JBHS Deputy Principal - Inclusion and Support Report

I would like to start my report with thanking you, our parents and/or carers, for your ongoing support throughout the term. Your willingness to meet with us and work together to enable positive improvements is appreciated. In particular, I am grateful for the great feedback I received by email from a parent this term and for your willingness to meet with me and work together in a positive, forward-thinking approach.

I would like welcome all the new students in Year 7 and the parents and/or carers of Year 7 students to our school. I would also like to acknowledge the work of our great students whose work is detailed below. We will continue to acknowledge students’ work through newsletter articles, Facebook posts, our merit system and positive letters home throughout the year.

Finally, I thank all of the staff, both from the Special Education Support faculty and staff members across the school, who have worked together in a collaborative and constructive manner, encouraging and supporting students to achieve their potential.

JBHS Inclusion Team

Our Inclusion Team at JBHS is to be congratulated for all their great work in organising inclusive activities for students through out Term 1. I would like to thank them for their efforts. Detailed below are some of the highlights of the term.

World Autism Day

As a school, we recognised World Autism Day, which is usually on the the 2nd of April, early this year with a wonderful BBQ lunch and blue ice blocks! The theme of this year is colour and for students to express themselves through colour. All students in the school engaged in learning related to Autism during pastoral care groups. I would like to thank the inclusion team and support faculty staff and students for all their wonderful organisation.

Student Wellbeing

I would like to thank Julie Moon for her great work this term in again organising inclusive wellbeing activities for students across the school. Activities have included: a program for all year 7 and 8 students with Souths Wellbeing where student had the opportunity to meet NRL players, a Drug Education Talk by Inspire Education available for Year 11 Support and mainstream students, A mentally Sound presentation open to all students in all years and three workshops with Souths Cares in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program including a Connecting to Culture Workshop.

Julie has also worked tirelessly this term in supporting individual students and their families meeting with them and supporting them to access community supports where requested.

We are looking forward to next term with the Haka Warriors Program which also includes students in Special Education Support classes.

Restrictive Practice

We are in the process of implementing the Restrictive practice guidelines within our school as is included in recent information emailed to you. Our Inclusion team works to streamline these processes across the school through ongoing communication between staff.

JBHS Special Education Support Faculty

Our special education support unit at James busby High School has ten classes of students with twenty-eight staff supporting them. I thank all the staff for their tireless efforts in working with students and to the Head Teachers Ms Devi and Ms Mohammad for their great leadership throughout this term.

Working in conjunction with community and/or health organisations is an important part of our commitment to supporting students. As a combined faculty, we facilitate the work of range of external providers who support individual students within our school. By next term up to nineteen therapists will be supporting over thirteen students. Services provided include: Social work, support work, Speech therapy, Psychology, Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy. I thank the front office staff and head teachers for their organisation in this area.

Heroes with Ability Sports Program

Over the course of one term, this program is delivered for one hour per week, generally to a class of approximately 30 students. The program focusses on functional movement and exercise and promotes fun, inclusion, teamwork, communication & fitness. The program started in 2020, is run by Marco and George. George has been working with us this term and is the coach seen in the pictures. Below are two group photos, one of the junior cohorts (Jindabyne and Eastwood) and the other with the senior cohort (Glebe and Homebush). I would like to thank Mr Roberts for his work in organising this program on an ongoing basis within the school.

Great student work in Art

The Asquith class this term is learning about Figurative Art - which includes learning to mix and blend colours to create effects/moods. The main subject of the artwork are real life objects. These photos are from a session that was a copy of "Paint n’ Sip" style. Students followed the teacher step by step to recreate an artwork. Each artwork was different and showed how each individual can view art in a unique way. Thanks to Ms Fawzy for her work with this class.

Technology and Applied Sciences - TAS

In Ms Samuel’s TAS class students have been learning how to coo a range of breakfast recipes including: cheese toasties, French toast, bacon and eggs with bread, various types of cereals, cooking a big breakfast - sausages, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and hash brown and how to make breakfast puff pastry pies. Students have enjoyed participating in the cooking activities as well as the social aspects of eating together which is a great experience for the students. We thank Ms Samuel for her dedication to supporting students with engaging activities in TAS.

TAFE

I would like to thank Mr Suljevic for all his wonderful work in organising connections to TAFE NSW. He has organised a TAFE program once a week for Year 10 students where staff from TAFE work with students. As well as this JBHS students engaged in the TAFE Yes Plus program at Wetherill Park (Hospitality). They made various Milkshakes and Pizzas which (according to Mr S), were delicious! Students were also put to the test when setting up the formal tables and had their 'Hospitality' skills evaluated by an Industry expert.

Students gave the following feedback on their experiences.

For TAFE I did a hospitality course. In the course we made coffees on the expresso machine and milkshakes. We got to run our own café, where we had real customers come. We opened the café, served the customers their drinks, cakes and shakes, cleaned up and closed at the end. We also learnt how to do napkin origami including a rose and envelopes, which was a bit tricky. We watched videos on how to set the table and then tried to do it ourselves. My favourite part of the course was making milkshakes, my favourite flavour was strawberry.

Once I finish school I really want to work in hospitality, and become a chef – Angelica.

This term for TAFE, we did a hospitality course and we learnt how to make drinks, food and more. Some of the drinks we learnt to make were coffee on the coffee machine, shakes, which I split everywhere when I made it for the first time. Accidents happen. We also learnt how to properly set up a table and napkin origami. We learnt how to greet customers and open and close a café. My favourite part of the course was making coffee and ice chocolates. As well as learning how to use public transport to travel to and from TAFE.

This course was fun and enjoyable, and I know I defiantly want to do something in hospitality once I finish school this year – Paula.

Community Access and Travel Training

This term, Homebush and Glebe classes went on Community Access trips i.e: Westfields, Liverpool and Westfields Parramatta via the T-Way bus.

These trips are actioned to assist students with their transition to leaving school. Students learn to read the T-Way bus timetable and then plan the times. They also learn how to use the Opal cards.

To enhance their Communication and Money Skills, students are encouraged to order and pay for food and services. Decision making skills are a major component of life after school, hence students are given the choice to buy what they want, while working out if they have enough money to do so.

Students enjoyed going out into the community and socialise positively with their peers.

We are looking at revising and extending our community access program in Term 2. In Term 2, students will be looking at traveling by train. They will be learning how to get to specific destinations via one train line as well as how to change trains halfway to go other places. They will also be looking at dining in a restaurant.

Mr Suljevic create a great social narrative that assisted with travel training this term. Please see below.

I thank Ms Au, Ms Samuel and Mr Suljevic and the Support Officers for their work with students throughout this term.

Congratulations

I would like to congratulate Ms Al Zoubi and Ms Kopanovski for being successful I gaining permanent appointments within our Special Education Support Faculty at James Busby High School. Congratulations and welcome to our team!

I would also like to congratulate all of the students in the Special Education Support Faculty for their excellent uniforms this term and use of the YONDER pouches. Well done!

Reminder regarding after school arrangements

Just a brief reminder to parents or carers who pick up students from the school carpark. If you could please wait to park in one of the designated parking bays, so that students are not walking across the car park, that would be greatly appreciated.

I wish you all an enjoyable school break and looking forward to working with you in Term 2.

Regards,

Mrs Veronica Mafi

Deputy Principal – Inclusion and Support

Youth Culture