From the Principals' Desk
Dear Parents,
As 2019 draws to a close I wish all members of the Nossal community a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year, and sincerely thank you for your contribution and involvement this year.
It has been a hectic final few weeks with many compliance, review, staffing and planning items still to be finalised and it seems to be later and even more demanding this year for some reason. Sadly I don’t think we are alone in this and the pace and expectation that is applied to many people at this time of year appears to be accelerating and the holidays will provide a welcome break and (hopefully) a chance for everyone to relax, recover and refresh themselves.
I remind our students (and parents and staff) that some of the best preparation for the upcoming year is simply to enjoy the holidays, have some fun, socialise and travel. Please take advantage of the enforced break from studies to do exactly that – some homework and revision is appropriate, but not too much – please make sure it is balanced with rest and recreation as well.
10 Year Celebrations
We have hosted three significant celebratory events late this year to recognise and celebrate the school’s 10th year and it was delightfully affirming to revisit the journey we have been on, and to catch up with many of the people who were key players in Nossal’s early history.
I wrote the following as the introduction for the 2019 Butterfly Effect Magazine….
“2019 has been another very successful year at Nossal High School and this magazine will serve as a chronicle of some of the achievements and recognition of the fine work and impressive achievements of our outstanding staff and students.
In 2019 we celebrated our 10th Anniversary and it has been very affirming to reflect on what we have created and achieved in what is a relatively short period of time. I was interested to see that many of the activities and rituals that were established in our foundation year (2010) have now become eagerly anticipated traditions that define and reinforce the Nossal culture, and am pleased to see subsequent generations of Nossal students and staff perpetuating and actively defending this culture. Of all our many achievements, it is this that makes me the most proud, and (although I will admit to a little bias) I think it is what makes Nossal such a special environment and is a significant point of difference for us.
It has been delightful to catch up with many “Old Nossalonians” and especially those from our foundation years who have now graduated from extended or multiple degree courses or are well established in a broad range of interesting and challenging careers. Their feedback has been instructive and affirming, offering strong retrospective appreciation for the way they were prepared for their transition into university and for the comparative ease in doing so. They were very complimentary about the relationships with their teachers and peers and recognise that their success is due to a wide range of experiences and was not just related to academic study and high scores.
I was pleasantly surprised to recently discover the letter I sent to the first group of 200 newly enrolled Nossal students in August 2009. I welcomed them to the new school and set out my expectations and hopes for what our future school would look like, inviting them to be bold, and “to meet the challenges, demands and expectations of this environment with flexibility, energy, creativity, and good humour.” I am very pleased to see that what I thought were very high expectations and quite challenging targets have been well and truly met and are now being further refined and are progressively evolving and improving with each subsequent cohort of staff and students.
I sincerely thank all who have shared this journey with us and who have helped shape our school so that we are able to provide the wonderful experiences you see detailed in the following pages.
I warmly invite you to stay connected and to join us on the journeys yet to come.”
VCE Results
The Class of 2019 performed extremely well, and we were very happy to celebrate the release of the final results late last week. Many students were ecstatic with what they had achieved, but there will be others who were disappointed and are now re-thinking their pathways. Our Wellbeing and Careers Advisors and the VCE team have been busy in the last week assisting students make changes to their tertiary preferences prior to the release of the bulk of the university offers in January 2020. Quite a number of students are in the fortunate position where they are already know where they will be and what course they will be undertaking next year, while many others will be enjoying a comparatively long break from study prior to taking up offers and starting at university in March next year. I was a bit bemused to have some of our senior students drop in as they were already bored and not yet used to the idea that they had a fair bit of free time on their hands after a very busy and pressured final year of VCE.
2019 VCE Results summary…..
52% achieved an ATAR over 90
Median ATAR was 90.3
9 students achieved over 99
The mean study score was 35 and 22% of study scores were over 40
9 students achieved perfect study scores of 50 (5 of them in Year 11!)
The Dux (Ruby Bai) achieved a perfect ATAR of 99.95 (as high as you can get - one of only 37 students in the state – and only 7 girls to do so)
I spoke with four of the 9 students who achieved 99+ at the morning tea and were happy to be named...
- Chamath Surawera 99.4
- Anna Huynh 99.4
- Elita Pinto 99.35
- Mariam Malak 99.05
I have yet to catch up with the others… but we will invite them back for our annual High Achievers Assembly early next year so we can congratulate them on their exceptional performance.
Ruby was in Paris at the time but was up celebrating and sent this message….
“Dear Mr Page,
I AM THRILLED!! This is truly unexpected. Thank you so much. I have had the best four years at Nossal. There’s no way I would be able to achieve this great result without all the wonderful staff and students who have supported me throughout my VCE journey.
I’m so sad that I can’t join the morning tea session — I am currently in Europe for schoolies :)
Thank you so much sir! I guess this is my gift for Nossal’s 10th anniversary then!!
Kind regards,
Ruby Bai”
I congratulate all 2019 graduates and hope that you achieved the best result possible, and if you didn’t, do not let that be an impediment to your future success, let it stimulate and inspire you to seek a different route which may open up even better opportunities for you.
Staff Changes
There have been a number of role and responsibility changes for 2019 as staff take on different responsibilities that reflect the school Strategic Plan and the priorities for the year. I will publish a full list early next year for your edification.
We farewell Mr Hamilton, Ms Kee and Ms Arora who are moving to positions in other schools and thank them for their excellent service to the Nossal. Mr Alban Xavier (French Language Assistant) will be returning to France after completing his 12 month appointment at Nossal and we thank him for his wonderful contribution to the languages program and for being such an enthusiastic and active member of staff. Ms Engler will be on leave for 2020, and Ms Graystone will be on family leave from the start of next year.
We welcome back Ms Fankhauser (replacing Ms Graystone) and Ms Wilson and Ms Budd who are both returning from Family Leave; and warmly welcome new members of staff…. Ms Fiona De Zylva (Leading Teacher – Director of Wellbeing); Ms Anna Wen (Accounting and Humanities); Ms Sara Villiers (Health and PE)
Mobile Phone Ban
A significant change for Nossal (and all Government Schools from 2020) is the Education Minister banning the use of mobile phones by students from the start until the end of the school day. This will require some major changes to the way Nossal has been operating previously, and we have adopted the recommended policies and procedures to ensure we are complaint with the new regulations.
In summary – from 2020 students are able to bring their mobile phone to school, but from 8.48am until 3.20pm (1.20pm on Wednesdays) the phone must be switched off and secured in their locker. They are not permitted to use the phone during the day, including lunchtime and study periods. Should parents need to contact them, or vice versa, they will need to contact the school office who will pass the message on. Students may carry and use their phones when on excursions and camps or travelling to and from other venues. In exceptional circumstances the principal can approve exemption from the ban for specific classroom activities, or for medical reasons. Should students not adhere to the ban there will be a graduated series of consequences as per the Nossal and DET codes of conduct. If students are seen with a phone, it will be confiscated and can be retrieved from the office at the end of the day in the first instance. Any subsequent breaches will require contact with parents before the phone can be returned to the student.
Please note: the ban only refers to Mobile Phones, not any other device (smart watch, tablet/laptop computer, iPad etc). The ramifications of the ban for Nossal students are…
- they will no longer be able to carry or use their phones during the school day
- they will need to secure (lock) their lockers to ensure safe storage for their phones (using the school designated combination lock)
- students and staff will need to find alternate means to record data, or images, keep track of the time, or use other phone functions within the classroom
- we may need to introduce bells or clocks
- parent/student communication and emergency contact or messaging will have to occur outside school hours or via the school office
I have spoken with the current staff and students about the impending ban and have now made the school policy public after consulting with School Council. This is not a course of action I would have considered necessary at Nossal, but the Minister’s ban is unequivocal, and we are compelled to enact it. I ask that parents and students support us in this process as I do not want it to become a point of conflict between staff and students. I hope to keep the message and process as simple and unambiguous as possible to avoid any loopholes or misunderstandings.
Holiday Access
The school office will be closed from 2.30pm on Friday 20 December 2019 and will re-open on Wednesday 22 January 2020. (The school will not be accessible during this time).
Staff resume on Tuesday 28 January and Years 9 and 12 students attend the Foundation Assembly on Wednesday 29 January while Years 10 and 11 students resume on Thursday 30 January.
For urgent enquiries, I can be contacted by email or TEAMs, although may not be able to respond immediately. For emergencies I can be contacted on my mobile 0408 121 847.
Best Wishes,
Roger Page
Principal