From the Principals' Desk 

HPAF is finally here

As I write this page, our students are in the final preparations for Nossal’s annual House Performing Arts Festival, affectionately referred to as HPAF. Term 3 has seen the students in each House busily practicing to present a sleek and professional final performance showcasing their skills in acting, singing, and musical ensembles. Excitement, pitch and in-sync movements for House song continues to improve and will be spectacular at their final performance. 

HPAF is a significant whole school event, embraced by all students, which embodies the rich culture of Nossal High School. HPAF is also a major contributor to the overall points tally for the Page Cup, and as such all students are expected to attend. Students should arrive at Monash University’s Robert Blackwood Hall prior to their scheduled time for their House’s rehearsal. Information relating to the organisation of HPAF is available on each student’s Compass schedule and through Teams messages. There are some tickets still available online at https://www.monash.edu/performing-arts-centres/event/house-performing-arts-festival-2/. Don’t miss this event which is a celebration of our student’s leadership, teamwork, and performance skills.

Digital Delivery Day – Wednesday 30 August

Due to the later finish of the House Performing Arts Festival (HPAF), students are able to sleep in the following morning. Classes will start at 10.00am on Wednesday 30 August, which is a planned Synchronous Digital Delivery Day. Students will be engaged in learning from home in real-time from Period 2 (10.00am) to Period 4 (1.20pm finish). Students will join their teacher’s call at the beginning of each lesson, with their cameras on. This type of learning provides students with the opportunity to replicate a professional workplace environment, accompanied by ethical and responsible use of technologies.

Read, Grow, Inspire

Last week Nossal celebrated Book Week which had the theme, “Read, Grow, Inspire”. Many events were held throughout the week to recognise the importance that books and reading has upon learning and enhancing knowledge. The students were extremely fortunate to listen to lectures by several well-known authors including Michael Pryor (Year 9), Alice Pung (Year 10) and Janine Coombs (Year 11). These lectures were supplemented by a variety of music performances, Bollywood dance performances and the multicultural / book character dress up day on Friday, which you will read more about in this newsletter. I would like to thank Ms Kalpana Lal for her organisation of these events, along with her student team of helpers.

Farewell Chosei High School

Early on Saturday morning, our visitors from Chosei High School left Melbourne for a brief stop in Sydney, before continuing home to Japan, following their week-long visit. Eighteen students and three staff from Chosei High School including their principal, Mr Yasukatsu Kono, arrived at Nossal on Friday 18 August. They spent their first weekend in Melbourne with their host families sightseeing and immersing themselves in Australian culture. 

During the welcoming assembly on Monday 21 August, our Japanese guests shared information about their own culture and school with the Nossal community. There were many points of differences relating to customs, foods, and places of interest. Each student bravely spoke, practising their English, which was the major rationale behind this immersive experience. 

Throughout the week they continued to engage in a variety of lessons including Food Studies, PE and Art, visited Dandenong Market, Wilson Botanical Gardens and Melbourne City. I take this opportunity to thank Ms Sumiyo Kamimura for her liaison with Chosei High School in the months leading up to this visit and her creation of a weekly schedule which maximised the students’ experiences of our culture and school; our host students and families for opening their homes to the students and caring for them throughout the week; and all the staff and students who took on additional activities to enhance their experience. 

This visit marked an extremely successful exchange and our first since 2019 when Covid disrupted overseas travel. Now we turn our attention to organising the exchange of Nossal students to Chosei High School, Japan, which will occur in March 2024 but not before our French students travel to Lannion, France in a couple of weeks, leaving on Thursday 7 September.

Pride and belonging

As we near the end of Term 3 there are signs of some weary and fatigued staff and students. One way that this fatigue is becoming evident is in the way that several students are making their preparations to attend school each the morning. As the term progresses and students attempt to manage numerous tasks at home and at school, it is an important time to remind students to balance their work and study commitments marked by scheduled breaks from their studies, particularly as the weather starts to improve. 

Ensuring adequate sleep, good nutrition, exercise, and time spent with friends all contribute to reducing tiredness, stress and developing a positive outlook. It is with this improved outlook and waking up refreshed in the morning, that individuals tend to make better decisions about how they are presenting themselves as they prepare for each day. 

School uniforms facilitate a strong sense of belonging to the Nossal community and wearing this as directed demonstrates pride in how they are viewed – not just at school but also on the way to and from school. The Nossal uniform was designed to be professional and aligned with the other selective entry schools. It is important that students take the necessary time and effort to present themselves appropriately, taking the necessary time to ensure that they are professionally attired with their shirt tucked in and buttoned, tie correctly worn and black leather school shoes (not black runners) so that they can make a lasting and positive impact on anyone they meet.

Student safety

Over the last few months, the school has had several reports of concern from members of the community regarding student safety around our local roads. A significant volume of vehicles travels on Clyde Road each day and with the completion of the Clyde Road train underpass and the opening of the multi-level car park, this road has become significantly busier. For these reasons it is essential that students are using the crossings only, walking between the white lines of the road crossings and obeying the “Walk” and “Stop” signals, particularly when using the crossings opposite Kangan Drive and the large intersection leading into the railway station. It is a safer option to wait for the signals to change rather than trying to ‘beat’ the traffic. A distracted driver with an obstructed view may lead to a significant accident which is something that we do not want to happen to anyone belonging to our school community.

Coming up

Looking ahead at the events for the remainder of this week; candidates for the 2024 House Captains will present their speeches to their respective Houses on Thursday 31 August with voting to be held after all speeches have been made; the Year 9 students will be attending an excursion to Healesville Sanctuary on Friday 1 September; as our Year 11 student cohort will be busily preparing for their Year 11 Formal, following an early dismissal from school at 1.20pm. Please join me in wishing our students success and enjoyment during these events.

And finally

We value your opinion and use your feedback to reflect on our school processes and to develop and refine our school goals. Recently the 2023 Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey was distributed to families via email (sent on Tuesday 8 August from Fiona Vanstan via Compass). Thank you to the many families that have already responded. If you have not yet had the opportunity to complete this survey, it will remain open until Friday 1 September.Thank you to the families that have already responded.

Fiona Vanstan

Acting Assistant Principal