From the Principals' Desk

Oval Opening

Last Friday, May 26 we held a real celebration to mark the official opening of the oval. It was the culmination of years of hard work and promises, and a truly momentous occasion for the school. For those of you who were not able to make it, I encourage you to watch the video of Mr Page running through an impressive banner with past and present students, to the sounds of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ (above). He capped it off by kicking the football into the crowd - we were very pleased that he didn’t hit any of the audience, fall over, or do himself an injury. We had about fifty past students from each of the 2013-2016 graduating cohorts here to celebrate, which was a highlight.

We owe much thanks to various groups who made it happen:

Keith Butler and Jason Bell who not only worked as part of the facilities team to ensure the oval was completed, but also led much of the organisation of the event. Keith played an integral role, along with Leslie Cilia, in the design and construction of the banner. The student Fitness Leaders gave their valuable time and assistance. A special note of thanks to Waterguys Moorabbin for their donation of the PVC pipe, which held up the banner. It was a great team effort and a stunning result.
The Nossal High School Parents and Friends Association (PFA) donated the goal posts and have purchased the padding for them, which will soon be fitted. We also had members of the PFA assisting with this.
The Berwick Rotary Club members donated their time and barbeques to cook lunch for the entire school. We are indebted to them for the support we receive throughout the year. The Laboratory and Food Tech. technicians (Leann, Chris and Amanda) assisted with set up and cooking, as well as the unenviable task of clean up at the end.
The PE Staff provided a range of activities, including: Tug of War, Three-Legged Race, Shots at Goal and others for ongoing entertainment throughout lunch.
Mr Pegram acted as our event DJ, providing the inspiring music throughout
The Alumni (Old Nossalonians) for their patience (waiting until our 8th year), attendance and support of the event. Our close neighbours, who will also benefit from the oval, Insight Education Centre for the Blind and Vision Impaired, also joined us, as did Michael Watchorn from Monash University.

Sincere thanks must, of course, go to Roger Page and Gayl Shute and our dedicated School Councils over the years, for their dogged persistence and determination to succeed despite the various obstacles that have stood between us and the oval for 7.5 years. We look forward to the years of joy and the enhanced opportunities for fitness and Physical Education that the oval will bring.

Year 11 Mock Interviews

Throughout Thursday 25 and Friday 26 May you may have noticed students arriving and departing from school dressed in business attire. Each of the Year 11s had the nerve wrecking experience of having a mock interview with one of the sixteen, very generous Rotarians from both the Berwick and Narre Warren Clubs. We are most appreciative of the time and effort dedicated to our students. As we say to our students, almost on a daily basis, it is not enough to be intelligent, you have to be able to communicate with others and sell yourself and your skills.

This is the first time we have held mock interviews, and both students, and the Rotary Volunteers were extremely pleased with the program and the opportunities. Throughout the course of the two days the following Rotarians donated their time and expertise: Lilian Welling, Tim Fisher, Keith Roberts, Terry Trevena, Bruce Armstrong, Tim Moore, Sam McCurdy, Isobel Caulfield, Roslyn Roberts, Allen Roberts, Trevor Bailey, David Collyer, Jack Kraan, Ann Kraan, Sandi Tarant and Lynne Roberts, a number of them spent two full days with us. At the conclusion of the interviews on Thursday I was pleased to take those who were able to stay on a tour of the school, and on Friday, it was great to be able to involve many of the team in the Oval celebrations. Particular thanks must go to David Collyer and Isobel Caulfield for organising their team.

We say thank you, and look forward to the opportunity to show our appreciation formally at an upcoming Rotary Meeting. Much of the work required to organise the students - to ensure they had an application letter and resume prepared, create appointment times, and came dressed appropriately was done by Ms Falyn D’Mello our Year 11 Leader, and she was ably assisted by Ms Emma Geyer, our Director of Careers, Pathways and Transitions; we also sincerely thank them for their work and dedication.

Victorian Planning Authority Submission

In the previous edition of the Newsletter, Roger outlined the future development plans and planning amendments for the Monash Berwick site, which were forecast by the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA). He has since spent many hours consulting and conferring with the school community and members of the VPA to gain an appreciation of the potential impacts on us. This week he compiled a list of concerns and queries and submitted our response to the proposal. We now await the next phase of the process.

Arts/Technology Showcase incorporating Broadway Beats - 23 June

We are very excited by the great work being done by the Drama Club, under the direction of Mr Shane Woon. This year, rather than performing a complete musical, they are putting together a collection of well know performances from a selection of musical theatre. The Drama Club performances, titled "Broadway Beats" are being complemented by a collection of works from our fabulous Arts/Technology Domain. This will include static displays of student work, robotics, dance and musical performances selected from the classroom program as well as a few other surprises.

SAVE THE DATE: Friday 23 June from 6:30 pm. Details will be sent out soon and ticket sales will also soon be available via TryBooking.

Curriculum Related Events and Dates

Curriculum Day

Friday the June 9 will be a pupil-free Curriculum Day for students, which leads nicely onto the Queen’s Birthday public holiday on Monday June 12, to create a well-earned mid-term break (a 4-day weekend for students). Students can rest a little (and catch up a little, if they need to). Staff will be working hard on the Friday correcting and moderating assessments, and writing Term 2 reports, while our Education Support Staff will be busy with a professional learning program. There are no classes for students on this day.

The General Achievement Test (GAT)

Wednesday June 14 is another big day on our school calendar. All students involved in a Unit 3/4 VCE study will sit the General Achievement Test (GAT) from 10:00 am – 1:15 pm. To ensure we are able to seat all 440 students and have them ready to start on time, all students are expected here at school by 9:00 am. Other things for students and parents to note on this day:

FULL ACADEMIC UNIFORM is required
Approved equipment includes: basic stationary in a clear (unlabelled) plastic bag, a dictionary without annotation or highlighting, and a clear and unlabelled water bottle.
Students will assemble in the court yard, according to VCAA Student Number, staff will check their materials and assist them to enter in an orderly manner.
There is no access to the school via Building B on this day

Digital Delivery Day (Year 9 & 10)

Also on this day we have a Digital Delivery Day for students in Years 9 and 10. Students will again work from home, live (in real time) with their teacher and class, in an online environment, using the Collaborate Ultra software. Parents must give permission for their child to work at home on this day via Compass.

End of Semester 1

Semester 1 finishes on Friday June 16. Students with semester-based subjects will change some classes and possibly teachers at this time. There are two weeks of Semester 2 before the end of the term. It is important for students to meet all of the deadlines for their final assessments.

Year 10 Work Experience

Students should be making final preparations for Work Experience in the week of June 26-30. There are no classes running for Year 10 during this week.

Term 2 Reports

These will be released to parents via Compass on Thursday June 29. We encourage all families to read and discuss reports with their children.

Careers & Pathways Expo – Thursday 27 July 4:00 – 8:00 pm

Once again we will bring a comprehensive Careers and Pathways Expo to the Nossal and wider community. It will feature access to a multitude of tertiary providers and our own staff (in the various Domains), talks from members of our Alumni about courses and transitioning to university, (and now beyond) and Career Panels.

The panels will have representatives from various universities, and one or two members of our Alumni, talking about the unique characteristics, similarities and differences between the same type of course at different institutions. Panel topics include: Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Commerce/Business and Engineering.

A draft program will be released before the end of term, so that you can begin planning your involvement on the night. In the meantime, make sure you save the date. For those families who come directly from work, food will be available for purchase on the night.

Rotary Club of Emerald/Ferntree Gully Motor Group Raffle

Raffle books should have been received at home. If they have not, please ask your son or daughter to take it out of the depths of their bag. Each child has been allocated one book of 10 raffle tickets ($2/ticket) to sell. Every $2 ticket sold means $2 in fundraising for our school. All ticket stubs and any unsold tickets should be return to your tutorial group.

South East Feast – Saturday 16 September

Plans for the South East Feast are making good progress. If you know of any community or cultural groups that could perform on the central stage or run workshops/exhibitions within classrooms, please contact Keith Butler via email Keith.Butler@nossalhs.vic.edu.au with details.

We want this to be a showcase of the rich and diverse culture mix of our school and the local community: Bollywood Dancers, Traditional Indian/Sri Lankan Dancing, Community Choirs and performances, Chinese Dragon Dancers… the list is endless.

Additionally, the names and contact details of food vendors with a gourmet or cultural theme would be greatly appreciated.

That’s all from me this week.

Regards,

Sue Harrap

Assistant Principal