From the Principals' Desk

Spirit is high at Nossal

Spirit in, and enthusiasm for, Nossal continues to be high when we look back over events at the school in the past two weeks.  Our last newsletter was published as we celebrated the achievements of some of our top performing students of 2018, as measured by their ATAR scores.  Mr Page acknowledged to the student audience that as we so often say, ATARs do not define who you are, nor do they mean that much into the future beyond a student's tertiary selection, however on this occasion they were the basis of nominating which students took part in the assembly to celebrate their achievements.  And as each student was announced to the assembled students and staff, it was clear that these graduates had not only applied themselves to their lessons and learning, but had also taken a wide and active role in the school and its co-curricular programs too.  Students had been members of music ensembles, sporting teams and community service programs to name a few.  We congratulate them on their achievements to date and look forward to following their life journey through a connection with the Nossal Alumni, wherever their path will take them.

Nossal Swimming Carnival

Well, as it turned out, you didn't have to necessarily be in the pool to get wet when we held the Annual House Swimming Carnival at the Doveton Pool on Tuesday 12 February.  In the midst of what had been a long, dry sunny period of weather, (a pattern that has since continued), Nossal's sports were held on the only really wet day of the school year to date. As always though, they were a tribute to the commitment of all at Nossal.  The day started well with lots of passion from the competitors and their Houses and this continued through the rolling showers of rain until it became obvious that continuing with the program would only impact on the health of competitors and officials.

Fortunately, our bus operator had a number of vehicles outside the pool and so an evacuation of the centre was reasonably easy to organise.  The great majority of those present were put on buses and returned to the school, while a small group of stalwarts stayed and completed the last few remaining events that were needed to identify the school's swimming team for the upcoming District event.

Thank you to all of our students and staff for their participation and cooperation during the day.  Once the decision had been taken to leave early, your assistance made the process of returning to the school so much easier.  Once back at school, students were able to make arrangements with families to travel home to dry out or stay at school until other plans could be put in place.

I would also like to especially thank the small group of dedicated staff and students who stayed at the pool in cold and wet conditions to both complete the necessary events and ensure the area was left clean and tidy.

For the record, the final results were Garuda 504 points; Griffin 510 points; Pegasus 393 points and Phoenix 567 points.  Congratulations to Phoenix House on the win and also special congratulations to the various age champions. 

Bienvenue Lycée Félix le Dantec

Last Friday morning, a group of 20 visiting French students and their two teachers arrived to start a 10 day stay with us at Nossal.  Despite having traveled for 40 hours, the group from Lycée Félix le Dantec in Lannion, were excited to be in Australia and especially looking forward to seeing some of our wildlife.

On an extended route to Nossal, which included a city sights tour, the group stopped for morning tea in Williamstown, and then for another short stop in Warrandyte.  Here our guests enjoyed listening to the screech of the sulphur crested cockatoos before they strolled along the edge of the Yarra River, hoping to catch a glimpse of an echidna.  Our next stop for lunch was the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens before continuing to Nossal to meet the host families.

Over the weekend, the majority of the group went on a family outing to Emerald Lake Park for a barbeque lunch and a hit of cricket, before boarding Puffing Billy for the ride to Belgrave.

This week the French students have attended some classes with their hosts and been officially welcomed to the school at an assembly.  Mr Hamilton ran a class in Aussie Rules football on Monday, looking for new talent for Richmond.  The rest of the program includes a visit to the city, more time in classes and a trip to Healesville Sanctuary.  Their busy schedule will end at Nossal on Tuesday morning when the Lycée Félix le Dantec students depart for a few days camping and hiking in Western Victoria.

An international visit such as this takes an enormous amount of planning and work and we are indebted to Mrs Sly who has provided this to make the visit a success.  We also thank, most sincerely, the host families who have accepted a student into their homes, and Ms Cilia who has provided accommodation for one of the visiting staff members.  The possibility of a return visit by Nossal to France is being talked about, so watch this space.

Student Safety

In the last edition of the newsletter I wrote about the concerns we have for cars being driven too fast in the school grounds and drivers ignoring road markings when exiting the car park, both of which increase the risk to student safety.  Once again, I repeat my request for drivers to slow down on the roadways around our school.  Please be mindful of the young people in the area and also those who are arriving at Federation University. The notice about speed limits and the school's traffic management plan can be found on the General News page of this newsletter.

Another aspect of student safety concerns the early arrival of students at school in the mornings.  It has been brought to our attention that when the first staff arrive at the start of the day, there are often students standing around the campus.Please note:  that while there may be staff on the campus early before, and late after, school hours, it does not mean that students are being actively supervised.  Parents are advised that supervision officially applies from 8:30am until 4:30pm.  Anything outside these hours is purely incidental.

Are we up to date?

During the planning for some of the events on the school calendar since the start of the year, we have found that some student details are inaccurate or incomplete.  Please ensure that all student emergency contact details are known at the school, and should there be any change, that the school is informed of the changes as soon as possible.  Time spent trying to locate someone in an emergency when the details at the school are wrong could have serious ramifications.  Please keep all student records up to date.

Likewise, we are experiencing problems with students not gaining consent for excursions before the closing date.  Excursions and other events requiring parent consent, have a closing date.  The date is important not only for us having the necessary plans in place for those going on the event, but also have met all of our legal requirements.  It is no longer acceptable for us to accept a note on the day giving permission for a student to participate.  Please check Compass regularly (at least once a week) and approve events in a timely manner to avoid students missing out on activities.  In the case where a student has not got the correct consent from parents on Compass, they will not be able to participate in the event.

Also, if your student has a mobile phone, please have that number recorded at the school too.  There are sometimes occasions when a student needs to be contacted and if we have their mobile phone number on file, this process becomes so much easier and more efficient.

Please check your family contact details on Compass at https://nossalhs-vic.compass.education/ then click on Tools > Update My Details to see and make any necessary changes.

How is your student's attendance record looking?

We are now at the mid-point of the first school term and in a few cases there is a worrying trend starting to emerge in relation to student attendance.

If a student is absent, by law, only the parent can approve such an absence.  Likewise if a student is arriving late or has to exit school early, only a parent can authorise or explain such a request.  Students are not permitted to call home if they are feeling unwell.  They need to report to the Sick Bay where a member of staff will determine if the student should travel home. They will then authorise such travel only if contact has been made with a parent.

Unfortunately students do not always recognise the importance of these processes and we rely on the support of parents to assist in this.

In the meantime, parents can also log into Compass at https://nossalhs-vic.compass.education/ and check on their student's attendance record.  Any classes missed, including Tutorial, will be reflected here. Absences can have an impact on overall student performance and levels of achievement, so we encourage parents to join the teaching staff in being proactive about this aspect of school life.

Looking for artists

Finally, could I encourage all students to consider an entry into the Great Art Show which is held at Nossal on the last weekend of this term.  Posters are displayed around the school which details prizes and places where more information can be found.

From previous experience of viewing the "Student Division" of the competition, there are usually not a lot of entries and so we encourage Nossal students to embrace the challenge and enter this year's competition.  The work doesn't have to be a recent one so if you have a piece of art you have completed in recent years, why not consider entering?  Who knows, you might be the next leading Nossal artist!

Keith Butler

Assistant Principal