From the Principals' Desk 

South East Feast

In conjunction with the Rotary Club of Berwick, Nossal High School is planning to organise and run a large community multi-cultural food and wine festival on Saturday September 16 2017. On this day, the entry road into Nossal will be lined with multicultural and gourmet food stalls and food trucks showcasing various cuisines, local gourmet produce, wines and craft beers. A stage featuring performances from community and cultural groups, bands and individual performers will be set up on the soccer pitch, and roving Nossal performers will busk and entertain the crowds. Amusements, rides and a petting zoo for young children will operate outside, while inside the school people will have the opportunity to experience lessons in martial arts, Bollywood dancing, cultural ceremonies, cooking and demonstrations.

The aim is that the South East Feast becomes an eagerly anticipated, annual community event that will attract large numbers of people to the school; will showcase local cuisine and our rich multicultural community, and will raise significant funds for the school, Rotary and a nominated local charity. We hope that this event will grow to become the main school fundraiser and an event that involves the whole Nossal community in its planning and execution. There is nothing like it occurring locally and we have a great opportunity to develop a high-quality landmark event.

We have been working on the concept for a while now and are at the stage where we need to start nominating and booking food stalls, performers, cultural groups and displays.

I ask that the Nossal school community strongly support us in this endeavour, mark the date in your diaries and encourage friends and family to join us on the day. I also ask that anyone who has a link or involvement with a business, cultural or community group or individuals who could possibly be involved to contact Mr Butler or myself with details so we can follow up.

We will require many students and parents to assist on the day in a variety of roles and will call for some formal expressions of interest shortly. Please help us make this a success.

Generations in Jazz/Jazz Night

I had the honour again this year to be bus driver and roadie for the Nossal Big Band as they travelled to Mount Gambier to participate in the annual Generations in Jazz Festival hosted by James Morrison, featuring some of the world’s top jazz artists and about 5000 student performers from all over Australia. The atmosphere and level of performance was simply stunning. We were able to witness and participate in concerts, workshops and demonstrations with some of the best jazz musicians in the world. The quality of the student bands and performers is simply outstanding and the Division 1 level bands perform at levels exceeding many established professional bands I have seen.

The event has a competition element where each band performs three pieces – one set piece composed specifically for the event, a ballad, and an 'own choice' piece. Performances run continuously throughout the Saturday from 8.00 am until 6.00 pm and each school is adjudicated and assessed by professional musicians and members of the Jazz Academy – receiving a CD of their performance with a live recorded commentary and constructive critique. Nossal placed 12th in our division – a highly creditable placing in the light of the quality of the competition, and importantly, performed exceptionally well. The improvement and development of this band in the past 12 months has been huge and I was amazed at the maturity and quality of their performance as an ensemble. I commend the students and James Mustafa, in particular, for his inspirational leadership and tuition of the band. The top individual performers from each division are nominated by the judges to be included in a “Superband” and this year Nathan Iouras was selected as the pianist for the Superband, (not at all surprising if you have been fortunate enough to hear him play – and especially his solo introduction in the performance of the ballad piece). This is a significant achievement and Nossal is “two for two” now, as Aaron Au was selected last year as a trumpeter in the Superband.

They reprised their performance at the annual Nossal Jazz Night last week and if you were not there, you missed standout jazz inspired performances from Nossal's Big Band, the choir, Guitar, Percussion, String, and Flute ensembles, culminating in a set from James Mustafa’s “Horns of Leroy” which resulted in a huge jam session involving 30 or 40 student players. The special guest headliner this year was Ms Sue Harrap who demonstrated that she is not just an exceptional educator, but also a wonderful singer with her impressive rendition of “Cry Me a River.” My daughter bought me a new saxophone so I could perform this year, but unsurprisingly it was unable to resolve my lack of talent and limited practice, so rather than lower the standard, I will start work on something for next year – but am well outclassed by our very talented students.

My thanks to the music staff for their (as always) excellent work.

Emerald Rotary Club Car Raffle

For the past 4 years Nossal has been fortunate to have been offered the opportunity to participate in this raffle organised by the Rotary Club of Emerald and the Ferntree Gully Motor Group. They offer a range of schools and community organisations the chance to participate and it is by far the most effective fundraiser I have seen.

For every two-dollar raffle ticket we sell – we get two dollars. That is correct – every dollar we raise comes straight to the school – thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club and Ferntree Gully Motor group.

The prizes this year are …

1st  - Volkwagen Polo

2nd - Suzuki Ignis

3rd - $1000 Westfield Voucher

4th - $500 Westfield Voucher

Tickets will be on sale from now until July 31 and the prizes are drawn on August 14. We ask that all tickets be returned to the school by Friday June 23 in order for us to forward ticket butts and money to the raffle organisers.

Last year our students raised $15,000 for the school – which contributed to the completion of the oval; the purchase of musical and sporting equipment; and funded some of the SRC clubs and events. We also donated a small amount back to the Rotary Club to aid in their support of a needy African School. The Nossal School Council and the SRC will confirm where this year’s funds will be allocated.

I am hoping that each student and family will be able to sell at least one $20 book of tickets – there is a good chance of winning a car, it must be our turn to win one (or two) this year.

House Points will be awarded for each book of tickets sold and the individual Tute group and student who sells the most will be eligible for a prize as well. Please support us in this – it provides much needed additional funding for the school – and is quite easy to do – many people are happy to buy a ticket or book.

I will allocate one book of tickets to each student – and when they are sold they can come to collect more. I hope this year to not have to return any unsold tickets and to raise at least $16,000. Please help.

Railway Station Concerns

I have again been informed that congestion at the Berwick station (caused by Nossal students) is becoming a problem for other members of the community and remind students to be aware of others trying to access trains and the platforms; to keep left and to allow access for others when entering and leaving the station (particularly at peak times); and to be very conscious of the impact of the volume of noise, language and demeanour. It is a challenging space for us as the facility is not adequate for large numbers – and unfortunately it is one of the few sources of negative feedback about Nossal students. Please be very conscious of this and assist other students to create a good, rather than bad, impression.

I thank Chantelle Pereira, Fenella Selvaratnam, Johnathon Ho, Julia Pham and  Nathan Wo for taking on the Transport Monitors Leadership role this year. I have asked them to keep an eye on things at the station, to remind our students to be aware of other travellers, and to alert the school or transport authorities to any issues that may arise on the trains or the station.

Applications for 2018

Applications for 2018 have now officially closed – although if people are quick they may be able to submit a late entry for the next few days. Pleasingly Nossal applicant numbers are significantly higher again this year showing good progressive growth each year and is indicative of the interest in our school and the positive messages they hear from our students and families. Vacancy applications for Years 10 and 11 are still open.

Victorian Education Excellence Awards

These government sponsored annual awards recognise the excellent work of individual teachers and staff in schools. Most Nossal staff are too modest to nominate themselves or their colleagues – but parents and students can do so and I encourage you to nominate a teacher or support staff member who you think is worthy of recognition. Please visit www.education.vic.gov.au/veea

Memorial Tribute

I commend Mina Fahmy for his compassion in organising a Nossal tribute for the late Mr Kevin Anderson, one of our Crossing Supervisors who died unexpectedly late last year. Kevin was supportive and friendly and well-liked by our students. Mina organised for the City of Casey to make a presentation to Kevin’s family on behalf of the school and the SRC commissioned a memorial paver that was placed at the front of the school.

Seven members of Kevin’s family attended our whole school assembly where Councillor Rosalie Crestani (on behalf of the Mayor) and Mina paid tribute and presented plaques to the family. They were quite moved and appreciative of the school’s recognition. Our sympathy and condolences are with them.

Official Oval Opening 1.30 pm May 26

Please mark this event and attend if you are able. The eagerly awaited official opening of our oval will take place on this day and I have promised every alumni student the chance to have the first kick so we will have a formal ceremony with representatives from previous graduating cohorts, and special guests present to witness this momentous event.

Congratulations to…

Aditya Gadgil, Lauren Richardson, Hayden Radford and Jordan Van Rhyn – who recently achieved an almost clean sweep of the awards in the recent MUNA (Model United Nations Assembly) held at Parliament House and sponsored by the Rotary Club. A very impressive achievement.

Angelyna Byelyn and Qiao Si Tee (class of 2016) who were recently presented with prestigious Monash Scholarships as a result of their work in VCE.

Roger Page

Principal