Principal's Desk 

Corinne Pupillo 

Dear parents, carers and friends of the school community,

Student learning and operations are all well underway now!   A special thank you to everyone for ensuring the start to the year was such a positive experience.  

We hope that the newsletter delivers a valuable source of information as well as a celebration of the programs and activities that take place over the fortnight. 

Circuit Breaker Lockdown 3.0 

The Premier, Daniel Andrews' news of a five day circuit breaker lockdown announcement last week resulted in students moving to remote and flexible learning from Monday - Wednesday. Staff and parent/carers moved swiftly to support students for remote learning. Up to 15 students each day accessed onsite learning support whilst the majority of students were learning from home.   I'd like to sincerely thank staff, students, and parent/carers for your flexibility, adaptability and resilience.   During periods of uncertainty and change, students continue to learn to adapt and we know that students with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the world around them.  The partnerships our staff form with parents/carers are a critical element and we really value this partnership, particularly during these uncertain times. 

Corridors and playgrounds were eerily quiet early this week and the announcement to return to onsite learning for all students on Thursday 18th February was welcomed by all the community and it's been lovely to see all our students and staff back onsite.  

Foundation Students 

Reminder: Our foundation students will commence full time as of Monday 22nd February.  Establishing routines and consistency is very important for our new students, for this reason we commence full time relatively quickly here at JSA. Please speak to you child’s teacher if you anticipate any concerns. 

Staffing update 

Assistant Principal, Emmaleen Oakley is currently on leave and we have appointed Denise Clarke to the acting Assistant Principal (4 days) from 9th  February – 1st April 2021. 

Emmaleen has indicted that she will not be returning to the Assistant Principal position when she returns from leave so we are currently recruiting for a replacement.  The new Assistant Principal Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting will complement the Excellence in Teaching and Learning position Steph Di Salvo currently holds. 

I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to the following staff:

• Karen Mohoney: Classroom teacher
• Janice Twentyman: Classroom teacher
• Robert Ball:  Hands on Learning (Build)

2021 School Council Nominations 

School Council Nominations closed yesterday at 4pm and the number of nominations were less than the vacancies so I can declare that all nominations are elected. 

Welcome back to: 

• Stephanie Di Salvo  ( DET Rep)
• Andrew MacDonough (Parent Rep)
• Alisha Minns (DET/Parent Rep)
• Lisa Sette (Parent Rep)
• Vacancy ( Parent Rep)
• Virginia Smedley (Community Rep) was also elected by School Councilors last night.

We look forward to welcoming back our current members and I'd like to thank Aiden Mullens for his contribution to School Council over the past 2 years.  We do have one more parent vacancy on School Council so if you would like to join, please contact me directly. 

Personal Property Policy – REMINDER 

Jacana School for Autism understands that staff and/or students may sometimes like to bring items of personal property to school.

The Department of Education and Training does not have insurance for personal property of staff, students and visitors. Jacana School for Autism does not take responsibility for items of personal property that are lost, stolen or damaged at school or during school activities. Damage to personal property brought to school is the responsibility of the owner of that property.

Jacana School for Autism encourages staff and students not to bring items of value to school, or to obtain appropriate insurance for such items.

Home / School Communication  & Student Diaries

All students have been issued with a Student Diary, which is a valuable way to stay connected with your classroom teacher.  This, however may not be the only form of communication between parent’s/ carers and teachers.   Please discuss other ways of communication when there are more pressing or urgent matters.  Telephone and email communication are also an option for those situations that extend beyond the space allocated in the home diary. 

Leading Teachers can also be contacted via email:

• Primary Years Sub School Leader: Libby Pitruzzello: elizabeth.pitruzzello@education.vic.gov.au
• Middle Years Sub School Leaders: Dan Moloney: (Monday & Wednesdays) and Linda Wakeling (Tuesday, Thursday & Friday):                daniel.moloney@education.vic.gov.au & linda.wakeling@education.vic.gov.au
• Secondary Years Sub School Leader: Mark Taylor:  mark.taylor@education.vic.gov.au
• Student Transition Co-ordinator: Julie Coonan: (Monday and Tuesday)  julie.coonan@education.vic.gov.au 
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement Leader: Michelle Zammit:  michelle.zammit@education.vic.gov.au
• Teaching and Learning Coaches:  Elizabeth Smith: (Monday and Wednesday) and  Dan Moloney: (Tuesday, Thursday & Friday)        elizabeth.smith@education.vic.gov.au  &  daniel.moloney@education.vic.gov.au 

Members of the Principal Class Team can also be contacted via email 

• Principal: Corinne Pupillo:                                        corinne.pupillo@education.vic.gov.au
• Assistant Principal (Excellence in Teaching and Learning):  Stephanie Di Salvo:  stephanie.disalvo@education.vic.gov.au
• Acting Assistant Principal: (Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting):                          Dr Denise Clarke:  denise.clarke@education.vic.gov.au

Independent Travel Requests 

Parents/carers may request independent travel education because they believe their child is ready to take this step, or their child is nearing the end of their secondary education and is in transition to further education and training or employment. It should be noted that parental request alone is insufficient to determine participation and their request should not be given greater weight than others involved in the selection process. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you would like more information regarding Independent Travel Education. 

Safety in the Carparks - snail pace only!

At drop-off and pick-up times there are students and parents walking through the carparks. As you know, children can be unpredictable and can suddenly run out from nowhere or in a different direction. Please ensure when you drive into the carpark you are driving at less than 5KPH and are watching vigilantly for small children who may be difficult to see between the cars. 

Aerial View - Jacana School for Autism

To complement our Schools Virtual School Tour, Karen Glare has engaged a photographer that has captured our school from above.  

Please take a look and see how wonderful the facilities look from above.  

School Council Meeting 

Our first School Council meeting for 2021 was last night,  Thursday 18th February and was conducted via Webex. 

School Council Sub Committee Representatives

Finance Sub Committee Representative - Sharon Borg 

Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Alisha Minns 

Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette

School Council Representative on Student Representative Council (SRC) – Alisha Minns

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 Page or on the school's website. 

JSA also has a Facebook Page administered by the leadership team.  Please like and follow our page.

https://www.facebook.com/JacanaSchoolforAutism