Sally Cheah - Johnson

Assistant Principal

Dear Students and Parents,

The Lockdown:

As I write this message to you, we are going through the end of the 3rd week of Melbourne’s Covid lockdown.  To all our students, I want you to know that I am thinking of you.   I totally understand if you feel frustrated and somewhat ‘flat’.  It is very challenging and I understand.  Please talk to someone (family members, friends or teachers) if you are having frustrations / difficulties.  It is important to ‘off-load’.  If you need support, please do not be shy from seeking assistance.  I am onsite at school and can be contacted on 99051002 or my direct line 99029827.

The whole purpose of this lockdown (#6) is to keep us safe, healthy and protected from being exposed to the coronavirus.  So I wish you my best regards in staying safe and healthy at home.  I hope that everything can return to normal (schooling onsite) as quickly as possible. 

School is important but so is your health.  Take care of yourself and each other. 

No matter what happens this year, be proud of yourself and your ability to adapt to remote learning and the uncertainties due to the Covid situation.  

You are resilient and I am very proud of you.  

Being home means school time is a lot shorter. I hope you will take the time to figure out what you love doing and find out more about it.  Invest in the time at home on your hobby or find a new hobby.   One of the things I have disciplined myself to do is to have a 30 minute walk each day. It’s not a long walk but it makes a difference to the day.  I hope you are spending some time outdoors exercising too.  

Your teachers haven’t gone anywhere. They are merely waiting until the lockdown is lifted and it is safe enough to be back in the classroom with you.   

Students are our purpose, and we look forward to seeing you back onsite.

To all our students, I want you to know that:

• You matter, and we miss you. ...
• Please stay safe. ...
• Develop your own interests and get creative. ...
• Try to spend some time outdoors every day. ...Exercise
• We will be here when you get back.

I so look forward to seeing you back onsite when the lockdown is lifted.

2022 Student Leadership positions:

We had a very large number of applications for School Captaincy and House & Portfolio Captaincies positions.

Thank you to the students who have applied. Despite the Covid lockdown situation, it is great to see that your spirit of determination and aspiration to be a student leader hasn’t been dampened by the challenges. 

Our current leaders in the Student Parliament have certainly role-modelled the JMSS ‘Can-Do’ attitude.  I like to take this opportunity to thank Felix Chung, Hannah Parkins, Caitlin Lewis and Sasha Melnikov, and all the other student leaders in the Parliament for all that they do despite the lockdown circumstances.  You are awesome and I am very proud of you.

In regards to the process of Election, your House Leaders will be sending you information about the voting process and timeline.  As for the School Captaincy positions, the short-listed applicants will be notified for interviews.

I urge students to read their emails for further communications.  

To all students, I would like to say to you that it is very important that you vote.   Every vote matters.  It is about who you believe is your leader and who will represent you and the school community.

In electing your leader, I hope you will consider the following attributes:  Integrity, Honesty, Trustworthiness, Reliability, Credibility and Competency.

Also consider whether the person you vote for will lead with: High Commitment, Purpose, Collaboration, Strong Moral Compass and Positive Energy.

Best wishes to all in this 2022 Student Leadership application.

Parent Opinion Survey:

JMSS is conducting the annual Department of Education & Training (DEET) survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the DEET that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents/caregivers/guardians (previously known as the Parent Opinion Survey). 

It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, student engagement and experiences of remote and flexible learning. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. Approximately 30 per cent of parents have been invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year, the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 19th July to Friday 3rd September.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

If you have any queries in regards to this survey, please contact me on 99021005 or email me on sally.cheah-johnson@jmss.vic.edu.au.

Take care and kindest regards to all.

Sally Cheah-Johnson

Assistant Principal

(House, Student Empowerment and Achievement).