From the Principal

A productive term so far

The term is certainly picking up pace, and we are already passed the halfway mark! Visitors on a recent school tour remarked on what a calm and productive vibe there is as you walk around the school, and I must agree.  It's been a particularly positive start to the year, with our students well underway in their studies. Our Year 9s undertaking the City School program this semester have been visiting the CBD on some exploratory missions, and are progressing well with forming their inquiry questions and beginning their Historical Investigation (a bit like a Literature Review for their topic). Year 7 Maths and Science classes are learning how to gather and plot data, and our Year 11s and 12s are undertaking their first SACs (School Assessed Coursework) in their various subjects. Our VCAL students have been engaging in community projects: see further in this newsletter for details.  We thank you also for your support around upholding school expectations on mobile phones and uniform. Our subschools have had a number of conversations recently with students and parents about these areas: continued support from our families helps us to maintain our high standards and to do so with fairness. Our partnership with you makes our school stronger. 

This edition of the newsletter is full of opportunities for our young people to engage in and beyond our classrooms and community: enjoy!

Celebrating success

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing one of our VCE 2019 students, Cora Hughes, perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre for the VCE Season of Excellence Top Dance. Cora demonstrated extra dedication to the subject last year, studying it through Virtual School Victoria. It was a wonderful performance: congratulations Cora!

We are also proud to announce that, later in March, Leon Foggiato and Tom Polleti will appear in Top Designs, and Will Allen will feature in Top Arts.  We look forward to seeing their work on display. The Season of Excellence showcases the very best portfolio pieces from across the state. It is a testament to the students' hard work and to the quality of our teachers and curriculum that our students so regularly feature in these events.

Facilities upgrades

You may be aware that we received a grant for $55,000 from the State Government and $5,000 from the federal government to upgrade our provision of bike storage for students and staff. Part of doing that is to first establish the need.  Noah Rindschwentner, Leo Sekhon, Reg Dugan of Year 10 (who attended the School of Student Leadership last year) have been conducting a whole school survey to help determine the best placement and provision of new bike racks. If you have any feedback for them, please contact the school via info@nhs.vic.edu.au.

Over the summer holidays we also had our main building painted, installed two new locker bays (with two more on the way) and purchased some additional seating with shade umbrellas for the courtyards near B-block and the Library. They have already proved very popular with students lunching and studying.  

Our Year 9 and 10 student leaders have also been successful in applying for a school grant to upgrade the seating and amenities in the Middle School lunch and study area. We will look forward to seeing that space renewed soon.  

School Council 

We recently called for nominations to School Council for 2020. A vote is being held this week for our Student Members, after which we will be able to officially announce the results of the ballot. The School Council Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 19 March, at which new members will be co-opted and the Annual Report to the Community will be presented. This is open to all community members: look out for further details in your Compass newsfeed.

Acting Principal for Term 2 2020

I am delighted to announce that Ciar Foster will be Acting Principal for Term 2, whilst I am on secondment to the DET.  I know that the school is in very caring, confident and professional hands.  We are currently advertising for an Acting Assistant Principal to fill Ciar's role in my absence.

Year 7 Family Picnic

The Year 7 Family Picnic was the final of our start of year family welcome events, and what a cracker it was! Our families filled the grounds, enjoying paella and other treats. Tutors, teachers and parents chatted throughout the evening, whilst our Year 7s tore around the school in a highly competitive Scavenger Hunt. It was a warm, friendly and very positive evening. Thank you to all families who came along to partner with us, and to our staff and older students from Music, Peer Support and various Clubs who stayed to help welcome everyone to our community. 

House Athletics Carnival

One of our school goals over the last two years has been the re-invigoration of the House system, focussing in particular on our Year 7 and 8 students. Our houses are a means of creating a sense of pride and belonging in the school, and of fostering a healthy spirit of competition and collegiality. We took an important step towards this reinvigoration with the recent renaming of Batman house to Cooper (see the NHS Spiel, our student newspaper, for a student perspective on this). Our biggest community sporting event, the House Athletics, is coming up on March 20. I look forward to seeing our students and staff decked out in house colours and cheering for their team! Further details on the Carnival are in this newsletter.