From the Principal's Desk

'If winter comes, can spring be far behind?'

We have started Term 3 in a flurry of wind, rain and chilly wintry weather, and we know that this term is also likely to have its fair share of winter health challenges. We recognise that managing Term 3 means managing the likelihood of colds and flu, and also means managing a relatively heavy period in relation to academic workload. For both of these reasons, we need to be alert to our mental and emotional needs, and to be deliberate in deploying strategies to maintain our wellbeing as the weeks progress.

In the light of all this, I'll just take a moment to remind our students in particular that if they are unwell, they are better off to have a day or two at home to help them recover than to "soldier on" and find themselves dealing with an illness that drags on for weeks. Similarly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and commend those members of our community who make use of masks to ensure that infections do not spread through our classes (whether those infections be COVID-related, influenza or any similar ailment). 

Despite these challenging elements of our Term 3 reality, though, this term is very much a time for celebration and looking forward. As I type, the school's annual Careers & Pathways Expo is getting underway. The day is a highlight of the year, bringing together a large number of alumni (who return as presenters), an impressive collection of tertiary providers, and of course the school's teaching staff as sources of expert information on their areas of study. 

The richness and diversity of the resources made available to our students at this event is outstanding, and I would like to commend the event organisers for the many hours of work they have done over the last many months to make it possible. Specifically, I would like to thank Ms Fiona Vanstan, Mrs Jessica Ball and Ms Clarissa Jacques for their thoughtful curation of this event, and for their logistical savvy making it happen. They have of course been supported by members of both the teaching and educational support teams, and I know that they value these contributions as much as I do.

Course Confirmation

While our Year 12 students may take advantage of the Careers & Pathways Expo to investigate their options after leaving school, this event is for the rest of our students a precursor to our annual Course Confirmation process, during which they plan their courses for 2025. Our Year 9 and 10 parents have been busily booking in interview times for Wednesday 31 July, when they will meet online with our teachers (and of course the young learner making the plan!) and confirm their subject choices. 

I look forward with some interest to the results of this year's course confirmation process. As long term members of our community will be aware, we construct our timetable on the basis of the preferences our students express at this time. In the past, the entrance test has led to a slightly higher proportion of our students being interested in numbers rather than words, but with the new entry test there is some evidence that this balance may have shifted a little. It will be fascinating to see if this results in a greater number of our students wanting to pursue "wordy" subjects (and in fact just as fascinating if it doesn't!).  

Other exciting things springing up this term!

There are, in fact, many reasons to see Term 3 as a term of optimism and excitement. Soon we will be celebrating our annual House Performing Arts Festival, and our Year 9s will undertake a new version of our annual City Program. The term will feature celebrations weeks in honour of Books and Kindness, and our Year 11 students will get to dress up for the annual Year 11 Ball. Our PFA will hold one of their major fundraising events - the Bunnings BBQ - and their always popular Badminton Competition, while the ONA will spend the term working towards their first reunion event for the year, the Class of 2023 Cocktail Night.

All of that, and of course it will be the term when our Year 12 students finalise their formal learning with us and position themselves for a successful examination period early in Term 4. Their final events - like Speech Night and the Valedictory dinner - is feeling closer every day!

Recent reasons to celebrate

In my excitement about what Term 3 has to offer, let's not forget some equally excellent news from the recent past. 

Since our last newsletter, it has been my pleasure to attend our annual school production. The student's rendition of Puffs was both memorable and enjoyable. Sold out audiences attended every night, and they were not disappointed. The performances were engaging, amusing and tightly rehearsed - a tribute both to the committed work of the students involved, and to the guidance and support provided by their teachers. I would like to offer my hearty congratulations (and heartfelt thanks!) to Ms Sarah Tchantcho, Mr John Ninis, Ms Kat Webster and Ms Vaani Guruparan, whose hours of dedicated support and deep technical expertise were so essential to the success of the event.

Early this term, I was again grateful to be present at the annual VCE Premier's Awards and to celebrate there the success of three of our students. The event included presentations by both the Premier, the Honourable Jacinta Allan MP, and the Lieutenant-Governor, Professor James Angus (AO FAA FAHMS). 

Professor Angus memorably quoted Horace Freeland Judson, who described scientists as experiencing "the rage to know" and who inadvertently also described a feeling familiar to many of our students and their teachers. Professor Angus took time to draw our attention to the way in which an "acute discomfort with incomprehension" makes the need to learn, and through learning, to understand, an imperative. Given how regularly I have been reflecting on the way in which curiosity and courage combine in successful learners, his reflections resonated with me. Term 3 will be full of deep learning, and that can only happen when we allow ourselves to dwell in - but also draw motivation from - the discomfort of not yet understanding.

I would also like to congratulate the Nossal students recently chosen to take part in the Monash Scholars program. This is a significant achievement; I commend our students for their efforts to date, and look forward to hearing about their experiences as they work their way through the program. 

While I am acknowledging the efforts of our students, I would like to take a moment to thank the student contributors (as always, ably support by Ms Fiona de Zylva) who made our opening assembly for the term so memorable. Scholars and musicians came together to help us both understand and reflect on NAIDOC week. We were treated to a poetry reading and analysis, and explanation of this year's theme, and a musical performance exploring indigenous issues. The combination of elements helped to position our thinking firmly within the Respectful Mind as we re-engaged with both our academic and community work.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of our student writers, who once again featured prominently in the annual Casey Fresh Words Competition. You can read some of their wonderful pieces later in the newsletter, just before the reflections from some of our students on a recent Year 9 excursion to the theatre.

Term 3 is a term that tends to loom large on the school calendar, but it will no doubt bring with it many more reasons to celebrate both with and on behalf of our community. I look forward to finding out what they are!

Tracey Mackin

Acting Principal