Principal's Desk 

Corinne Pupillo 

Welcome back to the new school term.  I hope that you all had an enjoyable break with family and friends despite the challenges the pandemic has brought for us all.  

Historically the July school holidays can be challenging due to the inclement weather and difficulties with accessing the outdoors.  Winter colds and flu can also prevent us from making the most of the break and even more limiting this year due to the restrictions imposed on many of our staff and families that reside in the hot spot post codes.  

Despite this, I hope families and staff were able to have some well-deserved rest and some opportunities for relaxation. Winter is a great time to spend time indoors and explore many of the indoor activities. 

I ask that you are mindful of how your child is presenting.  If they he/she is feeling/looking/ acting unusual or is complaining of being unwell please take them to the doctor. Minimising the cross infection will assist in reducing the risks of spreading the winter bugs and viruses. 

Reminder:  Absence Notification Number

All student absences can be made through the dedicated student absence notification number. Text the student name, room number and reason for absence.

Make sure you have the student absence notification number saved in your contacts:

0439 114 197

Welcome to our new Assistant Principal Excellence in Teaching and Learning 

It is with great pleasure, I announce that we have a new Assistant Principal, Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Emmaleen Oakley.  Emmaleen was a Leading Teacher at Roxburgh Secondary College and is excited to be joining our team and continue to expand her professional portfolio.  

Emmaleen’s achievements include:

• Vast teaching experience
• Leading whole school Literacy and Numeracy
• Assessment Co-ordination
• Science Key Learning Area Leader
• Instructional Leader
• Accounting skills

The outcome of the Assistant Principal position has impacted on a number of staff in acting roles. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the contributions and efforts of our leaders, Steph Di Salvo, Suzie Stafford and Linda Wakeling who have been such a great asset to the schools over the past 6 months.  Times have not been easy as we started the year with a global pandemic then we moved to remote and flexible learning.  Steph, Suzie and Linda rose to the challenge and embraced the opportunity to support our community to establish new ways of teaching and learning.  The school was fortunate to have such professional and adaptable leaders that were committed to our students and staff through the very rough and very rewarding days. Thank you for your efforts and hard work. 

Steph will return to her coaching role and literacy leader role and Suzie and Linda will return to classroom teachers for 5 days per week. 

Temperature Checks 

In line with the department guidelines, the school has been conducting temperature checks on entry to the school. Staff have experienced a number of issues with taking temperature outside as the thermometers are sensitive to the ambient temperature.

In light of these challenges, we will now arrange for temperature checks in classrooms. The guidelines provide schools with some flexibility for staff to conduct the check throughout the morning.  Late arrivals will still be tested at the entry point (reception).

Here is a summary of Temperature Threshold and Action

Absence from School Plan 

The decision for all students enrolled in specialist schools to return to onsite learning has been met with mixed opinions.  Only students that meet the medical vulnerable category are able to access remote learning. This applies to around 5% of our student population. The first two weeks of term 3 student absenteeism has been consistently high, with around 45-55% absence and many of these students are not unwell but families are quite anxious about sending their child to school due to current and local COVID confirmed cases. High absenteeism has been really concerning for us, as this means there are many students not accessing any learning plans.  All families in this situation have been sent a letter to explain the Absence from School Plan and if they would like their child to engage in this plan.   Families were requested to send their response back to school as soon as possible.  Whilst we know that the Chief Health Officer has explained there is evidence of low transmission in schools and schools are predominately safe, we also understand that many families are choosing not to send their child/ren.  The Absence from School Plan will provide families with some resources to support their child during Melbourne's  lock down period. 

Action Research Project:  Trial Use of Facial Shields 

With the introduction of wearing face masks in public, our COVID Incident Management Team have implemented the trial use of Facial Shields for staff. 

Project Scope

This project will supply face shields for all staff who are prepared to be part of the trial.  

Face shields will be sourced from Bunnings Warehouse 

The goal of the projects is to determine:

If wearing face shields by staff:

• Changes the safety perception of staff
• Changes the safety perception of students
• Changes the number of student absence

The COVID Team will collect feedback throughout the project which will be analysed by School Council over term 3. 

Student Transport – MEES Buses 

Jacana School for Autism and MEES Bus Lines have well developed documentation and share responsibilities for the safe travel of our students.  At times there may be a need to enact the Safe Travel Plan due to student behaviour. It is important that families understand the Safe Travel Plan and how this is implemented. 

Safe Travel Plan

Students are assessed at the commencement of each trip if they are safe for travel.

It is a shared responsibility of JSA/Parents & MEES staff to ensure engaging and supporting strategies are put in place so that the trip to and from school is safe and calm.

• On departure to school, MEES bus staff will assess suitability to travel safely.  If a student is deemed to be unsafe for travel, the parent or carer will be requested to transport their child to school.
• On departure from school, a JSA staff member will assist with loading and unloading students and assess student’s behaviour in relation to travelling safely.  If a student is deemed to be unsafe for travel, the parent/carer will be called to transport their child home.
• On route, there may be occasions when MEES bus staff need to stop the bus and activate the Safe Travel Plan. They will request assistance from a staff member from the school or parent/carer, depending how far the bus is away from the destination or school.

If you would like to discuss the plan please contact myself or Frances Hansen and we would be more than happy to explain the processes in more detail. 

School Council Sub Committee Representatives

Finance Sub Committee Representative - Sharon Borg 

Building and Grounds Sub Committee Representative – Alisha Minns 

Fundraising Sub Committee Representative – Lisa Sette

School Council Representative on Student Representative Council (SRC) – Alisha Minns

Reminder: Our newsletter is published each fortnight and will provide you with important information about the school and events that may be of interest to you. I encourage you to read the newsletter that will be sent home via your home email, on the school's Facebook Page or on the school's website. 

JSA also has a Facebook Page administered by the leadership team.  Please like and follow our page.

https://www.facebook.com/JacanaSchoolforAutism