From the Principal's Desk

Of Compassion and Self-care

This year, as you are aware, I have been reflecting on the twin elements so common to life as a learner, discomfort and discovery. In general, the joy of the latter is our reward for the (generally fruitful) stress generated by the former, but sometimes external forces change that balance.

Term 3 is a "big term" in the academic year. Our Yr 12 students and their teachers are trying to finish learning all of the new material for the year so that they can use Term 4 to focus on revision and exam preparation, of course, but in fact for all of our students Term 3 is the moment when you really start to delve into the complexity of every subject. This is the moment when students are no longer "novice learners" in the classrooms, and when their teachers starts to expect depth, detail and rigorous thinking from them. They start to feel a sense of expertise, but with that expertise comes an increased expectation that they will move beyond the basics in each subject.

This year, that productive tension has been somewhat strained by the fact that Term 3 is an unusually short term. The fact that Semester 2 included more of Term 2 than it usually would might not seem to be paying time-management dividends when all you can see is the end of Term 3 bearing down upon you at an alarming rate!

In the light of that, I wanted to start this newsletter with a reminder about pacing, and about compassion for self and others. People who are under pressure tend to be less careful in their interactions - they may lack time or energy to ensure that their messages to other people are sensitively framed, or they may get a bit too focused on their own "to do" list and forget that others have a list just as long (and just as important to them!). 

As we reflect on our own behaviours, we need to pay attention to our own stress levels, and extend to ourselves the same type of care and understanding that we would extend to our friends. Now is the time to think about what our own behavioural flags are and to build in some self-care when we see those flags going up. For example, I tend to hear a self-righteous tone entering my speaking patterns when I am under pressure. Deliberately building in some grounding activities (like stopping what I'm doing for a short breathing exercise, or undertaking a short reflection on the many things for which I can and should be grateful) is a small but important way of giving myself space to step away from the "sharp edge" of this sort of stress before it has an impact on others.

At the same time, as we interact with each other, it's important to assume that the other person in that interaction is acting in good faith. They might not be communicating as effectively as we might have liked, but that doesn't mean they are actively trying to make things worse or more difficult. Again, the extension of compassion and the assumption that the other person is trying their best is an important starting point when a group is under pressure (for whatever reason).

In a couple of weeks, our student leaders will be running a range of activities for our annual Kindness Week. I commend them for their efforts, and our students and staff for their ongoing support for each other. This reflection is, I suppose, a reminder that kindness week can be every week, and that life is generally better for everyone if every one of us approaches our work with kindness (to self and to each other) as a foundation.

Big Things Can Be Fun!

I have been speaking here about the "bigness" of Term 3 in terms of academic pressures, but for Nossal this term is also the season for one of our most joyful events, the House Performing Arts Festival (HPAF). I am typing this report the day before the event, but the newsletter is due to the published a day or two after it.

HPAF is one of the most enjoyable events on our calendar, and from the buzz of excitement in the corridors this week I have no doubt that this year's event will be a memorable one. I look forward to celebrating the creativity and passion of our students on the day.

Increased Expertise Translates into Increased Success

As the Nossal community well knows, our motto of "Embrace the challenge" says that it's more important to "give things a go" than it is to be the best at everything you attempt. Learning means failing, and it often means committing yourself to a cycle of "failing better" as a pathway to increased expertise in relation to more and more difficult things.

Having said that, the expertise we gain by trying harder things and striving to conquer them is also real, as we can see when we reflect on the successes of a whole range of Nossal students in contexts inside and outside the school.

Later in the newsletter you will hear about the recent success of our Wind Symphony, and the impressive performances of a number of students in the National Competitions for History and Geography. You'll find the names of students who experienced success in the 2025 Parliamentary Prize, and read a report from student who won a place at a University of Melbourne Engineering and IT Camp. Alongside those external successes, you'll be able to see our students reflecting on their learning in English and in an event run as part of our Pathways curriculum, the Year 11 Mock Interviews. I would like to congratulate our students on their willingness to embrace the challenges of participating in these activities, and on their different forms of success. I'd also like to acknowledge and thank the staff who make these programs such a success in what has been, as I noted earlier, a very busy term indeed!

Dates and Events To Plan For

One excellent way of managing stress in a busy time is to do some forward planning. With this in mind,  and as we near the end of the term, it's worth taking note of a few important dates:

Two other major "save the dates" notes to make in your calendars are our annual Speech Night on Monday 24 November and, for Year 12 families our annual Valedictory Dinner, which will this year be held on Tuesday 2 December. 

Tickets for the Valedictory Dinner are on sale now; Yr 12 students have access to the link via Teams.

Nearly there!

I began this entry with a reflection on how full of things this term has been, and the potential consequences for our wellbeing - both as individuals and as a community - of having to manage many different things at once. I hope that every member of our community can find some joy in each of the days remaining to us in this term; I know that we will continue to support each other through those days, and that as a result we will be able to look back on the term with pride. 

with thanks,

Tracey Mackin

Principal