Principal's Message

Jackson School is a collaborative learning community for all. We aim to develop independence through safety, respect and responsibility. We aspire to offer authentic, quality educational experiences that develop futures, create opportunities and inspire student potential; enabling our students to be valued and contributing members of the wider community. We share and celebrate our successes and achievements.   

The Issue Highlights

• Welcome back to Term 3!
• Eid Mubarak! 
• Our Primary School and Allied Health Centre has now been handed over.
• New oval fencing has been installed to create a Primary and Secondary zone and allow space for our Primary students (Years 3-6) to play/run on the oval. 
• Welcome Lisa Waters who begins with us as our new Mental Health Practitioner and Nathan (ES). Se further staffing changes below.
• Jacqui Kamenar and Laura Gianfriddo will start their maternity leave today.
• Due to our capital works program we will not be taking any new enrolments in 2023. We are now taking enrolments for 2024.
• Jackson School’s DTA is changing in 2024. This is due to the opening of a new Specialist School (Mild to Profound Intellectual Disability) opening in Aintree. If this is applicable to you and your family, your child is able to remain at Jackson School and continue to access these bus services. 
• Please return the August Census form to us by no later than Tuesday 25th July 2023. Thank you.
• On Tuesday 1st August, our Parent-Teacher Student Support Group (SSG) Meetings will take place over the phone or virtually via Microsoft Teams. 
• Students of the Week from our PBIS rewards system.
• Showcase of students' learning from across the school in Primary and Secondary
• Health and Wellbeing information to support you and your child.
• Community news including from Jackson OSHC provider TheirCare.
• School Dates -For the most up-to-date calendar dates, always refer to the Xuno Calendar in your Parent Portal.

Dear Families,

I hope you all had a lovely term break as a family. Our household was battling with winter illnesses, but we did manage to get away to the Mornington Peninsula for a couple of days at the start of the second week. 

Eid Mubarak! Our Muslim community will have celebrated Eid al-Adha on Wednesday 28th June 2023 / Thursday 29th June 2023. Eid al-Adha is a significant annual Islamic observance for Muslim communities across Australia. It is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice or Festival of Sacrifice.

It will be a busy term as we finish our school building upgrade and manage staff absences due to winter illness and pre-planned staff leave. Thank you for your support and flexibility to ensure we can continue to run our school during challenging circumstances. Term 3 is often the most productive term for students' learning now that students have settled into their classes and before the rush of Term 4 begins. 

Buildings & Infrastructure

There has been a lot of activity onsite these holidays. Our Primary School and Allied Health Centre has now reached practical completion and a Certificate of Final Inspection has been granted by the building surveyor for us to occupy the new building. 

The fire service works have been completed through the playground to connect up to our new 5-8 Middle School building from the new fire service at the front of the school. The new Prep-Year 2 playground is due to be installed at the start of August.

Rendine Modularity has now completed the delivery of our 5-8 Middle School modules at the start of the holidays. Work will continue to prepare these classrooms for handover towards the end of August. Landscaping is due to be completed by September/October. 

Works in our Library/Food Tech/Cafe and Performing Arts (including Radio and Film Studios) are now well underway. Now the walls are plastered you can truly get a sense of what these new learning spaces will be like.

Recess & Lunch Arrangements

Due to the construction and landscaping works we now have a reduced playground for our Primary students. To ensure the safety of our students we are making some alterations to recess and lunch arrangements until the construction works are completed. New oval fencing has been installed to create a Primary and Secondary zone and allow space for our Primary students (Years 3-6) to play/run on the oval. Once our new library and performing arts spaces are handed over at the end of July / beginning of August we will review these arrangements and make changes as required. We are continuing to explore a split Primary/Secondary timetable. Due to the VCAA minimum instruction requirements, Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 and Fair Work conditions this is increasingly difficult to implement without running an adverse weather/inside play timetable.

HR & Workforce

On behalf of the community I would like to welcome Lisa Waters who begins with us as our new Mental Health Practitioner. Lisa is a Social Worker with a Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Mental Health) and has been working in private practice to support students who have additional needs with their mental health. Lisa has also worked for Brimbank Youth Services and Melbourne City Mission (Housing). Lisa's role as part of the Department's Mental Health Reform is to build staff capacity across the school on supporting mental health concerns of our students. Lisa will also take small groups and see students individually as required. Parents/Carers will be asked to complete a consent form before students take part in these intervention programs. If you have any concerns about your child's mental health, please do not hesitate to get in touch through the school office or get in touch with your GP. 

Welcome to Nathan who starts with us as a new Education Support Staff member. Officially welcome to Janet Hill who will now teach 7/8B with Bess. Janet comes to us having worked as a CRT at Jackson previously and has been working with students with additional and complex needs in Seymour. Congratulations Kat who will take on the role of 7/8 PLT Leader (Assistant Learning Specialist).

This term there are a large number of staff vacancies to fill as we have had a number of staff who have left at the end of last term or are leaving early this term due to personal reasons and planned leave.

• Michael Linder has decided to pursue his acting career accepting a play in Term 3. Michael will return to us part-time after his play concludes. Colin and Cody will take 7/8C from the start of Term 3. 
• Ian Phelan will continue in 10A whilst Kal remains on leave.
• Vu and Vlado will support to cover Kathy's planned long service leave this term. 
• Gordana Bekavac also has planned long service leave in Term 3 and will return in Term 4. We are still recruiting for this position. Students have been placed across the other Year 4-6 classes with additional ES support until this position is filled.
• Pagan Newman will take 4-6C for the remainder of the year.

Jacqui Kamenar and Laura Gianfriddo will start their maternity leave today. We wish you both all the very best as they welcome their new bundles of joy into the world. We look forward to meeting them soon!

New Enrolments & Designated Transport Area

The Department of Education has provided us with additional enrolment guidance for the remainder of 2024 during our capital works program. This is to ensure our students continue to benefit from high quality teaching and learning. Based on data analysis and local constraints such as your current capital works program, we have sufficient accommodation for a total of 288 students but will not be taking any new enrolments in 2023. This sufficient accommodation figure will be reviewed later in 2023, prior to the 2024 school year, subject to delivery of current capital works and other local constraints. We are now taking enrolments for 2024. 

Jackson School’s DTA is changing in 2024. This is due to the opening of a new Specialist School (Mild to Profound Intellectual Disability) opening in Aintree. I am working with the Regional Advisory Group (RAG) and the newly appointed Principal (Lizzie Tout) to manage future enrolments. Students who have been enrolled at Jackson School prior to 2024 will be able to continue to access the Caroline Springs, Hillside and Taylor’s Hill bus services until the student graduates/leave the school/moves house. If this is applicable to you and your family, your child is able to remain at Jackson School and continue to access these bus services. To view Jackson School's new DTA, use the Department's new Transport Area Map by clicking below:

For more information on Aintree Specialist School (interim name) please click here: https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/aintree-specialist-school-interim-name 

Student Enrolment Census

Twice annually in February and August, the Department (DE) conducts a census in every school to support the development of the school budget (SRP). To support us with the data collection for the upcoming August census, can we kindly ask that you review the data that we currently have on the system for you, and if any information is incorrect, please cross it out and write the correct information next to the field. These forms were sent home with your SSG information. If you can kindly return this form to us by no later than Tuesday 25th July 2023, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for cooperating with us on this. 

Student Support Group (SSGs) Parent-Teacher Meetings

On Tuesday 1st August, our Parent-Teacher Student Support Group (SSG) Meetings will take place. Due to limited space and access because of our school building upgrade, these will be only held over the phone or virtually via Microsoft Teams. We apologise from any inconvenience this may cause families. Please remember to let the school know your preferred time for the SSG Meeting next week as it is important that you are able to discuss your child’s Individual Learning Plan goals. We aim to have every child’s parent or carer meet with the classroom teacher to discuss the learning of each child. When parents/carers and the school work closely in partnership research informs us the students have better outcomes. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Anthony