Principal's Message

Issue Highlights

• At the start of the term I officially accepted the substantive Principal position at Jackson School. Thank you for your ongoing support. 
• COVID-19 Update: The Victorian Government has announced that Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will continue to be distributed to you as they have been throughout this school year for the remainder of Term 2. 
• Our common Term 2 Professional Practice Day will be on Friday 3rd June. This will be a pupil free day. 
• There are a number of NDIS Information Sessions for Families coming up. Please see below for further details.
• In preparation for the start of our School Building Upgrade, the relocatable classrooms at the rear of the school have now been removed. 
• Our first Family "Meet & Greet" session will take place on Thursday 9th June between 12-1pm in the staffroom. If you would like to attend please complete the following RSVP form:  https://forms.office.com/r/BBRzkLm86i
• This year marks 150 years of public education in Victoria. Please find attached some videos of how education has changed over this time. What will schools be like in another 150 years?
• Congratulations to Jan Brown who has now completed 50 Years of working for the Department of Education and Training (DET). 
• Apologies the Family Games Night (Cancelled). Will be replaced later in the year with an outdoor event for families to attend.
• Student of the Week - in line with our new PBIS rewards system.
• Showcase of students' learning from across the school in Primary (Year 5/6 Swimming) and Secondary (Year 7/8 Horse Camp).
• Allied Health and Wellbeing information to support you and your child.
• Community news including from Jackson OSHC provider TheirCare.

Dear Families,

At the start of the term I officially accepted the substantive Principal position at Jackson School. It gives me great pleasure to be able to continue the school improvement journey we have started together. I feel very honoured to have been chosen by DET and School Council to be the next Principal of our community. I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout my time as a teacher, PLT Leader, Assistant/Deputy Principal and Acting Principal at Jackson School. I am immensely proud of all we have achieved at Jackson School and I look forward to continuing this work with you all.

Thank you to Robyn (Assistant Principal) for acting in the role in my absence. With the support of the Leadership Team the school continued to run to provide your child with the best educational experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at home in the UK catching up with my family after so long and they all loved meeting Ollie and Lottie.

COVID Update

COVID-19 cases are increasing across the state and within our community. From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in Years 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk. We have a large supply available from the office. Everyone including students aged 8 years and above must wear a face mask when travelling on public transport. School bus staff, adult travellers and students are required to wear face masks as is the case for public transport.  Lawful exemptions continue to apply. 

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) Update

The Victorian Government has announced that Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) will continue to be distributed to you as they have been throughout this school year for the remainder of Term 2.

However, from Monday 23rd May 2022, students will no longer be recommended to undertake testing 5 days a week in specialist schools. RATs however will continue to be required by students who are household contacts to attend school (5 negative tests over a 7 day period) or who have symptoms. The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our school will ensure that parents and carers will have them should they need them if their child is a household contact or has symptoms.

Thank you also to all families who has got their child vaccinated. Vaccination continues to remain the best way to protect students and staff in our school. Getting vaccinated is easy and bookings can be done via the coronavirus website. If you have any questions about the vaccines, I encourage you to speak to your GP or a health practitioner.

Families must continue to notify the Department of Health and the school if their child returns a positive RAT result. Additionally, you should inform us if any of your children are household contacts. 

After doing the tests at home each morning, if it is positive, you will need to:

1. let the school know on the via the Jackson COVID Hotline 03 9366 4322; Option 4 and/or dedicated email address covid@jacksons.vic.edu.au. There is a message bank on the phone for when the phone is unmanned by our rostered COVID Officer. Families are able to message the mobile number and/or email address 24 hours a day. Please note we will only be able to respond to messages and calls within office hours.
2. keep your child at home for 7 days 
3. contact the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398.

Thank you again for your ongoing cooperation and support during this time.

REMINDER: Professional Practice Day - Friday 3rd June

The department recently reached an in-principle agreement with unions, as bargaining representatives of employees in the Victorian Teaching Service. If approved, teachers will be entitled to 3 additional professional practice days in 2022. For Term 2 2022 only, the department recommends schools hold their first professional practice day on the same day for all staff. This is to make it easier for schools to source casual relief teachers. School Council has motioned that our common Term 2 Professional Practice Day will be on Friday 3rd June. This will be a pupil free day. 

NDIS Information Sessions

63% of our students at Jackson School are currently on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). 

The Association for Students with a Disability (ACD) are providing NDIS Information Sessions on the NDIS. The initial sessions are for families who do yet have an NDIS plan. These sessions will be offered in English and Vietnamese.

• 2nd June 9:30am-11am (English) at Jackson Staffroom
• 9th June 9:30am-11am (Vietnamese) at Jackson Staffroom

The ACD will be offering further sessions for students already on the NDIS who would like support in reviewing their package.

The NDIS is also offering a series of upcoming virtual sessions for students with disability in Years 9-12 and their parents, carers and education professionals.

This is a great opportunity for students and key people in their lives to hear about the range of NDIS-funded supports and other assistance to help them prepare for their post-school transition.

• Thursday, 26 May 2022, 7.00pm – 8.30pm (AEST) 
• Monday, 17 October 2022, 7.00pm – 8.30pm (AEDT) 
• Tuesday 25 October 2022, 7.00pm - 8.30pm (AEDT)

More information about the sessions, including how to register, is included in the attached flier. 

$11 Million Asset Management Plan

In preparation for the start of our School Building Upgrade, the relocatable classrooms at the rear of the school have now been removed. 

The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) have been working with our architects (FMSA) to review tender submissions to appoint a builder for our project. Within the next month we will be able to move to the construction phase of the project.

In the Victorian Budget 22/23 the government announced an additional $326 million for capital upgrades at 36 special schools across Victoria. This will create modern and safe places for students that attend special schools. Jackson School was included in the 20/21 investment to upgrade special schools facilities.

Family "Meet & Greet"

To increase our families' connection with the school and each other, we are starting regular Family "Meet & Greet" drop-in sessions with light refreshments provided. Members of School Council and the Leadership will be invited to join families in sharing their experiences and feedback about our school. Our first session will take place on Thursday 9th June between 12-1pm in the staffroom. I would love to see as many of you as possible. If you would like to attend please complete the following RSVP form:  https://forms.office.com/r/BBRzkLm86i

150 Years of Public Education

This year marks 150 years of public education in Victoria. In 1872 the introduction of the Education Act made Victoria the first Australian colony (and one of the first jurisdictions in the world) to offer free, secular and compulsory education to its children.

Before 1872 most children living in Victoria were enrolled at government-aided institutions, others attended independent or church schools. A few were educated at home by tutors and, at a time when schooling was neither compulsory nor free, some received no formal education at all.

The 150 year anniversary of public education is an opportunity for us to commemorate the long and proud history of high-quality education in Victoria and to reflect on our own engagement with the state education system.

On Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st May I will be attending the Education State Conference in Melbourne which is an opportunity for Victorian government school principals to come together for the first time since 2019. Principals will learn from and be inspired by some of the world’s most renowned educators and leading practitioners. I will be in regular contact with the school during these two days. 

• Then and Now Video
• Past and Future Video

What will schools be like in another 150 years?

Jan Brown - 50 Years

Congratulations to Jan Brown who has now completed 50 Years of working for the Department of Education and Training (DET). Jan has worked at Jackson School since 1980. Jan has been a teacher, primary department coordinator and most recently our Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) coordinator. Many of you will have spoken or met with Jan on enrolment or for your PSD Review meeting. Jan will attend a celebration in June with the Deputy Premier and Minister of Education, The Hon. James Merlino. On behalf of our school community thank you for your years of service and impact you have had on our students.

Best wishes,

Anthony