From the Principal's Desk

Teacher professional development

The theme of Education Week (Monday May 19 to Friday 23 May) is Celebration of Cultures. This year’s theme highlights the diversity of our communities and the importance of every child feeling safe and welcome at school.

Our whole school Professional Development session on Monday 12 May, on Cognitive Science, Cognitive Load Theory, and how the Nossal Learning Model is a clear example of our commitment to evidence-based practice and continuous improvement. Our Professional Learning and Pedagogy team, which was led by Ms Bowles (Assistant Principal) and Mr Clark (Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy), were joined by a guest speaker, Dr. Ryan Dunn.

Dr Dunn, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne, focuses on teacher professional learning, educational leadership, practitioner research, and design thinking.

The practical strategies discussed during the morning sessions enabled our teachers to work collaboratively in the afternoon in the Professional Learning Communities. These days, our teachers can create the conditions for learning where more students can think deeply about their learning. It is incredibly inspiring to see all our staff so engaged in honing their skills in learning and understanding.

Year 9 Wellbeing Program

All the Year 9s participated in a two-hour program on Thursday 8 May. The students were involved in workshops titled the ‘Connection Code’, which was facilitated by ‘Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Woman’. The ‘Connections Code” explored how expectations can negatively impact individuals.

The workshops created a safe space for participants to practise connection with others at the year level. Students were organised into mixed house groups to enable them to expand their social circles, as well as acknowledging and celebrating authenticity and individuality. The students realised that there were more similarities between them than differences. This enabled them to connect more closely with each other. If any emotions arose because of these workshops, we encourage the students to contact their Head of House so that they can be supported fully.

Attitude to School Survey

This week, you will receive an email informing you about the upcoming Attitude to School Survey (AtoSS). This is an annual student survey administered by the Department of Education to assist schools to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

This year, the AtoSS will be conducted at the school on Wednesday 21 May during Nossal Time.

Participation in this survey is voluntary. If you do not wish for your student to do the survey, please opt out via email to Ms Ffion Bowles (Assistant Principal) at Ffion.Bowles@nossalhs.vic.edu.au. Please do so before Monday 19 May, stating that you wish to opt out of your student’s participation, along with their name and year level.

If a Refusal of Consent email from you is not received before the survey commencement date mentioned above, it means that you give your consent for your student to participate in the 2025 Attitudes to School Survey.

Nossal events coming up

Nossal Week commences on Monday, 19 May – Friday 23 May

Nossal Week begins on Monday, with the Student Representative Council, School Leaders and the many clubs and societies to celebrate everything all things Nossal. The week will cover the full range of Nossal-y activities, from a student-led assembly, through a range of impressive musical performances, and including stalls and games run by a wide range of clubs. The event will culminate in a celebration of IDAHOBIT Day the students are asked to wear rainbow colours .

We are very proud of our Student Leaders, who have been very involved in the planning and preparation for the week. We hope that the months of work will culminate in a fantastic week for the whole school community.

Morrisby Career interviews (beginning Monday 19 May)

The Morrisby interviews get underway on Monday 19 May and run through Friday 23 May. Our Year 9 students and their families have been invited, as part of the ongoing careers education program at Nossal High School, to have a one-on-one interview with an external Careers Consultant to discuss their results from the profiling assessment they completed earlier in the year, how to interpret them and career options they could investigate. The Morrisby tool is designed to help students make informed choices for senior secondary school and beyond, by exploring their strengths, interests and career opportunities. If the student cannot attend, please contact Ms Ball, Ms Alley or Ms Jacques.

Parents as Careers Counsellors

Our Careers and Pathways Coordinator has organised an online information session for parents designed to help them launch and lead conversations about career pathways with their students. The event, part of the PFA's raft of annual offerings in support of our parents, was held online on Wednesday 4 June, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. We encourage parents to use the link to book through Try Booking to join this meeting. It will provide an interesting overview of current predictions about the world of work and an excellent explanation of the Morrisby reports, which our Year 9 students recently completed. This session is not exclusively for Year 9 students; parents from other year levels are welcome to attend.

The presentation was also a very useful precursor to the events which we will be holding early in Term 3 to assist our students with the course selection for 2025. Those events include our annual Careers Expo, which you can read more about later in the newsletter.

For those interested in what else the PFA is doing, remember that their next meeting will be on Wednesday 5 June, online (to avoid travel in the winter weather!).

Reminder – Keeping up to date through Compass

Important school information for parents and students is published on Compass. News items and payments due (such as for excursions) are published in the News feed on the Compass homepage. Parents are urged to check their Compass account at least twice a week to contact the school 03 8762 4600 for any issues with their access.

A gentle reminder about winter uniform

This is a reminder that all students are required to wear winter uniforms during Term Two. Please familiarise yourself with the relevant parts of the Student Handbook and ensure you wear your winter uniform appropriately this term.

Ties and Blazers are now compulsory. Winter Academic Uniform - Term 2 and Term 3

Students select from:

Nossal winter skirt/shorts, worn at a length of at most one visualised horizontal hand above the knee
Nossal grey trousers
Long or short-sleeved Nossal shirt (either ecru or striped) - must be worn tucked in
Nossal tie (compulsory)
Nossal jumper
Nossal blazer (compulsory)
Plain black anklet or knee-high socks or opaque black tights.
Plain black leather lace up school shoes (no T-bars or slipper-style shoes).

Students are permitted to wear layers and long sleeve tops under their school uniform for additional warmth, as long as these additional garments are not visible. Shirts are to be worn completely buttoned with the tie neatly and correctly positioned.

You are able to purchase long-sleeved dresses from PSW. If you do wear an additional layer, then you need to ensure that it is not visible.

Shirts must be worn completely buttoned, with the tie neatly and correctly positioned. Please make sure that you are only wearing your PE uniform at the appropriate time.

If parents could help remind their young people to wear the uniform with pride. If a student does not have something, they need to bring a note. The Wellbeing Team is also always willing to help them with uniforms.