From the Principals' Desk 

Japan Tour

I had the privilege of joining Ms Warner, Mr Witt and 19 Nossal students for part of the recent Japan tour late last term and during the school holidays. It was a wonderful experience for us all as we visited some fascinating places, met important and interesting people, and visited Toyohashi High School in Aichi and our sister school, Chosei High School, in Mobarra, where our students home stayed and attended school for the week.

I was most impressed by our students who really did work hard at improving their language skills and were able to converse and communicate quite well in Japanese. I managed to master another two or three words that few of the Japanese people could understand, but was ably guided by the rest of the group, and most of the Japanese people we were in contact with spoke much better English than I do Japanese.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was staying in the World Heritage Listed 16th century mountain village of Shirakawago – an absolutely beautiful historic village – we stayed in traditional houses and were treated to superb authentic cuisine and magnificent scenery. We also stayed in a temple and a number of traditional Japanese Ryokans where the students embraced the bathhouse and vending machine culture with great enthusiasm.

I was again overwhelmed by the variety, flavours and textures of the food – I have never been overly fond of Japanese food in Australia, but love Japanese food in Japan. Ms Warner is an absolute foodaholic and we were able to sample the specialities of each area we visited and ate much, and often. I was less enthused by the bowl of Natto (fermented soybeans) Ms Warner and Mr Witt lead me to believe was a required traditional breakfast in Mobarra…, it may be a very healthy local delicacy, but smelled like mouldy socks and appeared to have been coated in slime. I managed to eat it all – but decided once was enough, and should have been more wary when neither Mr Witt nor Ms Warner were served any.

The main purpose of my attendance was to meet with our sister school Principal to formally sign off on our sister school agreement that will cement our relationship and encourage ongoing visits and communication. We were welcomed and treated exceptionally well by Mr Oyama, Miho (who visited us last year) and their leadership and English teaching team. It was nice to also catch up with the group of Chosei students who visited Nossal last year.

We were also honoured to again meet up with the Vice Governor of the Aichi Prefecture who visited Nossal last year as part of the Sister State program. He hosted a formal reception for us in the Prefectural Chambers where each of the students spoke, and he presented us all with gifts. We spent a day at Toyohashi High School where Ms Warner had undertaken an exchange program previously and met up again with Mimi who undertook an exchange at Nossal. We had a most illuminating and enjoyable time participating in classes and witnessing their co-curricular and “house” events.

Our students were even included in the daily ritual where the students all clean the school at the end of the day. No school cleaners – staff and students are responsible for the daily clean which is an approach I think has considerable merit – if you’re going to be cleaning up – you are much less likely to make or leave a mess anywhere – and that is certainly the case in all the Japanese schools I have visited.

It is fascinating to see the differences in the education systems, and compared to Australia Japanese schools are very low tech with very few computers; and their classes are very teacher directed with the students in the main sitting silently and passively. Some of the classes we visited we absolutely silent for the entire time which felt quite strange and I have yet to catch up with our tour students to see how they coped with participating in these classes.

Interestingly though, the students managed to get WIFI access wherever we were, including the temple and the historic village, so were rarely out of touch and were still engrossed in their phones.

It was nice to catch up with Emu (who had been a Language Assistant at Nossal High School) and her family while we were in Nagoya.

The only downside, apart from the humidity, was that Ryokans (while fantastic accommodation) are a bit challenging for fat old blokes with bad backs. Folding myself under the low tables and sitting on the floor for meals, and sleeping on mats on the floor gave me a new appreciation for chairs and beds which I was pleased to come home to.

We were warmly welcomed and treated very well wherever we went and it was a marvellous experience for us all – I offer sincere thanks to the students for being outstanding ambassadors for our school and country and a particular vote of gratitude for Ms Warner and Mr Witt for allowing me to join them and for looking after me so well, as I was very much a passenger.

Year 12 Final Weeks

It is hard to believe that the Year 12 students only have a couple more weeks of classes before swot vac and final exams. We have a number of celebrations and events planned to acknowledge the successful completion of their formal schooling and our teachers will be working hard (as always) to ensure they are well prepared and confident as they enter the crucial final examination period.

This is the time when students really do feel the pressure of expectation and where they need to ensure that they are treating themselves and their peers well; balancing their study with sleep, recreation and exercise; eating well; and studying effectively. Whatever the outcome, the school will be there to assist and support all students and I urge you to ask for help if you think you need it, (or guide others to do so if you think your friends may need it) and to access the many support services and people within and outside the school. Our students will perform well and will all be successful – please remember, as we always say, your best is good enough, and your future success is not prescribed by an ATAR ranking. We will be holding important assemblies this week where we will outline our expectations and programs for the remainder of the year, and I urge the Year 12 cohort in particular to stay safe and to look after each other during their final celebrations.

Future Problem Solving National Finals

This coming weekend Nossal is hosting the 27th Australasian Finals of the Future Problem Solving Competition – the first Government school to do so. We will be hosting over 500 students and their teachers from around Australia and Asia who will be competing in groups and teams throughout the weekend and vying for the chance to represent Australia in the international competition.

This is a prestigious event, and we have a Nossal team entered for the first time. I thank Mr Butler and Ms Shute for their organisation, and the many student, staff and parent volunteers who will also be giving up their time over the weekend to assist with the management of the event.

As a result of this I ask that all students vacate the school premises promptly on Friday evening and that they make sure their lockers are locked and that they have left no personal items lying around the school. The whole school will be utilised throughout the entire weekend and we will have FPS teams working in most areas of the school during this time.

Parent Information Night - Year 9 2017

Last week we hosted two information sessions for the incoming students for 2017. In excess of 250 very excited and enthusiastic people attended each of the sessions which were run predominantly by current Year 9 students.

I commend the students for the excellent job they did in conveying the Nossal culture and in explaining what makes Nossal a great school so colourfully and positively. A big thank you to Ms Loel for her organisation.

Leaving Nossal

If for any reason your child will not be returning to Nossal in 2017, and if you have not yet done so, please let me know by email or letter.

We will need to arrange transfer papers, and I would like to offer the vacancy to one of the many anxious students on our waiting list in time for them to be able to make subject selections and inform their current school.

Email to communication@nossalhs.vic.edu.au

South East Feast

We have been working with the Berwick Rotary Club to plan what we hope will become an eagerly anticipated and highly popular annual community event. We are planning to run a Multicultural Food and Wine Festival at Nossal in September 2017, in conjunction with Rotary as a joint fundraiser and charitable event.

We hope to capture the cultural diversity within our school and local community and are planning to have food and produce vendors, craft and cultural displays, performances, lessons and entertainment. I ask that you all consider what you may be able to contribute as we will shortly be seeking input and participation. We believe this will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the many cultural groups and individuals; the local produce and foods, and crafts and traditions.

If you are a member of a group who may like to participate, or know of some who may be interested; if you would like to run an activity or event, perform, cook, sing, dance, display, demonstrate, or simply help out – we will be calling for expressions of interest soon. Please consider getting involved in this exciting new venture.

Local Council Elections

If you live in the City of Casey, in Edrington Ward (where the school is located) you may know that there are two members of the Nossal community standing for election this year. Mr Riley Baird (Alumnus - class of 2016) and Mr Russell (Larry) Larkins (parent and PFA stalwart) are candidates in the current election amid a sizable field.

Chris Sargeant (Nossal parent and Working Bee star) is standing in the Four Oaks Ward (Endeavour Hills, Narre Warren North and Harkaway

Congratulations to...

• Will Height of Year 11 who has managed to balance his VCE studies with flying lessons through the Nossal Aviation Program and is the first Nossal student to achieve his full solo pilot’s licence.
• Kate Cooke, Charlotte Robinson, Arzan Divecha, Nihar Ringi, Anjali Sadhwani of Year 9 for participating in the 5 week Alpine School Program at the Snowy River Campus last term – they had a great time and have undertaken some significant challenges and leadership training that they will put to effect back here at Nossal. The Alpine School program is an outstanding (and difficult to gain entry to) leadership opportunity for Year 9 students and I am very pleased that we have been offered the chance to participate again in 2017.
• Yong See Foo of Year 12 for again achieving a Medal Award from the Australian Mathematics Competition Senior Division – this means he is one of the highest performing Maths students in the country, and he will be presented with his Medal by the Governor General of Australia (Sir Peter Cosgrove) at a reception in Government House in Canberra in November.
• Jade Roman of Year 9 who has won second prize (Secondary School category) for her song, “Bulletproof” in a national song-writing competition, “Change the World with Your Song” (http://changetheworldwithyoursong.com/ ). This competition aims to generate discussion on issues that matter to everyone. One of the judges said: “Sophisticated lyrics carry a plea for empathy with the down-and–out, for we don’t know their stories. The melody and rendition carry this message well.” (Go to the Music News page to hear a recording of the song)
• Nathan Iuoras of Year 11 entered the Monash University Composition Competition for Secondary School students.  He composed a work for jazz orchestra and was announced as the winner late last term.  Nathan recorded his piece in 20 minutes in our Meath Auditorium, with the help of Joyee Koay, Boris Guo, James Mustafa, Michael McQuaid, Julia Stoppa, Brianna Chapple, Clancye Milne and Caitlin McGregor. Nathan won $500 and bragging rights at Monash. (Go to the Music News page to hear a recording of the song.)

School Captains 2017

Following a rigorous selection process consisting of written applications, speeches, student and staff voting, and interviews we have selected our School Captain for 2017. It was a very challenging process as we had quite a number of strong contenders and the final decision was quite difficult as many students made a strong case to be selected.

I congratulate all applicants, and encourage you to be actively involved in other leadership positions within the school (and beyond) and to continue to be the excellent role models and leaders that you already are.

I am very pleased to announce the 2017 School Captains….

Aria Sunga and Abel Muller

…and Vice Captains…

Melania Iskandar and Ben Tran.

Roger Page

Principal