Nossal News 2024

Principal's Desk

Students are ready for HPAF: 

This week marks the culmination of the significant work and dedication invested throughout the past term by our House Performing Arts Captains and the entire student body. During their penultimate rehearsal last week, each House focused on perfecting their performances, refining the House songs and choreography, and finalizing backstage props, all with an eye toward excellence and making a lasting impression on the judges. 

 

Each House appears well-prepared to present their interpretation of the theme: Eras Editions – A Moment in Time, with the following eras represented: 

  • 1960s: Pegasus 
  • 1970s: Garuda 
  • 1980s: Phoenix 
  • 1990s: Griffin 

We eagerly anticipate their final performances on the evening of Thursday 29 August at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University. A limited number of tickets are available for those who wish to attend and witness the culmination of their hard work. 

 

For detailed information about this mandatory school event, including arrival times for rehearsals at the venue, please refer to Compass events. 

Thank you for your support 

As you may be aware, our changeroom and toilet facilities in Building B required demolition late last year to address a structural issue. We are pleased to inform you that these facilities are now fully operational and available for use. We extend our gratitude to our student body for their cooperation throughout this process. Additionally, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the families who contribute to the Building Fund; this financial support played a crucial role in enabling us to restore these facilities. 

 

Additionally, we would like to express our genuine gratitude to the PFA for their ongoing support of the school. Their financial contributions through dedicated fundraising efforts, as well as their organisation of social events, have provided valuable opportunities for our community members to connect and strengthen our collective spirit. This spirit was recently on show at the annual Bunnings Sausage Sizzle, held on Saturday 17 August, which was a resounding success. The event provided a fun-filled day for all participants, with sunny weather and live music adding to the lively atmosphere. 

 

A reminder that the PFA will be hosting a Father’s Day stall at the school this week on Wednesday 28 August, offering students the opportunity to purchase a small gift. Additionally, the PFA will be holding a raffle for a large hamper filled with chocolates and other items to raise funds for the school. We wish all of the Fathers in our community a Happy Father’s Day for Sunday 1 September. This day provides the opportunity for us to express our gratitude, love and appreciation for all the hard work, support, and love that male figures provide to their families and to strengthen the bond between them and their children in the creation of lasting memories. 

 

Reading is Magic

Last week, the school celebrated Book Week with the theme “Reading is Magic,” featuring a range of activities that will be detailed in our upcoming newsletter. Among the highlights was the traditional multicultural dress and book character day, where students showcased a variety of interesting and colourful outfits, including characters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

 

We were also honored to have two guest authors, Alice Pung (Year 10) and Danielle Binks (Year 9), who provided valuable insights to our student cohorts. 

 

Thank you, Kalpana Lal, the Director of the IRC, and her team for organising and facilitating each of these events. 

What are our staff learning? 

On Friday, 23 August, all staff participated in professional learning focused on Self-Regulated Learning. This approach encourages students to take an active role in managing their own learning by recognizing and controlling the emotional, behavioral, metacognitive, and motivational processes that influence their educational outcomes. 

The session was facilitated by Dr. Shayamm, who drew upon his extensive experience as a secondary school teacher, education consultant, and researcher. He shared ten practical strategies that can be easily integrated into our teaching practices to enhance both our effectiveness and students' understanding of their own learning. The session emphasized the science of learning and its role in achieving academic success. 

The day was insightful and thought provoking. If you would like more information about this approach, please refer to the article below. 

 

AERO supporting-self-regulated-learning-aa.pdf 

 

At the end of the session, all staff participated in one of two activities as a reminder to prioritize our own well-being. We extend our thanks to Tracy Burgos, one of our Casual Relief Teachers, for leading a meditation session, which received positive feedback and is highly recommended for future sessions. 

I chose a more physical option—line dancing—facilitated by Darren Mitchell from Cheyenne On Queue, a local company. For those of us who took on the challenge, it was not only an opportunity to burn some energy and share a few laughs, but also to learn a new skill and discover that we didn’t have two left feet after all. 

 

Thank you to Ms Fiona DeZylva for organising the day. 

The City Program 

All Year 9 students participated in the City Program from Tuesday 13 August, to Thursday 15 August. During this program, they gained valuable experience in understanding what it would be like to work in and navigate the city. Students effectively managed their time by planning their daily tasks each morning, focusing on their specific investigation based on the topic “What is the future for Victoria?” 

 

Throughout the program, students actively engaged in their research by interviewing and surveying members of the public, small business owners, and employees of large corporations, including those involved in the rail project. They will now work on synthesizing and presenting their findings in alignment with the Five Minds of the Future framework. We look forward to seeing the innovative projects they will develop. 

 

A sincere thank you to Mr Rian LaBrooy and Ms Ella Young for their outstanding organisation of this program. 

What is coming up? 

Please be reminded of the following upcoming events: 

 

Friday 30 August, will be a Synchronous Digital Delivery Day (Periods 2-5). Students are reminded to be online and present in their classes according to their Compass schedules. To ensure active engagement in learning, cameras should be on, and microphones should be functioning properly. 

 

This day also coincides with Wear it Purple Day, an opportunity for our community to show support and empower LGBTQIA+ youth to dream big and share their passions, in line with this year’s theme, “Your Passion, Your Pride.” 

Additionally, on Friday 30 August, our NEST students will participate in the NEST Summit, held onsite at Nossal High School alongside students from local schools. We wish them an informative and engaging day with a variety of presenters. 

 

The following Friday 6 September, our Year 11 students will hold their Formal. The Year 11 Formal Committee, under the direction of Ms Marion Campagna, have been finalising the event. We hope this is an enjoyable evening for all. 

 

Kindness Week (Monday 9 – Friday 13 September) is shaping up to be an important week and a chance for us to consolidate and practice what we value within the Nossal community, led by our School Captains. The end of the week will also be the Year 11 Business Management Market Day, an excellent opportunity for students to use their knowledge of successful businesses to see how they fare. 

 

Our students have just finished their self-ratings for their end of term reports. Staff have already begun the process of preparing their reports using the assessment data and observations that they have made throughout this term. The Term 3 Student Reports will be released on Thursday 12 September at 4.00pm. 

 

At the same time the online booking sheet will be opened for Parent Student Teacher Conferences which will be held online on Thursday 19 September (2.00-8.30pm) and Friday 20 September (9.00am-2.00pm). More information about this will be sent out prior to the release of the reports. 

 

Please put a reminder on your calendars for the Nossal Speech Night. This will be held at the Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 20 November. Attendance at this event is compulsory for all students, and full academic uniform is required (including Blazers). This event recognizes the academic achievements and successes of our students. 

 

Finally, a reminder that the Valedictory Dinner for our graduating Class of 2024 will be held at The Pullman, Melbourne, on Tuesday 26 November. More than half of the available tickets have now been sold. 

 

Please be reminded that you can book tickets and pay by installments if required.