From the Principals' Desk 

Vale, Nancy Waddington

Last week we heard that Nancy Waddington, our previous Director of Music and classroom music teacher, passed away peacefully after an extended illness. Nancy joined the school as an expert teacher of instrumental music and took over as Director of Music after the departure of Ms Julia Stoppa. Under her guidance, the music program continued its evolution into a vibrant community of students and staff who habitually set high standards for themselves both on and off the stage. 

As a teacher, Nancy was  highly reflective and always alert to the opportunity presented by new strategies and new ways of thinking about learning. She had a particular interest in helping to build her students' confidence by creating a positive climate for learning in which they could all strike a super-hero pose and leap out into the world. She believed in walking the walk, not just talking the talk, and embedded activities which focused on developing her students life skills alongside their ability to be technically proficient in the field. More than one student will reflect fondly on her kindness and support as the primary markers of her time with them.

The staff and students of Nossal High School have been missing Nancy for some time now, ever since her illness led to her retirement from the profession. We are all saddened by the news of her passing, and grateful to have had the privilege of working and laughing with her throughout her time with us. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and with all of those who were nurtured and supported by her throughout her life.

COVIDSafe Settings: Week 5 and after

As our families will have seen via a Compass post, an extension of the current COVIDSafe settings for schools was recently announced which we expect to continue for the rest of Term 1. Since it contains reminders about how to deal with positive tests and where to seek other related information, I have replicated the bulk of my announcement below, but the key messages are that RAT testing and other preventative measures will remain in place for the next several weeks. As this newsletter went to press, there was an updated announcement about mask-wearing in secondary schools. We will communicate the details of this update, and other specifics when the new Operations Guide becomes available. 

I am grateful for the tenacity, the self-discipline and the commitment to the welfare of others which nearly every member of our community has demonstrated over the last several weeks either through regular testing, self-report, isolation due to household contact or simple mask wearing and hand-washing. I'm extremely proud of the relatively low numbers of positive cases we've experienced so far, because I know that these low numbers are a reflection of all members of our on-campus community - staff and students alike - demonstrating their mastery of the Ethical and Respectful Minds and working together to contribute to the common good. 

Dear parents and carers,

I am writing to let you know that the Victorian Government has extended the COVIDSafe measures initially announced for the first four weeks of Term 1 2022.

The use of rapid antigen tests (RAT) as a screening tool, getting vaccinated, providing adequate ventilation and adhering to vital COVIDSafe steps such as hand hygiene, mask wearing and physical distancing have played an important part in reducing the impact of COVID-19 on our school community.

Most of these measures will continue to be in place for the remainder of Term 1.

On behalf of the school, I would like to thank you for your continued support in implementing these important COVIDSafe measures.

Free rapid antigen tests

As part of the extension, it is anticipated an additional 24 million RATs will be provided to schools and early childhood settings to continue to support early detection and prevent infection, for use at home. This is in addition to the 15.6 million RATs rolled out during the first four weeks of Term 1, and means more than 39 million RATs will be delivered in total across schools and early childhood settings throughout Term 1.

Department of Health modelling indicates that in the first two weeks of school returning, the program has already prevented more than 21,000 cases in schools alone. Their modelling indicates, assuming a 75 per cent compliance rate with screening of students, that by continuing RAT screening in schools for the full 10 weeks of Term 1, we will prevent:

 - 61,000 COVID-19 infections in children aged 5 to 17

 - more than 150,000 COVID-19 infections in the overall community (on average 15,000 per week over 10 weeks, or more than 2,100 per day)

 - around 400 hospital admissions.

The DET will continue to monitor the RAT screening in schools program, including monitoring whether it is still needed. While we expect the program to continue for the rest of the term, it may end earlier based on health advice.

This voluntary screening program is one component of our school’s COVIDSafe settings to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The department will continue to supply the tests to our school, and these will be distributed through tutorial groups as they become available. Twice-a-week testing is strongly recommended for both students and staff.

Testing Positive

Students will do the tests at home. They only need to report their result if it is COVID-positive.

A COVID-positive result must be reported to the school via:

 - the Student COVID-19 Test Portal OR

 - directly to the Attendance Officer either by phone (8762 4625) or email (absence@nossalhs.vic.edu.au)

It is also possible to report the positive case to the student's Tutorial Teacher by email. In this case, the Attendance Officer will follow up with a phone call to ensure that we have recorded all the relevant details accurately. This is so we can support you and your child, record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms. 

A COVID-positive result must also be report to the Department of Health via

 - the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form OR

 - the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting call centre on 1800 675 398.

Information about how to do a test and how to read RAT results, including a how-to video translated into 33 languages, is available.

Vaccination requirements

Vaccination remains the best way to protect students and staff in school settings.

Vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 are open, and third dose vaccinations for 16 to 17 year olds are now available. There are lots of convenient options to access vaccinations. These include state-wide vaccination hubs, your local GP or pharmacy. You can book your appointment in a few different ways, including:

 - online: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine - by phone: 1800 675 398 (Coronavirus Hotline)

 - in person: talk to your local pharmacy, doctor, or attend a state-wide vaccination hub

 - using the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder - COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder | Australian Government Department of Health

In addition, schools provide a trusted place among the community to access vaccination, particularly for families who may experience language or social barriers. Following successful implementation of school pop-up clinics at the commencement of Term 1, more than 230 schools across Victoria are currently hosting mini-vaccination clinics led by GPs and pharmacists. Many of these clinics will also make vaccinations available the broader school community, inclusive of families of students and school staff.

Ventilation

Improving ventilation is one of the most effective measures to keep education settings safe. 51,000 air purifiers were delivered to schools by Term 1, 2022 to support COVIDSafe settings in schools.

Up to an additional 60,000 air purifiers will be rolled out to schools ahead of winter to supplement natural and mechanical ventilation during the cooler months based on current enrolments.

The winter allocation will provide enough purifiers to cover all classrooms in government schools and low-fee non-government schools. This includes general purpose classrooms and other specialist classrooms such as art and science rooms.

Vital COVIDSafe steps

Hand hygiene and social distancing will continue wherever possible in Term 1. Information about mask wearing will be updated soon.

Together, these measures will give us the best chance to keep children healthy and reduce the risk of them catching and spreading COVID-19.

Deferral of Year 9 Camp

Despite the welcome news that the distribution of RATs and other preventative measures (which have helped the school to maintain a fairly low rate of positive cases on campus to date) will continue, it is clear that the uncertainty associated with the expected ongoing infection rate in the school poses a risk to our ability to fully staff our standard Camps and Pathways program. This program requires all staff to be present and healthy in order to run effectively, since it generally involves at least 40 teachers to be off campus simultaneously at different camp grounds.

Rather than risk having to cancel one or both of the camps (or other aspects of the program) at the last minute due to several staff being in isolation or unwell, we have decided to defer the Year 9 Camp until later in the year and run an on-campus program for our Year 9 students instead. The bulk of the rest of the Camps and Pathways program (including off-timetable activities for Years 10, 11 and 12) will thus be able to go ahead with the additional support of 20 additional on-campus staff, and we will have a pool of staff to draw on for the Year 9 Camp when it occurs. While this is not our preferred outcome, we consider it a much better option than having our students miss out on these activities altogether.

Clyde Road: Open!

Families driving into and around the school will already have noticed that, as predicted, Clyde Road was once again open and ready for use on Monday 21 February. While the closure of Clyde Road has caused significant inconvenience for our community, I can't help being impressed by the amount and type of work which has been achieved at the level crossing in what is, relatively speaking, a short time frame. Like the rest of our community, I look forward to the rest of the proposed timeframe being met, and to transportation options for our staff, students and visitors returning to normal as soon as possible.

PTV Announcements

Unfortunately, not all aspects of the works being done along the Cranbourne and Pakenham train lines are complete yet. Some recent information about disruptions along this line during the rest of February and the start of March are summarised below:

Due to Metro Tunnel Project and level crossing removal works, buses will replace trains on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines at various times between Sunday 27 February and Thursday 24 March.

Weekday Disruptions 

 Night Time Disruptions

For further details and to plan your journey, visit ptv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 800 007.  

Upcoming Events

As you will see in the Important Dates section of this newsletter, on Thursday 24 February we are hosting our annual Year 9 Meet and Greet evening for our new parents. This is an opportunity to meet with various members of the Wellbeing and teaching teams, and to hear a little more from me about the way we approach teaching and learning at the school. I look forward to meeting many of our Year 9 parents at the event, and would like to thank in advance the members of the Parents & Friends Association who I know are even now preparing to support us on the day.

Applications for 2023

For those seeking information about our 2023 intake (either at Year 9 level, or for Years 10 and 11), remember that all of the information about enrolling at Nossal HS (including a link to book a tour of the school) is available on our website:

Enrolment Information - Nossal High School (nossalhs.vic.edu.au)

Applications for entry into a Select Entry Highi School in 2023 will open in March.

Mr Page's absence

Mr Page has asked me to once again convey his appreciation to all members of the Nossal community for their good wishes and messages of support during his absence. It is unlikely that we will have the pleasure of his company, or the wisdom of his leadership, for the rest of Term 1, but he is taking an active interest in the school's activities during his absence and is eager to return as soon as he is able to. 

In his absence, I will continue to act as Principal, and from Monday 28 February Ms Katherine Warriner will act in my place as Assistant Principal: Curriculum and Pedagogy. We will be making some subsequent adjustments to our staffing arrangements to accommodate these changes and ensure that the school continues to run smoothly, and that our students continue to be fully supported. 

Yours sincerely,

Tracey Mackin

(Acting Principal)