From the Principals' Desk 

Return to On-Site Learning

As you are all no doubt aware, the long lockdown has at last eased to a point where we can begin to involve ourselves in activities IRL (in real life) instead of online. Students and staff have both had the advantage of a staged return to school over recent weeks, which should make the transition back to a full-time on-site experience less challenging. Previous extended lockdowns have shown that the excitement of returning to normal is (for most) somewhat tempered by the challenge of a much larger number of interactions, and with a larger number of people, than we have been accustomed to for some time. As with so much else over the last two years, the best approach is to recognise that this too is a shared experience, and to be kind to each other and to ourselves if we are finding it necessary to take more breaks from the social demands than we might "normally" need. 

Current families will have received Mr Page's email about the return to school, but I am including the bulk of the text from it here for completeness:

Dear Parents and Students,

I hope that you have all survived the terrible weather that has hit us [on Friday] - surprisingly, other than a few more felled trees, the school has escaped relatively unscathed and thankfully our power has remained on so the VCE exams have been able to proceed without interruption.

Wednesday Nov 3 - all year levels resume onsite for all classes. Students will not have to option to learn remotely from this date. Study periods for senior students will remain at then end of the day to allow for staggered dismissal and while most restrictions have been eased there are still very strict COVID safe guidelines that we will adhere to:

• Students will be expected to isolate and get tested if they are a designated close contact, or have any symptoms at all. 
• We are still limiting visitors to site
  • parents can come to the office
• Everyone working onsite (including contractors) must be double vaccinated
• masks are compulsory
• distancing will be practiced
• we will be opening doors and windows to increase natural airflow, and
• (weather permitting) we will be asking students to spend recess and lunch outside (so please dress accordingly).

In event of Closure....

Many schools have had to close for contact tracing and cleaning (some in our immediate neighbourhood) and it is probably only a matter of time before we have to do so. Please refer to the brief attached infographic for a simple breakdown of the process we will need to follow if (when) that is the case.

COVID Vaccinations

We have been asking students to inform us of their vaccination status to speed things up in event of a closure, as there are differing quarantine requirements depending on their status. This information is collected via a confidential online TEAMs form and will only be used by me in the event of a contact tracing/closure need. I am pleased to see that there is a high proportion of fully vaccinated students in the responses to date. 

Could I ask all students to complete this please? There is no issue if you are not fully vaccinated, but I will need to know this for when we have a shut down/quarantine event.

Pop up vaccination clinic at Doveton this weekend:

Valedictory Dinner November 25

This will now proceed with students and families permitted, HOWEVER adults will have to be double vaccinated to be admitted to the Sofitel. There is still time to book in for vaccinations before then if needed. 

Bookings for the Valedictory Dinner close on Sunday.

World Teachers Day: Friday 29 October

[On Friday] we celebrate[d] World Teachers Day and as we draw near the end of one of the most challenging and transformative times I have seen in over 40 years in education I commend the Nossal teaching staff for their exceptional care and professionalism (and hard work) during the past months in particular. Please feel free to send them a message of appreciation - it means a lot to them and they still have many looming challenges to manage before the year is out.

Congratulations and Thank you to all our students and their families for managing positively and productively during the periods of lockdown. I am confident that students will be able to maintain high levels of performance and participation and quickly regain momentum, enthusiasm and confidence once we are back onsite. It has been challenging and very difficult for some members of our school community, but I am very proud of the way people have addressed this, and of their supportive and positive attitudes, even in the face of significant restrictions and variable personal circumstances.

Thank you to our VCE Students and Ms Warriner in particular. The VCE exams have been running smoothly in spite of coronavirus, public transport changes, and appalling weather. The students I have spoken to have been quite confident about their preparation and performance and appear to be managing positively (or as positively as can be expected during the final year exam period!). 

Please contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns and, if you are able to, have an enjoyable (and less restricted) long weekend.

Regards,

Roger Page

Other End of Year Events

With the easing of restriction, the school is looking forward to an end of year program which, though modified to some extent, comes closer to "Nossal normal" than we had previously anticipated.

Yr 9 - 11 Examination Periods

A somewhat restricted Nossal Examination period will be held for Year 10 & 11 students between Friday 12 November and Friday 19th November, with the Year 9 examination period running from Wednesday 17 November to Friday 19 November. During these periods, students will mimic the VCAA examination routine and will only be expected on site for their examinations.

• NB: Yr 9 classes will run as normal up to the end of Tuesday 16 November.

This end of year examination period is designed to give students an opportunity to practice certain skills specific to this type of task. These include

• consolidating learning from over a longer time period (e.g. 6 or 12 months)
• becoming accustomed to working in the physical space/s that Nossal typically uses for VCAA examinations
• developing understanding of what materials are (and are not) permitted and
• establishing habits around the time and emotional management required to make the most of this type of assessment task.

Despite the increased formality, however, these internal examinations are not "worth more" than any other assessment task our students do, and they should not be a source of extreme anxiety. Like all assessment, they offer a combined opportunity for our students to practice some skills and measure others, identifying where they might need to direct their attention for future improvement, but also validating their past learning by allowing them to demonstrate their mastery of what has gone before. I encourage our students and their families to reflect on any examination outcomes not only with an eye to the inevitable gaps and errors, but with a sense of pride and achievement over what has been done well. 

Commencement and Exam Feedback

From Monday 22 November to Wednesday 24 November all students will undertake a short commencement period in preparation for 2022. They will be introduced to their new subjects, undertake introductory activities and, typically, be alerted to any holiday homework that may be expected. After commencement, our students return to their 2021 class groups to receive feedback on their examinations so that these can contribute to their goal-setting for the next year. 

• Year 10 and 11 classes will formally conclude on Friday 26 November. In the period after that, students who have been able to arrange work experience will undertake it while the school works individually with other students to ensure that they are well situated for 2022.

End of Year Celebrations: Class of 2021

As part of Commencement Week, the school community will finally be able to properly farewell our current Year 12s. They will be invited back on Tuesday 23 November for a celebration with their younger peers and then to the Sofitel on Thursday 25 November for their formal Valedictory dinner. A final celebration day will be held for them on Friday 3 December when they will be able to participate in some of the traditional final activities which have marked the end of our time with previous cohorts.

Monash Challenge

Our Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Mr Angus Clark, and our Director of Year 9 & 10, Mr Rian LaBrooy, have been working together to craft a modified end of year program for our Year 9 students which incorporates some aspects of the City Week program which students missed out on earlier in the year without sacrificing the connection to the tertiary learning experience which the Monash Challenge is designed to facilitate. While we will not be able to work on campus at Monash University this year, various presenters will speak to our students electronically across the course of the week as our students investigate this year's big (and currently still secret!) question. More information will be forthcoming about the details of this program, which is slated to begin on Monday 29 November and will round out the year for our Year 9s.

PFA Event: Wednesday 3 November - 7.00PM

The Nossal Parents and Friends Association (PFA) is pleased to invite you to an informative and thought-provoking online information session with Mr Andrew Simmons CEO of SELLEN (the South East Local Learning and Employment Network).

Andrew will be speaking on the topic "What is the workplace of the future for our students?" and will present you with current and local information about the job markets our students will be entering in the future; the current and emerging employment needs and opportunities; the skills, attributes and qualities employers and tertiary institutions are seeking; alternate pathways and emerging new career options; and how we and our students can best prepare for the future and long-term success. His presentation will include

• career change data, confirming with parents that studies show most young people will have more significant job/career changes than their parents
• previous jobs growth across the region
• current skill shortages in the region and the State
• jobs growth in the region and across the State
• the links between growth in employment opportunities with population growth in the South East
• the benefits of being multi-lingual in the region

A flyer, including relevant aspects of Andrew's biography, is available here:

No Registration Necessary: Login via ZOOM for a 7.00 pm start

Link:

https://nossalhs.zoom.us/j/82554491548?pwd=cWtIV0FyLytvMjdJMDZmMld0VzBTUT09 

Meeting ID: 825 5449 1548 

Passcode: 042762 

The PFA invite parents to remain online after the presentation for their regular monthly meeting.

World Teachers' Day

As Roger noted in his letter to the community, Friday was World Teachers' Day. John Inns, School Council President, shared this message with Nossal staff on the day:

On behalf of the Nossal Community I would like to express our gratitude and thanks on World Teachers' Day. The last two years has taken a toll on us all, but one of the constants has been your presence in the lives of our children, both virtually and in person. Through all the frustrations and restrictions we have faced, you have provided a sense of normality and community that has not just supported our children, but us parents too.

I am amazed by your ability to switch from face-to-face to online at the drop of the word "Lockdown"! There have been many obstacles, including the juggling of family and home commitments and probably little time to reflect on what you have managed to achieve through your dedication and professionalism. As we come to the end of the traumas of lockdown, take some time to look at how you have risen to the challenges and advanced both personally and professionally during these unsettled times. You should justifiably be proud and impressed by your own achievements.

Thank you once again for your dedication and professionalism.

Kind regards,

John Inns

School Council President 

on behalf of the School Community

Congratulations to...

Audrey Chau whose photograph was recently chosen as one of the winning entries in the Pearson VCE Science Student Photo Competition, and to appear in an upcoming edition of one of the standard physics textbooks (Heinemann Physics 12).

Lola Sargasso who has won second place in the Melbourne Royal Makers and Creators Competition for her photograph of a self portrait in a mirror.

Ms Lucy Bonham, whose quilt was selected as part of the Peoples' Choice Awards in the same online version of the Royal Melbourne Show. It is great to be reminded that while scholarship has its place, it is in the creative arts that we find solace and the joyful expression of our emotional and intellectual selves. 

Tracey Mackin

Assistant Principal