Principal's News Flash 

Corinne Pupillo

Dear parents, carers and friends of the school community,

10th Birthday Celebration 

Firstly, thank you to all those of you who attended our 10 year celebration and for your support on the day!  Also, thank you to those staff and students that prepared the learning spaces for Saturday.  The spaces represented the achievements of our students beautifully.  What became very evident was the significant involvement of our students, sense of community and pride in the school.  Student voice and agency has been  amplified over the 10-year journey, and I am proud of all we have achieved.  We took the opportunity to celebrate all the 2013 foundation students and staff by presenting certificates to the ones in attendance, capturing lots of photos during the day.  It was a monumental job and I want to sincerely thank the 10th Birthday Planning Committee for their amazing support.

• Amelia Frantz
• Lawrence Deveney
• Amy Bartholomeusz
• Denise Clarke
• Michelle McMaster
• Fiona Micellota
• Steph Di Salvo
• Dan Moloney 
• Lisa Sette – School Council President
• Alisha Minns 

The Time Capsule will be closed up at the end of the year and placed in the ground  (and will coincide with the practical completion of the Yuluk Building) so this will finalize the year long celebrations. 

Curriculum Day – 14th March 

We really appreciate that staff have dedicated days to come together to build their professional knowledge and capacity, so they can support your child in their learning.   On this day we provided a smorgasbord of Professional Learning activities including:

• Protecting Children - Mandatory Reporting online training
• Number and Algebra Guide and Essential Assessment
• Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA) Approach 
• Introduction to Epilepsy and Medication Theory
• Protecting Children: Mandatory Reporting and Other Obligations
• Real Schools Induction (New Staff) 
• Introduction to Epilepsy and Medication Theory

School Review - Field Days 

Over the past 3 days, our School Reviewer, Dennis Pratt, Senior Education Improvement Leader, Vivienne Tellefson, Challenge Partners, Tess Abbotsmit-Youl and Emma Lawless conducted a range of focus groups with staff, students and parents.  

The focus of the Fieldwork Days was to capture a broad representation of the school community to obtain feedback and opinions of the terms of reference in a comprehensive and purposeful manner; as well provide the panel insight into what teaching and learning looks like at Jacana, supported by appropriate assessments and scaffolded by leaders to develop staff capacity to improve student learning and wellbeing.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) Questions included:

FISO -2 Dimensions: Teaching and Learning

1. To what extent is there a consistent teaching and learning model enabling teachers to adapt their pedagogy, lesson plans and assessments to ensure learners of all abilities can access their curriculum? 

FISO -2 Dimension: Assessment

2. To what extent does the school use systematic assessment strategies and measurement practices to obtain and provide feedback on student learning growth, attainment and wellbeing capabilities? 

FISO -2 Dimensions: Leadership 

3. To want extent do leaders monitor and implement evidence-based strategies and actions to improve student wellbeing and learning? 

The feedback we receive from the ToR, will in turn inform the development of our next Strategic Plan and 2023 Annual Implementation Plan. 

School Council AGM 

Last night we held our 10th Annual General Meeting and the office bearers were elected.

Congratulations to: 

• President - Lisa Sette 
• Vice President - Chris Ernst
• Treasurer - Mark Mansfield 
• Finance Sub Committee Representative - Mark Mansfield 
• Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Denise Clarke
• Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette

I'm looking forward to working with our School Council Members to implement the new School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plans (AIP).  We do have one parent representative vacancy and would encourage any parent interested in joining School Council to reach out and connect with me on 9309 6258 or corinne.pupillo@education.vic.gov.au 

The 2023 AIP was endorsed by School Council and available on the school website. 

2022 Annual Report to the School Community

The Annual Report is a celebration of the achievements over the past 12 months and generally a lovely snapshot of our achievements against the 2022 school goals.  It was a pleasure to present the Annual Report to School Council and recognise the hard work and dedication of the community and their many achievements.  We should be very proud. 

Once the report has been through the quality assurance process it will be available via the school newsletter and website.  I would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of all our staff.  I am grateful to have such a dedicated and hard-working team around me.  I really look forward to continuing the work of School Council and the partnership that will be formed through your term in office.  The School Council plays an important role in that it endorses the strategic plan for the school and ensures that the school reaches the agreed milestones.  It is the principal’s role to report to back-to-school council on progress and to ensure that school improvement is high on the agenda. At the close of nominations, the number of nominations was equal to the number of vacancies. 

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Our next School Council Meeting will be held on Thursday 18 May at 5.30 pm.  

School Council Sub-Committee Representatives

• Finance Sub Committee Representative - Mark Mansfield 
• Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Denise Clarke
• Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette
• School Council Representative on Student Representative Council (SRC)  

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.

REMINDERS

• Friday 7 April - Good Friday 

End of Term Thursday 6 April - students finish school at 2pm, 1 hour earlier than usual 

Unwell Students 

Each morning when students are getting ready for school, I ask that you be mindful of how your child is presenting.  If they/he/she is feeling/looking/acting unusual or is complaining of being unwell please take them to the doctor. Minimising the cross-infection will assist in reducing the risk of spreading bugs and viruses.

All student absences can be made through the dedicated student absence notification number. Text the student's name, room number and reason for absence.

Make sure you have the student absence notification number saved in your contacts: 

Aerial View - Jacana School for Autism

This aerial photography has captured our school from above to complement our school's Virtual School Tour. Please take a look and see how wonderful the facilities look from above. 

Sun Smart 

Dear parents/carers JSA is a SunSmart community. You can help our students to be SunSmart at school by:

1. Dressing them in clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
2. Apply a generous amount of SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen at the start of the day before drop-off.
3. Packing their sun-protective hat each day.