Nossal News 2024

From the Principals' Desk 

Fiona DeZylva - Assistant Principal

We hope that everyone had a restful holiday and that we are ready for another busy term. We commenced the term with a whole school assembly that recognised the work that students did during Term 3. 

Students were recognized for their achievements in several extracurricular activities that they participated in during Term Three, including awards for the Japanese and French Model UN delegates, JLTAV Speech Competition participants, Frankston Susono Friendship Association Speech Contest participants, Rotary Model UN and also the Monash Scholars. (The names can be found in the later pages of the newsletter). We also acknowledged the students who participated in the numerous Book Week and Sport activities. It was a real celebration of achievements and awards. Congratulations to all students who were recognised during this assembly.

 

During Term 4, we will continue our planning for 2024, which commenced during Term 3, but we are also about to begin the critical work associated with developing aspects of our new School Strategic Plan. In our Wednesday Professional Learning sessions, teachers commenced the important process of developing a Nossal High School Learning model. Our aim in creating this model is to create ‘agentic engagement.’ This will be an evidence-based model that focuses on developing autonomous learners.

French Tour

We welcomed back sixteen students and three teachers from the French Tour. The students participated in an exchange with an upper High School in the Brittany region of France. The school was Lycee Felix Le Dantec (named after a well-known French scientist) and is situated in the town of Lannion, northwest France. 

Students experienced the "French way of life" within a family and attended school for one week. They participated in a special program offered by the school as well as attended some normal classes with their host students. Furthermore, students developed their cultural understanding with visits to numerous tourist attractions in and around Paris. Apart from further developing and strengthening their French language skills through cultural immersion, they have made lifelong friendships.  We thank Leslie Cilia, Keith Butler, and Yvonne Sly for their work during the tour.  An extra special thank you to Yvonne Sly for the additional hours of planning and preparation she did to make this a successful tour.

Congratulations to:

The Monash Scholars for 2024 -

  • Pahal Dandiya
  • Madhav Devatha
  • Justine Huynh
  • Thehan Kooranpala
  • Wilbur Machado
  • Kylinda Zhang

This will be an excellent opportunity for our students to work with students from various schools. 

A Warm Welcome

It is a pleasure to welcome our new Year 9 students, the graduating Class of 2027, and their families to the Nossal community. I congratulate you all on achieving a place at our wonderful school and look forward to meeting you at the Orientation Day on Tuesday 5 December. Parents are invited to attend for the morning, as we will spend some time informing you about our programs, expectations, and processes. Morning tea will be provided, and the PFA and Principal team would be very pleased to meet you face-to-face. In the meantime, please keep an eye on your Compass newsfeed and the newsletter for more information. Short introductory videos from our students and some key staff members will be published to help you get a sense of what Nossal is like.

PFA Bunnings Sausage Sizzle 

I sincerely thank the many members of our Parents and Friends Association (PFA) who spent Saturday 2 October 2023, cooking and selling sausages to raise funds to support and assist the school. They had a very successful and enjoyable day and raised over $2500. 

 

The PFA is also involved in a Mango Fundraiser. The Mango Fundraiser only uses Bowen Special Mangoes, more formally known as Kensington Pride Mangoes. They are packed in a single-layer tray, and each tray weighs around 4.5kg. When you buy Mangoes from the Mango Fundraiser, you know the fruit is coming directly from the farm to you. Your mangoes are not being held for long periods in storage or ripening rooms. There is more information to be found on Compass. Order by Wednesday 25 October. If you wish to order, please use the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/CKTDU

The PFA is also organising a secondhand uniform and book sale to be held on Saturday 18 November 2023.  This event is always well attended, and we encourage parents to be there early to avoid disappointment. All students and parents are welcome to hold their stalls for a small fee or donate uniforms and books to the PFA to help raise funds for the school.

I would encourage any new (or “old”) parents to consider joining the group. You can give as much or as little time and energy as you wish, and it is a wonderful way to connect with other parents and become more involved in the school community. They meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.00 pm in the Jean Russell Centre (above the Nossal front office). 

Student Voice and Agency

Our Student Representative Council (SRC) is in the process of selecting their 2024 representatives at the moment. We have had a large number of students nominated to be part of the SRC. The applicants will be shortlisted before presenting a speech at an assembly. Then, voting will take place. Once the elections have taken place, planning can start for 2024.

Personal Safety Awareness when out in the community

As you may have seen in the media, there has been a spate of criminal activity targeting young people in the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The nature of the crime is theft of items such as laptops, phones, wallets, etc. The Berwick area has not been immune to these incidents. 

 

We encourage parents to speak with their young people about the current context and personal safety strategies. 

 

We are making our community aware and sharing some personal safety strategies. As part of this approach, we will be communicating with students about the importance of awareness of their surroundings and strategies to promote their personal safety. 

We ask that, as parents, you also speak with your child about this. It is essential that young people are aware of the current context and the actions they can take to promote personal safety. Some key messages are:

 

Stay alert

  1. Keep an ear free when using headphones,
  2. Be aware of your surroundings. Look around and keep your head up,
  3. Pay attention to people around you; if someone is walking towards you and you feel uncomfortable, cross the road.

Travel Safely

  1. If you have the opportunity to travel with friends, please do so,
  2. Walk confidently and with purpose,
  3. Choose the route with the most people around,
  4. Walk in the opposite direction to oncoming traffic,
  5. If you think you are being followed, walk into a shop or public space - in fact, students should be aware of where the cameras are located at the Berwick station and stand in view of a camera.

 Keep valuables ‘light, held tight, and out of sight’

  1. Only carry what you need,
  2. Keep bags closed,
  3. Keep phones locked when not in use,
  4. Take care of yourself and your friend,

If you are approached, do not confront the thief. Your safety is more important than your belongings.

  1. Walk away from conflict or dangerous situations and take your friends with you,
  2. Stay with friends. Don’t get isolated,
  3. If you are approached, do not engage in a physical altercation but take protective actions to keep yourself safe.

 Students are also reminded to be aware of where they are in case they need to call for help. 

  • Parents can consider the use of the Emergency Plus App, which has a single button to call 000.
  • The app uses GPS functionality built into smartphones to help a caller provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency services.
  • If you become aware of a threat to a student (including while they travel to or from school), please report it to the College via your child’s Tutorial Teacher. 

Matters of a severe nature should also be reported directly to Victoria Police:

  1. For emergencies, call 000,
  2. On public transport, text STOPIT to 0499 455 455
  3. For non-emergencies (police, but not the sirens), call 131 444 or complete an online https://onlinereporting.police.vic.gov.au/
  4. Anonymously report (Crime Stoppers) 1800 333 000
  5. You can also walk into a local police station to make a report. 

If a student is concerned, we urge them to talk with a member of the Wellbeing team, Head of House or Ms. De Zylva.  Please encourage your child to share any incidents that make them feel unsafe. 

Upcoming events.

  • VCE Written exams commence on Tuesday 24 October. We remind parents and students that doors to Building B will be locked to keep the noise and distractions to a minimum. If the VCAA signs are on the door, please do not attempt to use the doors.
  • The Valedictory (Graduation) Dinner will be on Thursday 16 November. The tickets are still available but will be closing soon. Please get them as soon as possible.
  • An asynchronous Digital Delivery Day will be held on Monday 6 November 2023. This is the day prior to Cup Day. Work will be provided for students to work on and submit online.
  • Speech Night, which will be held on Tuesday 28 November 2023, is a compulsory event for all Nossal students. Students are required to be in full academic uniform for the event. Those who are getting awards and prizes will be notified once exams are completed.