From the Principals' Desk

Dear Parents...

Farewell to Year 12

Monday 21 October was the last day of classes for the Year 12 Class of 2019 and we celebrated in the traditional Nossal manner – with an assembly run by the Year 12 students followed on Tuesday with a BBQ breakfast cooked by the staff, House Games, Tee shirt signing and a Holi powder colour fight on the oval. As always it is a joyous occasion, albeit tinged with tears and some sadness as the students realise their time at school is almost at an end, and the final exam period is looming. Many were keen to get straight into studying and Swot Vac, and Music and Language students have already completed the first of the 2019 VCAA exams.

I commend the class of 2019 for their final celebrations – it is a privilege to have shared the final stages of their educational journey and the end is now in sight. For some that will be an exhilarating prospect; many will be nervous; and some may be feeling quite overwhelmed and stressed. At their final assembly I urged them to make full use of the school, their teachers, the Wellbeing team, counsellors, and their peers and alumni – who are all as anxious as they are to see them achieve success and perform to the best of their abilities. From what I have seen of this group I know they will achieve very good results and will make us very proud. And as I say year after year.......the ATAR is important, (for a short time) but does not define an individual’s worth, nor accurately predict or limit their future. What we hope for each of our students is that they achieve a personal best and are happy, healthy and successful. There are many ways to be successful and sometimes pathways need to be adjusted and reconfigured as circumstances change. Nossal will always be here to assist our students to do that and will continue to be there for them long after they have departed the school and moved into the next stage of their educational journey.

I look forward to formally thanking and farewelling this cohort at the Valedictory Dinner and Speech Night and celebrating the release of results with them at morning tea on December 12.

10th Anniversary Celebrations

On Friday 25 October we opened the school to the public and alumni to acknowledge our 10th year. Much has been achieved in that time and the school is well regarded, well established and in high demand. More importantly, I believe that we have been doing very good work in delivering innovative high quality and broad educational experiences. In the past decade we have broken new ground and established a culture that is highly positive, supportive and nurturing, while at the same time is intellectually stimulating and challenging. That does not mean that we should in any way be complacent and we will always strive to do better and learn and grow as individuals and an organisation. One of the great joys and challenges of working in education (particularly with the highly talented and aspirational students we have) is that it is never static, there is always more to do, and always much more to learn. I think I have learned much in my 40+ years in education, but as I get older I realise that there is exponentially much more to learn now than ever before, and learning with and from the young adults (staff and students) I encounter every day still fills me with much joy and optimism for the future.

It was wonderful to have so many alumni (and parents) visit the school for the open day, and I thank all who contributed, with a special thanks to Shevin and the alumni, The Berwick Rotary Club, and the staff and parents who assisted in the events and organisation. We have two more formal celebratory events planned – an all levels Alumni Cocktail Party at the school on Saturday 16 November, and a formal invitational dinner on 10 December.

Visit by Aichi Vice Governor

We were privileged to host a visit from senior members of Victoria’s sister state in Japan during our open day, and they were most impressed by our students and the school. They spent the morning visiting classes, speaking with students and being entertained with some outstanding performances by members of the VCE music classes. I thank Phoebe, Louis and Jun who joined me and acted as exemplary student ambassadors and interpreters during the visit. This is the second time we have hosted such a delegation and I believe that we are the only school they visit. Three years ago, when our students were touring Japan, I joined them, and we were hosted by the Vice Governor in the Prefectural chambers and taken on a guided tour of Nagoya Castle next door.

Tasmanian Gifted Education Conference

Ms Mackin, Mr Fankhauser, myself and School Captains Aleena Bino and Anna Huynh were invited to Tasmania to speak about Nossal at the Tasmanian Association for the Gifted's state conference early in September. I was a little surprised when we arrived there to find that it was a very small conference and that there appear to be few formalised programs and activities for gifted students in Tasmania. They were very interested in hearing about Nossal and selective schools and the organisers were very keen to sing our praises to the Tasmanian Government, introducing us to the Education Minister with, “We need a Nossal in Tasmania.”  While the conference was small, our presentation was very well-received, and I commend Aleena and Anna for being excellent and articulate ambassadors. They were the only students at the conference and their participation greatly enhanced the Tasmanian delegates' understanding of what could be achieved in a specialist environment, as they presented a compelling case for student voice by participating as equals with academics and educators from Australia and overseas.

Clyde Road Railway Crossing Removal

Work on this major public project has already started, but the bulk of the works will take place throughout 2020 and there will be considerable impact on Nossal. There will be much more detail to come, but the main depot for the massive works that will occur will be in the paddocks opposite Nossal behind the university, and as the road is going to be lowered to go under the railway line, there will be significant disruption to traffic on Clyde Road. Those of us who currently battle the congestion and overcrowding might be seriously concerned about the impact on travel times and access to the school. VicRoads will ensure that our students and community are as safe and informed as possible, although there will be a huge increase in traffic and construction vehicles adjacent to Nossal, and I would suggest that if possible, you don’t drive your students to school. The train will still be the best option, although there will at times be some necessary disruption to rail services. We will be well informed in advance of the big disruptions, but we need to be prepared for at least 12 months of potentially much more challenging commuting in 2020.

December 7 (am): PFA Second-hand Book and Uniform Sale and Working Bee

Please mark this date in your diaries – a chance to sell your uniforms and books and to purchase items for the new year at bargain prices. The PFA will circulate more information closer to the date.

At the same time, we will hold a working bee to tidy up the grounds, move mulch, and perform various small maintenance tasks – any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

2020 School Captains

Following an intensive election and voting process I am very pleased to formally welcome our 2020 School Captains Shalaaka Brahmanvar and Kaaviyan Pathmasiri, and Vice Captains, Shivaani Sivaraj and Habib Rakin. They are excellent choices and have already taken on their first official duties in hosting the 10th Anniversary Assembly last week. I commend and thank our outgoing 2019 School Captains who have been exemplary role models and leaders throughout the year – Aleena Bino and Alvin Santosh, and Anna Huynh and Leo Crngorcevic.

Summary of some Recent Outstanding Nossal Performances

In creating this summary I know that I need to begin with an apology – Nossal's environment is so vibrant that I will certainly have missed mentioning a number of things. So many take place that it is, in any case, difficult to detail them all. Please read on to find more detailed reports on some of our recent achievements elsewhere in the newsletter!

DAV (Debating Awards):

All teams and individuals performed exceptionally strongly this year, with Nossal students receiving six Swannie Awards. This group included the Year 9 individual Victorian Debating Champion, Mila Vargas. My thanks to the English staff who support the teams each week.

Chess Team:

This dedicated group is through to the National finals; thanks to Mr Chattrath for his support.

Year 9 Information Night:

Two packed information sessions with over 500 visitors in attendance were held earlier this term. The Year 9 student presenters and performers were outstanding and took the lead in the running of the evening and in the presentations . Thanks to Ms Loel and Mr Monaco for organising this important event for our incoming students and parents.

Spring Concert and Unit 2 Soiree:

These two events provided opportunities for performances by most of the school ensembles and individual VCE students who demonstrated their exam repertoire. The quality and breadth of the music and the high level of performance was inspiring and exceptionally entertaining; my thanks to Ms Waddington and her team of instrumental instructors.

SLAM Poetry:

Our team (Amy Chu, Neha De Alwis, Ruth Jarra and Upani Perera) WON the Out Loud Eco!Slam high school poetry competition as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. They are now fundraising to represent Australia at the International Championship in New Zealand in December. My thanks to Ms Lee-Ack for her support of the team.

Year 12 Farewell Celebrations:

A special mention should go to the Year 12 singers and dancers, which included a large number of students and a number of teachers who put on a very entertaining and surprisingly proficient show during the final Year 12 Assembly this year...apart from Mr Hamilton, who was very enthusiastic, but appeared to be dancing to a different song to the rest of the group! Thanks to Ms Warriner and Ms Soltys for their support and guidance of our graduating class.

End of Year Activities and Events

Please make sure you are aware of the many special events and activities that will occur during the next 6 weeks, and note that most are compulsory; we expect and plan for all students to be in attendance and participating.

Our annual Valedictory and Graduation Dinner will be held for the Class of 2019 and their families on Thursday 28 November at the Sofitel in Melbourne. This is event is where we officially present each Year 12 student with their Graduation Certificate and celebrate the end of their Secondary Education. Tickets will be available until next Tuesday 5 November through Trybooking at https://www.trybooking.com/BBPVY. We look forward to seeing all of the Class of 2019 and their families at this special event.

I invite all parents to join us for our final formal school community event, Speech Night, on Tuesday 3 December at Melbourne Town Hall. This is a wonderful celebration of student achievement and talent, and I hope to see everyone there. We filled the hall last year, so please book your tickets to avoid disappointment. Ticketing information will be available to parents in the next two weeks.

The Results Day Morning Tea will be held on Thursday 12 December at 10.00 am. We look forward to seeing many smiling faces and joining in the celebration of your final VCE results. All students that are receiving their results on this day are welcome and invited to attend.

Mr Butler has been quite ill during the past week, so we wish him well and hope to see him back at school early next week. My thanks to Ms Mackin, Ms Shute, Mr Bell and Ms Slywka in particular who have been keeping things running during his absence.

Roger Page

Principal