From the Principal's Desk

As we approach the end of Term 2, it is a timely opportunity for families to support their teenagers in finishing the term on a positive note — academically, socially, and emotionally. It is also an important time to encourage the character strengths that help young people grow into resilient, respectful, and capable learners, in all areas of school life.

The final weeks of term can bring about a range of feelings for students, particularly in the cooler climate: examinations are concluding, assessments continue, energy levels dip, and motivation can waver. As a parent or carer, your steady support and encouragement can make a big difference.

It is also a term in which we explore new and increasingly tricky content, requiring us to use our brains a great deal and to pay closer attention to the skills of consolidation and revision than we did in Term 1. Our students have achieved all of this and more, taking part in extra activities at lunchtimes and as part of sporting, subject, and co-curricular excursions — well done to each and every one of them!

We hope that everyone in our school community is starting the holidays feeling proud of what they have achieved. We also hope you take a moment to remember that if there are areas where things did not go quite as well as you had hoped, it is actually a positive sign. It means you have identified an edge in their learning, and that they are well placed to take the next step and move beyond that limit next term.

With the holidays commencing this afternoon, please make sure you give both your mind and body plenty of time to rest and renew. Spend time talking nonsense with friends, read something you have wanted to read during the term, put on a coat and gloves and wander around with the dog (if you have one), watch a wonderfully dreadful film and enjoy every minute of it, sew, cook, jog, climb, or nap. The main thing is to make sure you carve out proper time for resting and relaxing — the joy of learning will still be there when you return, but it can wait a week or so. 

Last week, students completed a busy run of assessments, including Edutest, the General Achievement Test, and the ACER test for our Year 9 students in 2027. We are incredibly proud of the maturity and effort shown by our students throughout this demanding period.

Year 9 Subject Selection Information Evening

The Year 9 Subject Selection Information Evening took place on Thursday 18 June, at 6:00 pm online. This session provided an introduction to VCE, explained how VCE operates at Nossal, and outlined the subject selection process for students moving from Year 9 into Year 10 in 2027. A sincere thank you to Ms Bowles, Mr Labrooy, Mr Clark, and Mr Pritchard, who presented and skilfully answered questions from our community. If there are any further questions, we encourage you to contact your student's tutorial teachers and Heads of House who will be able to help you with more information. 

Year 9 Leadership Development Camp

Four of our brave Year 9 students have spent six weeks at Glenormiston South as part of the Year 9 Leadership Development Camp. I had the honour together with Mr Labrooy of listening to their energetic and insightful presentation to the Gnurad-Gundidj community. The program combines practical application with theory-based workshops, with students using laptops, journals, and pens to record their own self-directed learning.

Throughout their reflections, students are strongly encouraged to draw connections between their interactions with the community and the learning concepts explored, helping to deepen their understanding. These students have also been working on a school-based project, which they will present to the Nossal community when they return in Term 3. They will continue working closely with Mr. Labrooy and Mr. Tomasini to ensure their leadership initiative plans come to fruition in 2027. We are looking forward to continuing this journey with them.

Professional Learning for teachers - Staff Wellbeing

On Wednesday 24 June, our teacher wellbeing session focused on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms, presented by Dr Jade Murray from the Monash Sleep Foundation. The purpose of this session ws to support staff in developing personalised sleep-wake management tools — an important step in improving both sleep and functional outcomes for our teaching and non-teaching team.

Nossal High School vs Beaconhills College

Our School Captains have been continuing their important work of connecting with local schools, and to that end, organised a soccer match between our male-identifying Year 12 students and Beaconhills College. In a week when the World Cup was dominating screens everywhere, it was wonderful to see our students get out and have some fun of their own. The match took place on the Nossal oval on Tuesday, 23 June, at lunchtime, and both teams clearly enjoyed themselves. We are pleased to report that Nossal came away victorious, winning on penalty shootout! (I am no expert!)

We are also delighted to announce that our female-identifying students will have their turn in Term 3, with a basketball match planned. We look forward to hosting Beaconhills again here at Nossal early next term.

I want to extend my congratulations to our four School Captains — Darshawin Tan, Tashi Mallawa, Iliana Alam, and Daelan De Zilwa — for their wonderful collaboration with the school leaders, teachers, and teams of Beaconhills College and Nossal High School. It was a genuinely impressive effort, and a fantastic example of the leadership and community spirit our Captains bring to Nossal.

Reports and Early Finish

Term 2 reports will be released on Thursday 25 June. Parents are also reminded that Friday 26 June, is an early finish day, with students released from school at 2:30 pm. Lessons will be shortened throughout the day to allow students the opportunity to meet with all of their teachers before the end of term.

Upcoming Events

NAIDOC Week Assembly 

When we return from the break, we will hold a Whole School Assembly on Monday 13 July, at 11:50 am. This assembly will focus on the 2026 NAIDOC theme, 50 Years of Deadly. Our curriculum is wonderfully diverse, and several of our subjects focus on Indigenous issues and perspectives; students from these classes will be presenting in a variety of ways throughout the assembly.

Careers and Pathways Expo

Students and parents are invited to attend the 2026 Careers and Pathways Expo on Thursday 23 July, from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and discuss pathways with tertiary providers, including Victorian and interstate exhibitors, as well as alumni who will be on hand to share insights into their own study and career journeys. We highly recommend this event to our community, particularly the sessions run by our alumni. This evening will help support students ahead of Course Confirmation and Selection, which will take place online on Wednesday 29 July. Further information will be provided to students and families closer to the date.

Parents and Friends of Nossal

Our Parents and Friends of Nossal community continue to do a wonderful job supporting our school. The secondhand uniform shop will be open from 8:30 am on Monday 13 July. This wonderful group has also been busy planning a Bunnings Barbecue, and we encourage all parents to get involved — there are a number of different ways for families to take part.

We wish our entire Nossal community a safe, restful, and joyful break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 3.

Thank you again

In the last newsletter, I mentioned that this job is very much a team effort, and that sentiment holds true now more than ever. I have been extremely grateful to the team for their support and encouragement throughout the term — it would simply be impossible to do this job without the professionalism, insights and support they bring each and every day. Once again, thank you to our entire school community — students, staff, and parents — for your support throughout this term. It is truly a great honour to work with, and for, this community. 

We are very much looking forward to having Tracey Mackin back with us at the start of next term, and I am deeply grateful and appreciative of the hard work and dedication shown by both our staff and students throughout the term.