off on our family road trip to Robe, SA via Port Fairy.

Overall Term 1 was a positive start to 2026 with the overall majority of students settled in their new classes. This wouldn't be possible without the strong sense of collaboration and support within our community. Having said this, there were still a number of challenges to tackle. Term 1 often tests our structures and processes as we get to understand new students and enact the transition information and complex adjustments required for our learners to be regulated learners.

In addition to the unforeseen Term 1 challenges, thank you for your ongoing support in my role as the Network Chair for our network of the 20 schools across Keilor-St Albans. Initially I underestimated the impact this role would have on my day-to-day duties as Principal of Jackson School. This has meant I haven't been able to visit as many classes or connect with staff as I would have liked in Term 1. 

We have posting internal expressions of interest (EOI) for an Acting Assistant Principal for Term 2 to coincide with Bern's long service leave; as well as for additional full time ES Operational Teaching Assistant roles. Please see Microsoft Team to apply.

50 Year Golden Anniversary

I real highlight of Term 1 was our 50 Year "Birthday Party" as part of our year-long golden anniversary celebrations. Thank you again for sharing in this special day as we celebrated 50 Years of Jackson School.

I have had the privilege of being part of this school community since 2014, and during that time I have seen first-hand what makes Jackson School such a special place. It is our people: our dedicated staff who give so much of themselves each day, our students who bring energy, curiosity and joy to our school, and our families who support us in so many ways. Your commitment, care and contribution have built the strong and supportive school community we are proud of today.

Please see below the drone video and photos from the 50th Birthday Party. On our YouTube page we have created Satellite and Street View Timelapse videos to show our school changes over time.

Workforce & HR

On behalf of the Jackson School Community, I would like to officially welcome our new staff for 2026. 

• ES Staff: Aviaja (Prep A), Dylan (3/4C), Eliza (3/4D) and Luke (Senior School Additional ES)

Ian Phelan has made the decision to retire after 26 years at Jackson School. More recently, Ian has been responsible for our Active and Sporting Schools programs, where he has coordinated group Health and Fitness sessions. This has included giving our students the opportunity to participate in external coaching, such as tennis. 12 years ago, as a teacher at Jackson School, Ian and I took a group of boys to Beechworth on a 100km bike camp. As a new staff member, I didn't have the heart to tell Ian that I hadn't been on a bike for some time, let alone riding 100km with kids. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our school community and students over the years. Best wishes for this next chapter.

We also say goodbye to Libby, who has worked with us as an ES since the start of last year. Libby is now exploring legal assistant positions. Libby has made many staff friendships in a short time, so I am sure we will see you again soon. We also say goodbye to Sonja and Sangeetha, who have secured other positions. Thank you for your short time with us. We wish you all the very best. 

From Term 2, Gordon will be moving into teaching Health & Fitness, including the GMP program and VPC PE. Julie Sinclair will now teach 7/8E with Sumiyo for the remainder of the year. Ane has reduced her time fraction and will now teach Art from Wednesday to Friday. Cody will teach Art on Monday and Tuesday. Cody will continue with some of the ConnectED outreach students on Wednesday. Thank you all for your flexibility.

We will shortly begin advertising for 2027 ongoing classroom positions (Teachers and ES staff). This will be the first round of positions based on our permanent staffing profile. Please note that teachers who are not permanent residents or have less than three years special education experience or a tertiary special education qualification are unfortunately not able to apply. For ES staff, this will include staff now eligible through the April translation process. For these positions, any ongoing Teachers or Education Support staff who would like to be part of a recruitment panel, please let us know.

Meet The Team

Scroll through the image gallery to view the staff in each team. Click on an individual image to enlarge.

Click on the image below to view the 2026 Organisation Chart. Please note that this is demonstrates positions of responsibility and working relationships, not necessarily direct PDP reporting lines. For more information about PDPs please click here. 

Buildings & Grounds

Over the holidays, we continued to have several trades in each day. Thank you Dan, Michael and Azmi for all of work to completed over the holidays. These have included:

• Prep-2 Playground Outdoor Learning Sheds
• Cubby Renovations (signs will be installed next week)
• Alarm works
• Bus Maintenance & Servicing
• Deck staining
• Foyer subsidence investigations
• New container for furniture storage
• Completion of Kathy's Office so that all Leading Teachers of the sub schools have a private space to talk with staff and support students 

Other works to be completed this term include:

• Adding of playground rubber around the middle school playground
• Door from the corridor into the prayer room
• Relocation of the PBIS Jackstore nearer the library
• Reinstatement of Intervention Room in Block 3 
• Doors from the courtyard into the Radio Studio
• Carpet repairs
• Retractable awnings in Block 6 (Middle School)
• Concrete levelling and path replacement in the imaginative playground
• Preparations for the retractable tiered seating
• Consultation and design for Block 1 renovation (Foyer & Offices)

Canteen & Tuck Shop Changes

Last year Jackson School Council established our Canteen and Tuckshop. This includes fresh salad rolls, hot foods, and bakery treats are currently provided by St. Alban's Hot Bread Bakery each week and school-provided packaged items through our Tuckshop. Please note that from Term 2, the Canteen and Tuckshop will operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays commencing on 20th April. Thank you to 9/10C and 11/12D for ensuring the smooth delivery of everyone's orders this term.

Please use the Flexischool app for staff to place lunch orders from the Jackson Canteen and/or Tuck Shop. Please note that a $0.29 fee applies per order.

To create an account with Flexischools so that you can order and make payments for our school, you can download the Flexischools app from the Apple App Store or Google Store and follow the prompts to create an account. Account set-up and online ordering instructions are available from Flexischools here. If you already have a Flexischools account for another family member, just select the Profile icon on the app and +Add yourself as a "New Student".

For more detailed information on other areas of School Operations, please click on the pages on the left for important updates ready to start the school year. These include: 

• Welcome Back (Staffing & Workforce Changes and 50th Birthday photos)
• Industrial Action Update (Department Guidance on Actions)
• Operations (Admin, HR, Finance, IT and Facilities/OHS) Update (Revised Camps and Excursions Guidelines)
• School Performance & Improvement (2025 Annual Report and PDP Goal Setting)
• Learning (MTSS & Tier 1 Instructional Playbook)
• Wellbeing (Protective Intervention Strategies & Restraint & Seclusion)
• Staff Health, Safety & Wellbeing (Converge Planned Workplace Support)

• Termly Dates

   

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your break, and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Anthony