From the Principals' Desk
Welcome to Term 3!
After what I hope was a rejuvenating break, the Nossal community has made it through the start of another busy (but rewarding!) term. As you will read later, we have already undertaken two major school events (the Careers and Pathways Expo and Course Confirmation Day) and we are now settling down into a term that traditionally brings an air of increased focus to the work of our Unit 4 students in Years 11 and 12. As their teachers work to facilitate their engagement with the last of the new content which they are likely to encounter during their VCE study, I encourage the members of our Unit 4 classes to take a moment to review their personal study programs. Factoring in even a little regular consolidation work now will make the final push to the exam feel much more achievable; it's good advice for our younger students, too, as a means of managing both their learning and their stress in the latter half of the year. With the weather slowly improving throughout this term, taking time for a five minute walk around the school in between one task and the next is also a very good idea (for all of us!).
Course Confirmation and Pathways Planning
This year's Careers and Pathways Expo was held on Thursday 25 July and was once again well-attended by students and parents alike. Representatives from various tertiary institutions were once more positive in their feedback, and those who have joined us for multiple years noted with approval how their conversations with students (some of whom they recognised from previous events) were evolving as the students mature. Students sometimes question the usefulness of attending this event every year, but the types of questions they ask as they move through their time at Nossal shows that their thinking and knowledge - and as a result their questions and concerns - shift from year to year, making the event one of continuous discovery for them. I commend this year's attendees for their thoughtful reflection on how to get the most out of their time in formal educational settings. I would also like to formally thank the organisers, Ms Katherine Warriner (Director of VCE and Pathways) and Ms Clarissa Jacques (Careers Counsellor), along with their able supporters amongst the school's teaching and educational support staff. Finally, I would like to thank and commend the many Nossal alumni who contributed their time and enthusiasm on the night. Their willingness to speak openly and honestly with current students about how their thinking has changed, and about what they have learned as they moved from school into further study and the workforce, is a much valued resource. It's also a pleasure to have an opportunity to celebrate the sheer diversity of their pathways to personal success and fulfilment.
On Wednesday 31 July, the opportunity to gather information about courses and pathways both at Nossal and beyond was applied by our Year 9, 10 and 11 students as they planned their courses for 2020. This annual opportunity for our students to speak formally to school representatives about their intentions and preferences for future study, and how this relates to their aspirations and strengths, is an important moment for reflection and clarification. It can bring renewed focus to students who may have lost sight of how their current studies relate to their longer term plans, and offers an opportunity to redefine goals which may no longer be relevant to them. Almost all of our Year 9 and 10 students completed the process of confirming their 2020 course preferences on the day, and various Year 11 students also took advantage of the opportunity to consult with Clarissa Jacques (our Careers Counsellor) and other senior staff about their plans for Year 12 and beyond. I remind all students, but especially our Year 11 students that they only have until Friday 16 August to provide the school with the final version of their proposed course. Information about the process has been provided via the Senior Subject Handbook, email and messages on MSTeams.
A Vibrant School Community
The first two weeks of term have once again reinforced how committed both staff and students are to getting the most out of every day they have at Nossal. Already this term we have seen class, year level, sporting and environment groups involved in a string of exciting and enriching activities. Two groups have attended theatrical performances by major Melbourne theatre companies, a large number of students attended a public oration by an expert in biotechnology, year level activities in chemistry and genetics have been undertaken, trees have been planted on Nossal's grounds, time has been spent contributing to FareShare's efforts on behalf of Melbourne's homeless community and no less than eight separate sporting groups have represented Nossal in district and public events. As I write, the SRC is raising funds for UNICEF by taking gold coin donations as entry to a Staff v Students Netball game; at three quarter time, the addition of two extra staff members on court and the conscription of two "adult learners" (i.e. students!) had very nearly evened the scores. All of this, to say nothing of the work of house leaders and staff towards the school's biggest event for the term the House Performing Arts Festival, which will be taking place on Tuesday 27 August.
While the cocurricular calendar continues to impress with its diversity and energy, at the same time the work of developing our students' mastery of the skills and characteristics which we value has been going on in our classrooms and study periods. Our Year 9 cohort will, in Week 5, be honing their skills in collaboration and in critical thinking during their City Week experience. Classes leading up to the event have focussed on how to ask a good question, how to avoid bias when carrying out research, and this week, what it means to interact respectfully with people outside your own culture. In another of many such activities designed to extend disciplinary understanding, on Thursday 1 August, more than 250 students sat the annual Australian Mathematics Competition. Simultaneously, the Year 10s are embarking on a regular series of presentations during their study program designed to help them think more broadly about how their in-class learning connects up either with their other subjects or with "the real world" outside the school grounds. It is a truism that many of the most important learning experiences of our lives happen outside the classroom; Nossal's continuing commitment to enabling its students to expand their understanding of learning beyond the boundaries of classrooms and textbooks is one which will continue throughout this year and into the future.
Fab at Football!
On the theme of cocurricular successes, congratulations to Enzo Campagna (Pegasus House) for being selected in the Team Vic 16 Years and under Football (Soccer) State Team. Enzo will be representing School Sport Victoria at the School Sport Australia 16 Years and Under Football (Soccer) Championship to be held in Brisbane, Queensland from September 14 - 20, 2019.
10 Years of Nossal - Be Part of the Planning!
As many of you are aware, Nossal is currently in its 10th year and there are a range of celebratory plans already being discussed to mark the occasion. Mr Roger Page is holding a meeting on Wednesday 7 August at 6:00pm for any members of our community (parents, students, alumni - student and staff!) who would like to contribute their ideas to the planning process. The discussion should run for about an hour, and all ideas are welcome. Please RSVP to Mr Page by email (roger.page@nossalhs.vic.edu.au).
A New Member of Nossal's Alumni
On Friday 2 August Nossal High School bid a fond farewell to one of its Foundation Staff members, Ms Tracey Di Lollo. Sadly for us, Ms Di Lollo has outgrown her role as Executive Assistant to the Principal and Human Resources Manager at Nossal, and will be taking up the role of Business Manager at a nearby primary school. She has been instrumental in getting Nossal "on its feet" and in supporting Mr Page in particular, along with all the members of the teaching and support staff with whom she has worked over the course of the school's history. We wish her well in her new role, and trust that like so many other Nossal alumni she will maintain regular contact with the friends and admirers she leaves behind her.
Parents: Your Turn to Let Us Know
Emails recently went out to our parent community inviting them to take part in the annual Parent Opinion Survey. The data we receive from this survey, in combination with similar data gathered from our students and staff, helps us to understand whether the various changes we have made in the recent past are answering our community's needs, and to identify where further change is needed. The survey is anonymous and the results aggregated to give an overall sense of the school's performance, and I can vouch for the fact that the leadership team in particular spends significant time reflecting on these results with an eye to furthering the school's vision and to providing the best possible support to our students. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to shape the school's future directions. If you require any assistance in relation to the survey, please feel free to contact me directly on tracey.mackin@nossalhs.vic.edu.au.
Being Well and Doing Well
At Nossal we maintain a strong emphasis on the importance of wellbeing for both our staff and our students. Term 3 can be a time of significant academic challenge, which makes the ability to take time to maintain our physical and mental health even more important; the brains we are using to think with are, after all, inside persons that need care if they are to operate at their peak. Towards the end of the term, we will make this reality an explicit focus during Wellbeing Week (September 9 - 13), but in the weeks between now and then I encourage all members of our community to be deliberate in their maintenance of simple wellbeing strategies that work for them. That might be formal meditation or mindfulness, the maintenance of a brag book, a short reflection on what you as a person do have control over and what you do not, an early night so that you can start your day fresh, or a simple gift to yourself in the form of a visit to a friend as a break between things you "should" be doing.
Safety First
Finally, a quick reminder that Thursday 8 August will be "Test & Tag" day. The cords for all devices used in the school must, by law, be tested annually to ensure that they remain safe for use. Every year we find a few cords that are dangerous to our students and staff, so this process remains much more than a simple compliance issue. It would be much appreciated if both students and parents made an effort to remember the date so that we can get the whole task done as efficiently as possible.
Tracey Mackin
Assistant Principal