Andrew Chisholm
Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
At the mid-way point of Term 1, JMSS is in full swing. Last week saw Maths Immersion Day for Year 10 and 11, Year 12 Camp and Senior Sport Round robin completed successfully. In the last 4 weeks of term there are many events planned such as Year 12 Formal, Australian Geography Competition, Holocaust Museum visit, Environmental Science and Geography fieldwork, the start of DAV Debating and we welcome 9 students from Ritsumeikan Super ScienceSchool in Kyoto Japan next week to JMSS on exchange.
It is very pleasing to see that all of our new students seem to have settled in well and are meeting the learning challenges thrown in front of them head-on. A quick reminder for parents to regularly check Canvas and Compass regularly for updates on aspects such as events, excursions and student learning progress.
Year 12 Parent Forum
Again in 2024 more than half of our Year 12's are the first in their family to finish the final year of their secondary schooling. To assist the parents of our Year 12's both new to VCE units 3 and 4 and those more familiar with the processes and mechanics inherent in this busy year, we are running a Year 12 Parents Forum to help introduce and explain the intricacies of the Year 12 year.
The Year 12 parents Forum will run at JMSS on Wednesday 6th March at 6.00pm and we encourage all our Year 12 parents to attend.
University Extension 2024
Once again JMSS is a large provider of University extension opportunities for our Year 12 students. We are running University of Melbourne first-year mathematics at JMSS and students are also completing first-year university subjects in Chemistry, Physics, Climate Science and Psychology.
Year 12 Camp
More than 230 year 12 students descended upon the Lord Somers Camp at Somers on the Mornington Peninsula at the end of February for 3 days of team building, beach activities, motivational speakers and coverage of the many important policies and processes inherent in the year 12 year. Abdi Aden, a Somalian refugee was a popular part of the program with his recollections about fleeing the Somalian Civil War. The picture below shows Abdi in Somers Amphitheatre.The very warm weather made the beach a very attractive destination although unfortunately dolphin sightings were rare this year. Thanks to all the students and staff who attended the camp and made it such a success.
Reef and Rainforest Trip 2024
The Reef and Rainforest trip this year has 80 students and 9 staff attending Far North Queensland in late June.
To discuss all aspects of the trip and to ensure everyone is aware of any preparation required, we are running an information night in the last week of Term 1. We will email the exact date and time to all participants soon.
All participants and their parents are required to attend. The session will cover aspects of the itinerary, items to bring, Covid safe plans and any other preparation required to make our annual trip to the Reef and Rainforest all the more enjoyable.
Monash University is also offering waterwise swimming courses for students who may want to improve their swimming prior to the trip. More details to follow.
Music Soirees
Over the next few month there will be a number of music soirees at JMSS to allow students to get some performance practice and allow parents to view the range of music ensembles operating at JMSS.
The first Music Soiree for 2023 is the Baroque Blockbusters Soiree on Tuesday March 19 followed by the Piano Soireeon Thursday March 21.
Important events for the rest of Term 1 and early Term 2:
- Wednesday 20th March Year 12 Formal
- Tuesday 26th March Parent Teacher Students conferences (virtual). Stay tuned to Compass to book interviews.
- Thursday 28th March Last day Term 1
- Monday 15th April Start Term 2
- Thursday 25th April Anzac Day (Public Holiday)
- Friday 26th April Curriculum Day (No students required at School)
- Wednesday 1st May JMSS Open Night for Prospective Students (virtual)
Andrew Chisholm
Assistant Principal