Peter Corkill - Principal

Dear Parents and Students

We are at the end of a really busy term. I have been impressed with the work output of our students and the terrific way they have settled into effective routines. JMSS continues to be an impressive and purposeful place of learning.

School Council Office Bearers

The following arrangements are now in place for the office bearers for this year’s JMSS School Council:

President: Mr Stephen Duggan;

Vice President: Dr Robyn Whittle;

Secretary: Mrs Alison Galloway;

Treasurer: Prof Rob Norris;

Principal and Executive Officer: Mr Peter Corkill;

Staff Representatives: Mr Andrew Chisholm, Mrs Sally Cheah Johnson, Mrs Alison Galloway;

Parent Representatives: Mr Paul Vella, Mr Bill Muir, Mrs Padma Kandadi, Mr Steve Blight, Dr Simon Musgrave;

Monash Representatives: Prof Darrell Evans, Prof Debbie Corrigan, Assoc Prof Cristina Varsavsky, Prof Rob Norris.

Significant Recent Events at JMSS

The term has recently been marked by several wonderful events:

• Professor Dustin Marshall (Dept. Evolutionary Biology Monash University) and Dr Letitzia Sammut and Mr Chris Whittle (Monash University Gravitational Wave team) all attended this week’s assembly and spoke passionately about science, the importance of good communication and the fact that the students here are really close in their lives to doing some real science. Dustin is currently working on an important evolutionary problem focussing on organisms in Port Phillip Bay, and trying to unlock the reasons why the offspring of most organisms on earth have actually reduced in size over the past 100 years. Letitzia and Chris are members of Dr Eric Thrane’s team from Monash which has been working with colleagues across the world on the now famous Gravitational Waves discovery in recent months. The assembly was largely focussed on these two presentations and was in every way a celebration of important contemporary science here in Australia, and closer to home here at Monash. And it was especially wonderful to welcome back Chris Whittle to JMSS, from our inaugural cohort in 2012, and first school captain! We are so proud of you Chris!;
• We are sending a team of three students to the International Students Science Fair in late May – this is the next iteration of the wonderful ISSF event here in Melbourne last December. Congratulations to Sara Yusada, Anthony Ta and Vivianne Truong;
• We are sending a team of four students to the Singapore International Mathematics Challenge also in late May – this is the next iteration of this biennial event in which JMSS won a medal in 2014. Congratulations to Orion Zymaris, Alex Socha, Ethan Payne and Yi Jie Neo;
• The Year 12 Formal and the recent Student Leadership Camp were both wonderful events and very much highlights of the term. It is terrific seeing our students contribute so productively in so many different arenas. I was particularly impressed with the work of our young student leaders on what was a challenging agenda for them on camp. I am looking forward to their contribution this year to the JMSS community.

I would like to wish all members of our community a safe and happy two-week break over Easter. I would urge students to take some time out and have a well-earned rest, although if you are behind in any of your studies this represents an excellent chance to catch up. I would also like to congratulate all of our new Year 10 and 11 students who have settled so well into their new school. It has been a mightily impressive start by all of you.

Peter Corkill

Principal