From the Principals' Desk 

TERM 4 Resumes 

We recently welcomed our Year 12 cohort back to face-to-face classes onsite and are now farewelling them as they reach the end of a very short Term 4 and head off on to Swot Vac prior to their final exams. It feels even shorter and rather unreal this year as we have seen so little of them as a group recently and they really have faced a VCE like no other. I will repeat however that I expect that they will do well and will be highly successful and will achieve excellent results, although they have a number of weeks of study, revision, and pressure to manage in the meantime. Most classes completed the course requirements some time ago and have been preparing and revising for exams.

Throughout Swot Vac we will be attempting to minimise the number of people onsite although students are able to book in meetings with their teachers and arrange study groups with their peers onsite if that will be a more effective way for them to study. Their teachers are of course available online and will continue to offer high levels of support and advice to ensure that they all achieve their best. The Wellbeing Team will also continue to offer direct support and intervention or assist with referrals to other support agencies for those who would benefit from some additional assistance. Please do not hesitate to draw on the considerable resources of the school to help with the management of these final few crucial and potentially stressful weeks. 

I must commend our staff and students for the way they have been managing the return to site. They have been very aware of the need for distancing, air circulation and various other COVID safe requirements, and I thank the parents for their continued care and compliance with the regulations and recommendations. As I write this our COVID case numbers in Victoria are soaring (2300 new infections today), nearby schools are closed due to exposure, and we have students and some families isolating due to symptoms or family members visiting exposure sites. The local area is one of the areas of concern due to increased cases, and it may only be a matter of time before we have to close for cleaning and contact tracing ourselves. The good news is that the process appears to be quite rapid and well managed at present and schools are returning to site after only a few days. Obviously, I would much prefer us to avoid this scenario – especially during or prior to the exam period – but the virus has no respect for important dates and exam schedules, and we need to be prepared for the worst while we make sure we are managing the situation to help us to achieve the best.

I have (with her permission) plagiarised the message Sue Harrap (Principal of MacRob) recently sent to her community based on her experience of the shutdown process. Her insights neatly summarise both what we should expect in the case of a shutdown and what aspects of the process we might find most challenging to manage. 

PROCEDURES for School Closure

I wanted to outline for you what to expect in the event of a school closure due to exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case at our school. 

We know some schools have been closed this week and while we are taking all precautions to avoid a school closure, knowledge is power, and will help us navigate it together should it occur.

Please be aware that all communication regarding a closure requires Ministerial approval. This includes when communication can take place, and what can be communicated. 

Step 1: The person with the confirmed diagnosis notifies either me or Ms Tracey Mackin as soon as they become aware, providing as much detail as possible about their situation. 

• There will be a checklist of questions to go through to help guide us.
• Assistance with identifying close contacts will be required.

Step 2:  The school immediately notifies the Department of Education (DET) and works with DET and the Department of Health (DH) to assess the risks.

Step 3: The school awaits a decision from the Minister for Education (in conjunction with the DH) about the next steps. 

• This may result in a confirmed school closure or temporary closure while a risk assessment takes place.
• Appropriate cleaning will take place.

Step 4: The DH determine, from the contact list we provide, who is deemed a close contact and they provide instructions about isolation. 

• In this phase of increased vaccination, and because different contexts may have different requirements, the DH requirements for isolation are constantly evolving (for example, the DH have recently asked some schools to notify the close contacts).

At all times

• we will rely entirely on the advice of the DH
• respecting the privacy of, and the care and wellbeing, of the confirmed case is a vital consideration

Confirmed case during VCAA exams?

We are yet to hear anything about the contingency plans for a school that may have a confirmed case during the VCAA exams. VCAA will provide this shortly.

If you have been informed that you are a close contact of a case outside of our school community, you should continue to follow the advice from the DH and continue to notify your Head of House or me about your need to isolate.

We know that a confirmed case will cause anxiety and distress within our community, so we ask that everyone shows understanding regarding both the potential delays in communication, and the fact that we may not be in a position to share the level of detail you desire. 

Please help us by showing patience and by remembering we are stronger when we act together as a community and show compassion for all.

In line with the Victorian Government’s plan to reopen, the DET is strongly encouraging all eligible students to be vaccinated for their own safety and to support the safety of the community.

Expert Advice

I will take this opportunity to repeat the advice on vaccination which our community recently received from Sir Gus Nossal, a world-renowned immunologist and a leading authority in this field: 

Dear Nossal High School students,

Call me biased, but I have a “Best Buy” for you.

I’ve been working on vaccines for the whole of my professional life, imbued with the principle that prevention is better than cure.

The COVID vaccine is an excellent example.

It is safe and effective, meaning you won’t have to fear the very nasty bug.

Effective doesn’t mean 100% - no vaccine reaches this figure - but it does mean a greatly reduced chance of catching the disease, and a substantially less severe course if you are unlucky enough to be infected.

Bear in mind that becoming immunised is not only an advantage to you, but a benefit to others, as it means you are much less likely to transmit the disease to someone else. And if enough people are vaccinated, eventually you get what we call herd immunity: the whole population now much less favourable to the virus.

Don’t delay, act today!

Gus Nossal

The University of Melbourne.

Vaccination Requirements

Anyone who works or volunteers at Nossal after October 18 is required to have had at least their first vaccination. If this does not occur, they will not be allowed onsite and in the case of school employees (Including teachers) will be placed on leave and not permitted to work remotely. Should they fail to undertake a vaccination program (unless they have a valid approved medical exemption), their employment will eventually be terminated. I don’t anticipate that this will be an issue for the Nossal workforce.

Students and staff who travel between regional and metropolitan areas are required to be tested every three days until they are fully vaccinated.

VCE Exams and COVID Exposure

The Education Minister today (Oct 14) announced that

1. All VCE students need to be encouraged to be double vaxxed, wear masks and practice COVID safe practices.
2. Students who are primary close contacts leading up the exam period will be provided with a separate room at school where they will sit their exam
   1. The room will have a separate door with good ventilation.
   2. All supervisors will wear full PPE.
   3. Students (primary close contacts) will need to be tested every 2 days until either the 7th or 14th day (depending on the type of contact) whilst still attending exams.
3. Students who test positive will be exempt from exams during their isolation period and will receive a derived score for any exams missed.
   1. Every year, a subset of students miss exams for some reason and receive a derived score. This process is well-tested by VCAA to ensure that it does not disadvantage the student involved.

Unfortunately, as is the pattern, this was announced at press conference, and we have only been informed of this via parents and the media. I have concerns about how we will be able to implement this. VCAA have produced guidelines about how it will work but since these were received late on Sunday night we will defer any communications for a day or so in order to ensure that we are not rushing the process of interpreting and applying these. I continue to be greatly disturbed that the Minister prefers to inform the press first rather than consult with schools, principals and DET so we can better prepare for and manage the implementation of these types of changes.

Return to School Timeline (COVID restrictions Permitting)

The following dates for school resumption are based on the latest announcement by the Premier (Sunday 17 October):

Year 12 – last day of classes Monday 18 October, then Swot Vac until exams

Year 11 – resume onsite on Friday  October 22

Year 10 – resume onsite for Thursdays and Fridays only from Friday October 22

Year 9 – resume onsite for Tuesdays and Wednesdays only from Tuesday October 26

All (Years 9-11) – fully onsite from Friday November 5

• Note: During the SWOT VAC week we will maintain a minimal rostered staffing presence at the school to supervise and assist those onsite but will try to reduce the numbers in attendance to limit the chance of transmission. Students who are the children of essential workers or who made arrangements with the Wellbeing Team to attend onsite are still able to do so as per previous arrangements.

VCE Exams

Although the focus often tends to be on the written examination period, the VCAA exams are in fact already upon us with Music Performance Exams happening this weekend and the Performing Arts, Dance and Language exams following for the next few weeks.

The first big exam and the start of the full exam period begins on Wednesday October 27 with the English Exam.

In line with the calendar published at the start of the year, on Cup Eve (Monday November 1) the school will be open for the Psychology and Further Maths exams, and everyone else will be working remotely.

Select Entry Network and Testing for 2022 Entry

At this stage we are still hoping to be able to run the traditional testing program at the showgrounds in mid November, which will give us a challenging timeline (similar to last year) where offers will go out in mid-December. This is later than we would like; it is inconvenient and difficult for us to plan and organise and has a negative impact on our colleagues in the feeder schools who will not know how many students they will be losing until after they have planned their staffing and timetables for 2022. We are also looking at the possibility of online “proctoring” so we can run the test remotely if the showgrounds testing is not allowed to proceed.

On a different note, there have been some significant leadership changes in our sister Select Entry Schools. Colin Axup – (Suzanne Cory) has been elected as President of the Victorian Association of Secondary Principals (a role he has been acting in since earlier this year while Ms Martha Goodridge-Kelly has been Acting Principal at Cory), so he will relinquish Cory from next year and a new Principal will be appointed. Ms Sue Harrap has been recently appointed Principal of MacRob after Anne Stout took up the role of Principal in the new Fisherman’s Bend School. (Sue was Principal at Northcote HS and prior to that, AP at Nossal and is the second Nossal AP to take up the Principal role at MacRob; Dr Toni Meath  - who helped me found Nossal  and was AP in our foundation years - moved to MacRob as Principal and is now Principal of Melbourne Girls Grammar). Dr Tony Mordini has taken up the Principal role at Melbourne High school following the retirement of long-term Principal Mr Jeremy Ludowyke last year. So, I am feeling very much the old man of the group, although it has been great to have fresh eyes, new ideas and different approaches being discussed and they are an outstanding group of educators. It is an honour to be working with them. 

It has also been nice to reconnect with Mr Wayne Haworth (another Nossal AP) who is currently Principal at Hampton Park Secondary College where he is doing some impressive transformational work. It is pleasing to see so many Old Nossalonians in significant educational leadership roles.

Leaving Nossal?

If for any reason your child will not be attending Nossal in 2022, please let me know as soon as possible. We have a very long and anxious waiting list, and at this stage I am only aware of one space opening up for 2022.

Some Good News Amid the Gloom

DET have agreed to continue to fund the Tutor Learning Initiative for another 12 months. This substantial funding enables us to employ additional teachers to tutor and assist students in-school and to work with their teachers to ensure that none fall behind.

All schools will receive a grant for Shade Sails to encourage outdoor classes and study, and while I doubt that they will be installed and completed this year, they will be of considerable long-term benefit for us.

Today DET announced substantial additional wellbeing funding to be rolled out to schools in 2023 and 2024, and the school will be able to utilise this funding to address specific wellbeing needs, employ additional specialist staff or run additional programs.

These are welcome and worthy additional resources that will be very useful in helping us to address some of the challenges of the past two years.

Less welcome is the new iteration of the parent payments policy which is making it harder for schools to seek additional funding support from parents to compensate for inadequate and chronic underfunding of Government schools, and the “Ventilation Initiative” which is much hyped but does not appear to be a consideration for Nossal where we have had to resort to screwing windows open to allow for better ventilation, in a building that by regulation is supposed to be sealed.

Parents Friends Association – the Future of Work Information Session

Please mark Wednesday 3 November in your diaries. In conjunction with the PFA I have arranged for Mr Andrew Simmons, who is the long-term CEO of the Southeast Local Learning and Employment Network (SELLEN), to address the next PFA meeting about the future of work, employment, and educational opportunities. He will focus particularly on the local area, and what skills and capabilities will be required of our students as they enter the workforce of the future. 

Andrew has some really interesting and at times confronting facts and figures that will challenge your thinking and understanding. He paints a very different picture to what many of us think we understand about the job market and traditional pathways and careers. He is well worth hearing and talking with; whenever I hear from him, I learn much and have my perceptions challenged. 

This will occur online on Wednesday 3 November at 7.00 pm. All welcome. More information to follow.

Speech Night

We have reluctantly taken the decision to again cancel our Speech night at the Melbourne Town Hall for this year and are exploring options to produce a truncated video version where we can acknowledge and celebrate the student achievements (as we did in 2020). It will be nowhere near as spectacular or entertaining as the Town Hall extravaganza, but I am hoping that we may get back there in 2022.

The House of Burgers – Main Street Berwick

Allow me to put in a shameless plug for the House of Burgers  in Berwick. Not only is the business run by a Nossal family, but they were willing (and able) to cook up 240 gourmet hamburgers for the Year 12 Class of 2021. 

At lunchtime on Thursday 14 October our Year 12 students and staff feasted on a range of very tasty burgers in a COVID safe picnic in the school courtyard. This was an initiative of the school captains, who have been very keen to ensure that their classmates have some memorable and fun experiences before their exams. (Although I have a strong suspicion that it was all a ploy so Asher could score a free lunch!)

If you are seeking a hamburger in Berwick, I would recommend them... and our burgers are now featured on their Facebook page! (20+) House of Burgers Berwick | Facebook

Congratulations to...

Mint Inchomnan of Year 12 who has received the inaugural “Supporting Girls in STEM” Scholarship Grant from the Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren. 

The club were very keen to support a Nossal students who would be studying a Science related course at university and have generously agreed to provide a cash grant and personal assistance and support for Mint into the future. They were very impressed with Mint’s presentation at their meeting, and we hope to be able to get them to the school for a formal presentation before the year is over. We have been very fortunate to have had strong support from the Members of Rotary over many years and I sincerely thank Linda Wallace and her team for this wonderful initiative.

Jazlyn Yap, Chandrima Mukherjee and Sahana Rudresh who have qualified for the Biology Olympiad Summer school. It is a significant achievement to have one student selected from your school; three is incredibly impressive. Thank you to Ms Latham for her encouragement and support.

Roger Page

Principal

Message from PSW

NEW PSW Uniform Store on Springvale Road – “Warehouse” Process

This year’s BTS (Back to School) will be Nossal High School’s first at the new PSW retail store on Springvale Road.

As you know, it is set up as a Warehouse Store as opposed to the traditional “hang-sell” that the Nossal Community is used to. Like most things in life sometimes change can be looked at negatively before understanding the reasons behind the change, which are all positive.

• All Nossal stock kept onsite.
• Click & Collect available
• Brand new items given to customer.
• One on one customer service.

Please find below a URL to a page which showing the new process around our Store. There may be large queues this BTS as it may be necessary to restrict entry numbers instore due to Government protocols, so parents who book appointments the better experience the store can provide.

(63) PSW Commercial (School Uniform Store) - YouTube

Update: Clyde Road Level Crossing Removal Project