Jackson School Staff Bulletin

Welcome Back!

Term 2 2023

Welcome Back to Term 2!

 

I hope you all have had a relaxing and well deserved Easter break. Term 1 was a long and exhausting term. I hope you've been able to recharge your batteries in readiness for Term 2. Luckily it's only a 9 week term with a shorter week to start. I know many of you have been able to get away by car in Australia or aeroplane overseas. It is comforting to know that other special and mainstream schools have faced similar difficulties at the start of the year. By all comparisons, we have had a positive start to 2023. This wouldn't be possible without the strong sense of collaboration and support within our community. Thank you for the work you do every day and for being there for each other.

 

I also used the holidays to have a break away from work starting with a trip to visit Han's family for Easter. The second week we were able to get away for a night to Melbourne to celebrate Lottie's 2nd birthday.

Staffing & HR

 

Despite the many staffing and recruitment challenges faced across the state, I am proud that we are able to continue to run and have been able to honour all related work time release and operate PLT planning days in Term 1. Thank you to Ian who is currently stepping into 9/10A whilst Kal is on leave - this is extremely appreciated. We will continue to recruit staff throughout the year to ensure that we are able to run the school at full capacity.

 

On behalf of the Jackson School Community, I would like to officially welcome our new Education Support Staff: Joelyna (1/2), Sumiyo (3/4), Angie (4-6), Maria (CRT 0.4), Dante (9/10 0.6) and Teacher: Colin (9/10 Support 0.4). These staff will be initially shadowing ESS across teams as part of their induction and support daily organisation. Welcome to our community!

 

We have four ongoing teacher positions which close this weekend. Once these jobs close we will shortlist and interview for these positions. There will be other ongoing opportunities coming up for Teachers and ESS later in the year. We are still recruiting for a Mental Health Practitioner. 

 

We will also be advertising for future leadership (Teacher Class) and Management (ES Class) roles as we approach Semester 2.

Buildings & Grounds

Our new Prep and Allied Health Therapy Centre have been delivered onsite during the first week of the school holidays. These will now be ready for handover around Week 6 of Term 2. The old Prep portable will be removed in Week 7. Following the handover of our first stage of buildings, the Prep yard will be out of bounds whilst landscaping of this area occurs. Please see below the design for the new Prep-year 2 playground. The build overall is still on track for completion in August of 2023.

 

Work is still continuing on site and things are starting to take shape. Our contractors have been busy building a staff professional learning space as well as renovating our admin building, community hub/library, food technology/cafe, and performing arts including our new radio and film studios. 

 

Over the holidays, extensive work has been conducted in the front car park to install the new fire service. Some parking bays may be disrupted for the first week of the term. I am very pleased that the Fire Dispensation has now been approved. As our contractors now begin preparing the rear of our site for the arrival of our Year 5-8 Building, there will be some disruption to the oval whilst the fence is relocated. These modular buildings are currently in production and we look forward to visiting the factory again in a couple of weeks.

 

Thank you to Karen, the OSHC staff and the Year 1-4 staff for making accommodations for the holiday program during the construction works. The hall toilets will be out of bounds this week. This will mean that OSHC will have to use the outdoor toilets. Apologies for this inconvenience. 

Book in for your COVID-19 Winter Boosters & Free Flu Shots

 

There were 6,052 COVID-19 cases reported in Victoria this week, an increase of 4 per cent from the previous week. The average daily number of new cases this week was 865, up from 830 last week.

 

The 2023 COVID-19 booster dose is available for everyone aged 18 and above.

Getting your booster dose remains the best way to prevent severe illness or hospitalisation, especially in people over 65 and those at higher risk of severe illness. The new bivalent vaccines are preferred for booster doses.

 

You can have your booster dose 6 months after your last dose or COVID infection. Children aged between 5 and 17 years who are at risk of severe illness can also receive a 2023 booster dose.

 

Get your next dose at your local pharmacy or GP. Find one near you using the Vaccine Clinic Finder

 

Jackson School will purchase vouchers for Chemist Warehouse for staff to receive a free Influenza vaccine in preparation for this winter. If you are interested in receiving a free flu shot please let Matt know. 

Autism Awareness Month

 

April is Autism Awareness Month. Although we're always raising awareness, Autism Awareness Australia encourages everyone to take the time to educate themselves this April. Whether you're autistic yourself, have family that have ASD or totally new to the community, there's always more to learn and understand about autism and its incredible diversity.

 

During Term 2 some of our professional learning will be focused around Neurodiverse Learners and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to our students' intellectual disabilities, over 49% of our student population have an ASD. This will also be followed up through our Jackson Learner Case Management Meetings. 

 

ANZAC Day - Lest We Forget

 

Please take some time on Wednesday to remember ANZAC Day with your students and all the Australian and New Zealander soldiers who have fallen in the First World War and subsequent wars and conflicts. There are many educational resources available online, including: https://anzacday.org.au/. I encourage you to be creative on your first week back to engage students after the holiday break and re-establish routines, expectations and a positive climate for learning. 

 

ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day

Curriculum Day - Monday 24th April

 

Our curriculum day will commence at 9 am on Monday 24th April. Staff should arrive at school by 8:30 am as normal. Lunch will be provided. Weather permitting this will be under the new Basketball Shade Sail. If the weather isn't on our site then this will be in the hall instead.

 

This will be focused on our transition from the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) to Disability Inclusion (DI). The Disability Inclusion (DI) Reform will impact Brimbank-Melton next year (2024). This will replace the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) and the way students are currently funded to be at Jackson. All students at Jackson School must have a diagnosis of a intellectual disability in the mild range (FSIQ between 50-70). This requires ongoing documentation of schools to provide substantial and extensive levels of adjustment (LoA) to help students with disability access their education. On the curriculum day, we will begin to look at this transition. This will involve groups within your PLT and paired activities (Teacher-ES). On the Disability Inclusion page there is also further information and professional learning videos to support your understanding of the reform. Some staff will also be involved in a follow-on workshop regarding the PSD Reviews this year. This will focus on the scoring the Vineland 3 and help in completing the Teacher Referral Forms. 

 

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 term. These include: 

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

 

Anthony