Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal

To the JMSS Community,

Well, what a term it has been. It has been so pleasing to see so many previous JMSS events and items be restored in Term 1. With the continued easing of restrictions from DET, students are again being offered incredible opportunities. One of which was the whole-school Personal Development Day. This day was all about providing opportunities for students to gain knowledge, exposure and experience around relevant topics such as financial literacy, cyber safety and consent to name a few. It also provided students a much needed ease on their cognitive load and time to pursue physical and social activities. I would like to thank the students and staff who fully embraced this day. 

Another exciting calendar event is the upcoming Year 12 Formal. I would like to take this opportunity to remind Year 12 students and parents/guardians that payments close on Sunday 3rd April. There is a significant amount of work required in the last week of term to prepare for the event, which cannot occur until ticket sales are known. Therefore, there will not be an extension to the payment deadline. 

I would like to encourage any families that hold a health care card that they can apply for CSEF (Camps, Sports & Excursions Funding). Any new Year 10 or 11 student to JMSS this year should notify their old school to transfer previous year’s unused funds to JMSS. Overtime, JMSS does accrue unused CSEF, which the school uses to support families with financial difficulties. Any families with genuine financial difficulties should contact the school if school payments are an issue. John Monash Science School understands that some families may experience financial difficulty and offers a range of support options, including:

● Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

● State Schools Relief for school uniform

● JMSS Opportunity Fund for supporting overseas trips for Health Card Holders

For a confidential discussion about accessing these services, or if you would like to discuss alternative payment arrangements, contact the school’s Business Manager.

One of the exciting initiatives now embedded at JMSS is the school’s diploma system. There is an ever increasing demand from universities and businesses to seek individuals with a breadth of experiences. Our diploma system tracks and encourages students to participate in any extra-curricular activity. Over the course of a student’s JMSS journey all extra-curricular activities are required and points awarded based on the standard of the activity and the level of achievement/accomplishment of the student. 

I would again like to remind the community about our new wellbeing email – wellbeing@jmss.vic.edu.au. This email can be used by any member of our community to contact JMSS’ Wellbeing Team. This email is primarily about allowing JMSS to support a student’s needs outside of the classroom. If the email is of an urgent matter regarding a student’s immediate safety, please type ‘URGENT’ in the title of the email. For academic support, please direct those emails to either the subject teacher or the student’s mentor.

Also regarding student wellbeing, I would like to thank the services of John McCormack, the school’s counsellor. John has been an integral part of the Wellbeing Team since 2019 and provided countless numbers of students with support. John will be transitioning into another exciting adventure next term, so we wish him all the best and thank him for his dedication and support he has shown to our students over the years.

Student leadership is well and truly occurring at JMSS. Parliament has reconvened and are getting busy organising events and discussing topics regarding the school. The major events organised during Term 1 were the Year-Level Movie Nights. Parliament has many plans for 2022 and is an incredible platform for student voice and agency. Student leadership is not limited to only parliament members, as we have many clubs and interest groups that also allow students to not only pursue a passion, but also, develop leadership skills. Each year, we have a significant turn-over in students, and with that comes different interests and skill sets; JMSS has always and will continue to encourage students to ‘think big’ and pursue passions and purpose. Students with whole-school ideas should present their ideas to parliament. Students with specific interest group ideas should present their ideas to Mr Delves. 

Finally, I would again like to thank the community for your support of the COVID measures. Thank you to staff and students for self-administering RATs, wearing masks and practicing good hygiene. A reminder that all COVID-related information can be found on our COVID landing page on the school website (https://jmss.vic.edu.au/community/covid-updates/). Early next term, the school will conduct a review of our COVID supports for students who were required to quarantine/isolate. Students who have been required to ‘study from home’ and their parents will be randomly invited to participate in this review. The school has put in considerable effort and resources to support these students and I would like to thank all those in the COVID Case Management Team. JMSS continues to ask that students wear masks, as this has appeared to flatten our curve. We also state that any student who is unwell MUST stay home until their symptoms subside.

I would like to wish students and staff a safe and restful term break and I look forward to what Term 2 will bring.

Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal