Peter Corkill
Principal
Dear Parents, Students and Friends of John Monash Science School
The much heralded Australian Science Fair came and went last week, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, after all the planning and preparation. The result was superb, and a huge thanks must go to the many staff, parents and students at JMSS who contributed to its success.
Australian Science Fair - A Huge Success
John Monash Science School held its annual Australian Science Fair from Monday 25th to Wednesday 27th November. This year’s event was held over three days, and involved over 40 students and teachers from science-specialist school from each state and territory in Australia, as well as schools from regional Victoria. All of JMSS’s Year 10 students also participated. All students involved were able to present the findings of their research projects and share their learnings with the many visitors to the school over this time, both via their posters on the Exhibition Night, and in their oral presentations during the conference. They also participated in a range of STEM activities over the three days, including the STEM engineering challenge and workshops organised by Monash academic staff. A number of primary schools (in our Little Scientist Program) also participated and show-cased their work at this event, and over 600 of them participated in the workshops run by own Year 10 students.
I would like to especially thank the staff, the PFA parents, Monash Academics and JMSS students who gave of their time, expertise and energy to make this event not only possible, but also the spectacular success it turned out to be. I would like to make special mention of the members of the ASF Steering Committee: Dr. Mel Denney, Ms. Fiona Bui, Mrs Lia Bay, Mrs Alison Galloway, Mrs Lauren Dolley and the Principal Class Officers, for their tireless preparation and planning which led to the success of this significant undertaking.
The new Australian Schools Science Network (ASSN)
At the end of the conference, the Principals of the schools invited from each of the eight Australian states and territories agreed to form the Australian Schools Science Network (the ASSN) to continue this wonderful annual event, and in time to enable it to travel around the country to a different state each year. The schools of the new ASSN will continue to ensure exciting experiences in science will be provided to their students and teachers as well as others in each of their states. The Principals are committed to work together to make this happen.
JMSS 10th Anniversary Celebration
Last Wednesday night following the successful Australian Science Fair, over 100 people gathered at the new Monash Jazz Club to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of JMSS in 2010. It was a wonderful night of reflection, laughs, anecdotes, memories and reunions. The mix of current and former students and staff, councillors, parents and Monash academics made of a wonderful event, one to reminisce on past events and achievements to date, and even to ponder what could eventuate in the next ten years of this wonderful school of ours.
Recognition of Significant Contributors to JMSS – the JMSS Service Award
We decided that this event would launch the recognition of people who have made a significant contribution to the school, outside the immediate staff. This could likely include people who have served long terms on the JMSS School on Council, Monash Academics who have worked for a long time behand the scenes in the establishment of JMSS or its ongoing development, Department of Education officials, PFA representatives or other parents who support the school, alongside former students, businesses or individuals who support the school in an ongoing sense, and so on.
This year we decided to honour two individuals as inaugural recipients of the JMSS Service Award. One is Emeritus Professor Richard (Dick) Gunstone, who as one of three academics working together in the early part of this century at Monash, is accredited with initiating and sustaining the momentum which saw JMSS be realised in 2010. His speech at the anniversary event will be long remembered by those who were there.
The other is Mr. Phil Gardner, former Principal of many years standing in Government schools, who worked with the inaugural school leadership team to help it manoeuvre its way through the many corridors and departments of both the Department of Education and Training and Monash University in the establishment of the curriculum, partnerships, and processes which set JMSS on such a good footing. Sadly Phil passed away suddenly earlier this year, and his loss continues to be felt by many at JMSS, and me in particular. He was a dear friend and colleague. He was represented by his lovely wife Gaby, who accepted the award on his behalf.
From now on we will make the presentation of the JMSS Service Award at the school’s Presentation Night, usually held in December at the Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University.
VCE Results and ATARs
These will be made known to schools on Thursday 12th December. We will be sending out a bulletin to the whole community with the usual statistics early the following week. Monash and JMSS representatives will be available on the Friday for students who wish to change their course selections after receiving their results.
Outreach funding confirmed for the next four years
We have had formal approval of the plan we put together to expend the funding allocated for the continuation and expansion of both the Regional Exchange and Emerging Sciences Victoria programs over the next four years. This is an outstanding outcome and we look forward to continuing this wonderful work for Victorian students over the next four years.
JMSS welcomes new students to the school
We now have our 32 new Year 11 students, starting in 2020, with us for the two-week orientation period. They have settled in well and we are very much looking forward to having them with us. Our new Year 10 students came to the school ‘en masse’ on Monday. This filled the school for the first time since our Year 12s left after their final day of studies. My sincere thanks to all the parents of the PFA who cooked lunch for the 600 hungry students here on such an unseasonably cold day, and for our staff and current students for making them all so welcome.
Peter Corkill
Principal