From the Principals' Desk 

Camps & Pathways Week

Our Year 12 students will head to camp this week. Before heading off to Lord Somer’s Camp, they will be involved in a Digital Delivery Day on Tuesday 22. From Wednesday 23, they will be occupied in a range of adventure activities that allow students to explore the beach and the bush. Thank you to Ms. Warriner and Ms. Soltys, who organised the Year 12 camp. An extra special thank you to Ms. Warriner for organising Camps and Pathways week. 

The Year 10 and 11 students have been offered an exciting range of options for their week with the chance to complete a number of VET courses that would qualify them for part-time work (RSA, Barista, First Aid) and several fun, recreational, and wellbeing activities. Many students will take part in community service programs, including at  Puffing Billy, Beach Patrol, and Clean Up Our Streets in the local area. In addition, there are several Wellbeing activities and inspirational guest speakers who will aim to broaden their social and ethical perspectives. 

Although the Year 9 Camp to Rose’s Gap has been postponed until Term Two, Mr. Labrooy and our Heads of House and the Year 9 House captains have organised many fun activities that will run during 9Time. These activities are designed to develop relationships with peers and teachers and build a greater knowledge of our community. 

International Women's Day Celebration

We celebrated International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 17, with a whole school assembly this year; the focus for the day was #Breakthebias. Our student leaders, combined with the executive team of Formation and the QSA, planned and organised this assembly to focus on challenging the audience to consider a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination - world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.  Our student speakers focused on the historical developments of the women’s movement and shared their personal experiences. Dr. Schroor, our final speaker at the assembly, invited and challenged us to “reaffirm our support of women and girls, to recognise that together we are stronger. Resistance to patriarchy requires effort from women and from men!” 

A Parent Opinion

We don't usually publish opinion pieces in our newsletter, but this message from a Nossal parent in response to recent events at school was a timely reminder and support to the messages in our IWD assembly, and we would like to share it with you here - you may well find that it chimes with your own thoughts. If there are ways that the school can help support parents in the work they do to support equality (e.g. by organising speakers on particular topics on your behalf) please don't hesitate to send your suggestions through.

A two-minute read

Dear Nossal Parent/s,

As a fellow Nossal parent, I encourage you read this opinion piece to the end, as I think it is an important issue that impacts our kids or will impact our kids at some point in their life and career. If you have followed the news lately, you would have noticed a growing trend among young people to display misogynistic, sexist, and chauvinistic behaviour. Social media amplifies and highlights these issues and making it available for public consumption. Regrettably, Nossal has not been immune to such issues, and I write this piece not because there isn’t enough information out there, but rather as a parent who has been affected by such behaviour at Nossal.

As a parent, I am aware, the school has taken timely and proportionate action and has dealt with such misogynistic, sexist, and chauvinistic behaviour effectively. But this issue, is too important to be left for the school alone. Nossal is essentially a seat of learning, and the school shouldn’t have to use its limited resources in policing student behaviour. 

We as parents have an important role to play in detecting, seeking out and correcting bad behaviour in our kids. This will ensure that Nossal can continue to be a safe and inclusive learning environment that it is known to be. I know firsthand from my own experience, the extent of the mental distress, anxiety, and angst it causes to the victims, their friends, and their families. 

I would like to share two thoughts regarding this issue. 

Firstly, we need to teach our kids the importance of respecting others regardless of their gender identity.  When I say teach what I mean here not just paying lip service but also displaying such behaviour in our own lives. I have had friends moaning as to how their kids tend to follow what the parents do rather than what parents say. Respecting others in our own circles, independent of gender identity, I believe is one of the best lessons we can teach our kids. We all know, although we are all different, we are all equal. 

Secondly, I think we need to rethink how we connect with our kids. With a considerable part of our lives spent online, it is important we connect with our kids online and offline. Our kids are highly impressionable and the information they consume online impacts their mindset and it tends to change their behaviour and their outlook on life. This is not always a bad thing, but it is essential for us to understand their online and offline behaviour to ensure they meet minimum standards of decency and respect. It is important not to ignore bad online behaviour or discount such behaviour as mere jokes. The standards we walk past are the standards we accept. 

If you have made this far; Thank you for reading. None of what I already said is original but a useful reminder to all of us. 

Wellbeing Report 

Our Wellbeing team has been busy in the last couple of weeks. It has been great to be onsite and working face to face with students because there are many advantages of being able to connect with students in the classrooms, corridors, and the yard. Our team is working together to develop several proactive programs in each of the year levels to build greater self-awareness and more robust connections within our community. We are ready to launch the Year 9 2022 program "Girls with Attitude", and in the Senior School,  we intend to run a workshop that focuses on inclusivity and diversity. 

Tutorials and Nossal Time allow students to connect with peers, learn new skills, build ties to the community, and support mental health. We encourage students to be proactive about seeking the help and support they need by talking to their Tutorial teachers or their Head of House. In addition, the Wellbeing team meets weekly to discuss the referrals and connect students with the resources and support they require. We have also completed several Student Support Group meetings; these meetings are designed to understand better how we may support our students in the classroom and beyond.   

We aim to develop the coping, regulation, and help-seeking behaviour  of our students to ensure that they have the best opportunities in the classroom. The door is always open - the team looks forward to working with all students and the school community to promote mental health and wellbeing so that all can flourish and learn effectively. You are welcome to stop by for a chat! 

At Nossal High School we are intentional about fostering care both formally and informally as we know that effective learning relies on a sense of wellbeing, healthy self-esteem and trusting relationships. This creates the conditions that enable students to learn effectively and take on new challenges. We are always looking for new initiatives to better support our students and the community. 

Our Wellbeing Team is always here for students who need any support. To enhance the good work, we are doing we are partnering with ‘ISN Psychology Clinic’ to provide professional and timely psychological services for our students. This service will be provided with no out-of-pocket expenses through provisional Psychologists*. We understand that there can be barriers to accessing beneficial support for your student and an on-going school service may be the most appropriate and effective option for you. School-based services can increase collaboration between parents, school staff and ensure the benefits of young person’s work with these supports extend to their school experiences. (Please note that during COVID-19 restrictions these services are provided via telehealth sessions.)

ISN Psychology can provide treatment and intervention for a wide range of psychological; difficulties including: 

To access this service for your student please contact the Wellbeing team at Nossal High School. You may contact the student's Head of House via email, or the Assistant Principal Fiona De Zylva (0409 416 696). A referral will be made to our Mental Health Practitioner who will contact the parents or students directly and then refer the student to the service. 

If you have any further enquires relating to the Wellbeing of your students, please do not hesitate to contact the school. 

*Provisional Psychologists are qualified, knowledgeable and skilled. They are in their final stages of study before transitioninISN Psychology can provide treatment and intervention for a wide range of psychological; difficulties including: 

To access this service for your student please contact the Wellbeing team at Nossal High School. You may contact the student's Head of House via email, or the Assistant Principal Fiona De Zylva (0409 416 696). A referral will be made to our Mental Health Practitioner who will contact the parents or students directly and then refer the student to the service. 

If you have any further enquires relating to the Wellbeing of your students, please do not hesi*Provisional Psychologists are qualified, knowledgeable and skilled. They are in their final stages of study before transitioning to being a registered Psychologist. If you wish for your student to be provided support from a registered Psychologist you will need to make an appointment with your child’s General Practitioner (GP) to get a Mental Health Care Plan. This service may incur a cost.  tate to contact the school. 

*Provisional Psychologists are qualified, knowledgeable and skilled. They are in their final stages of study before transitioning to being a registered Psychologist. If you wish for your student to be provided support from a registered Psychologist you will need to make an appointment with your child’s General Practitioner (GP) to get a Mental Health Care Plan. This service may incur a cost.  Psychologist. If you wish for your student to be provided support from a registered Psychologist you will need to make an appointment with your child’s General Practitioner (GP) to get a Mental Health Care Plan. This service may incur a cost.  

School Council 2022

On Tuesday 22 March the Annual General Meeting of the Nossal High School Council will be held in the JRC commencing at 6:30pm. This will be our formal opportunity to welcome our newly elected (and in some cases re-elected!) members:

• John Inns (parent representative)
• Subash Abhayawansa (parent representative)
• Max Richards (student representative)
• Sanuka Gunawardana (student representative)
• Fiona De Zylva (DET representative)
• Katherine Warriner (DET representative)

along with newly co-opted members:

• Andrew Somers (Rotary)
• Prathiksha Ashok Raj Kumar (School Captain)
• Sunghwan Min (School Captain)

Our existing members are no doubt looking foward to working with this new team to continue to support the needs of the school and its students.

Fiona De Zylva

Assistant Principal