From the Principals' Desk 

'Nossal in Danger of Becoming Ordinary'

I have in the past week become increasingly concerned that the culture and ethos I have planned and nurtured at the school has been somewhat eroded recently. After a series of disturbing events last week I have asked the staff and students to reflect on the environment we have at Nossal and to let me know if they wish to retain it. 

When deciding what we wanted for our new school, I was very keen to create an environment where students were treated as responsible adults, and enjoyed open access to facilities and freedoms that few other schools offer. In simple terms - the manifestation of this was in things like no bells; couches, microwaves, breakout rooms; access to kitchen facilities (boiling and chilled water); eating inside;  open (unsupervised) access to most spaces and rooms within the school (including at recess and lunch as well as before and after school); few locked spaces; the IRC open and accessible all the time (including before and after school); open access to school computers; mobile phones and other personal devices encouraged as learning tools; high end ICT and internet access; study periods; real student input on School Council, teacher selection panels, SRC; student run events and activities; minimal rules and restorative practices rather than punishments. Alongside this, of course, run high expectations and the requirement that students will take responsibility (both personally and collectively) to maintain these privileges and freedoms. Most schools are not willing nor able to facilitate this type of environment, and I am concerned that some of our students have recently shown that they are unwilling to support this.

I posted some specific concerns on NEO last week and asked the staff and students to show me how they wished me to proceed. For the first time we had several instances of apparent deliberate vandalism; I had to suspend a number of students for repeated inappropriate online behaviour; and we appear to now accept that it is OK to litter. If this is the case then I have no option other than to start removing the freedoms and privileges that I thought the students may have appreciated and enjoyed. Resolving this is a collective responsibility, and it is not good enough to condone the poor and inappropriate behaviours of others by not actively discouraging them. Trite as it is - my benchmark is litter - every person who walks past litter in the school is saying to those who litter that it's OK to do so and that we as a school are prepared to accept those behaviours.

I feverently hope to see an improvement, and don't want to have to impose more stringent constraints and regulations to resolve these concerns.

Rotary Raffle

By now all tickets and money in the Rotary Great Community Raffle should have been returned to the office.  We have officially passed our goal of raising over $14000, and have in fact raised in excess of $14,600, which is a phenomenal effort; thanks to some strong last minute House Leader encouragement.

The raffle will be drawn next week and with the number of tickets sold by Nossal, I am hoping to see a car (or two) being won by someone we know. A big thank you to Emerald and District Rotary Club for making this possible and to the Ferntree Gully Motor Group who generously donate the prizes (two cars this year). I encourage you to check them out if you are in the market for a new or used car - they genuinely support their local community and many charities and schools with this event.

Monash Update

Although yet to be formalised, Federation University are set to move into the Berwick campus from the beginning of 2017. There will be a transition year where both Monash and Federation will share the site before Monash fully depart at the end of 2017.

Monash are very keen to maintain their relationship with Nossal (most of our graduates end up at a Monash campus) and will maintain a position on our School Council and will still own and maintain the whole site. 

In 2017 Federation University intend to offer the following courses at the Berwick Campus….

• Bachelor of Business
• Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
• Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management)
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
• Bachelor of Community and Human Services
• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood – Birth to Y6)
• Bachelor of Education (Primary F-6)
• Bachelor of Education Studies
• Bachelor of Environmental and Conservation Science
• Bachelor of Information Technology
• Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Information Systems)
• Bachelor of Information Technology (Mobile App Development)
• Bachelor of Nursing
• Bachelor of Veterinary and Wildlife Science

They are planning to hold an information evening at the Berwick Campus on Wednesday August 18 from 4-8 pm.

Careers Expo and Course Confirmation

I congratulate Ms Geyer and Ms Ryan in particular for their excellent management of the recent Careers Expo. It was wonderful to see so many universities and tertiary providers here on the evening and the alumni presentations, subject and university displays, and panel presentations were very well received and heavily patronised.

We invited other schools to attend and quite a number did. It was particularly gratifying to hear our alumni speak highly of the school while detailing their experiences and advice as third year university students. Most students should by now have completed the first stage of their course confirmation process and have locked in their subject choices for next year. This information enables us to start the complex task of determining which subjects will run so we can construct a timetable that will provide access to students chosen pathways.

Winter Ensemble Concert

I thank Ms Stoppa and her outstanding team of music teachers for an exceptional display of musical breadth and talent at the recent Winter Concert. The progress that some of the ensembles have made since I last heard them is very impressive and the sheer number of students performing on the evening was wonderful to witness.

I also congratulate the Concert Band for achieving a Gold Medal at the Victorian School Music Festival last week. Well deserved.

Nossal Parents and Friends

I encourage all parents and friends to join our PFA. They are a fantastic group of parents who do excellent work to support the school community as you would have seen at the Careers Expo and Winter Concert. They meet on the first Wednesday of the month at the school at 7.00 pm and are very friendly and welcoming. Please consider joining them.

Parent Compass Accounts

We are concerned that there are a number of parents who have not yet accessed their Compass accounts. As this will become an increasingly important source of formal communication and information (including attendance, excursion approvals, student reports) it is essential that all parents are able to access it.

Please contact the school if you are unable to do so - or have forgotten your access details.

Link to Compass - https://nossalhs.vic.jdlf.com.au/

Farewell to Ms Crust

I was disappointed to have to farewell Ms Crust last week after a rapid change of circumstances sees her relocating to Tasmania. She was a passionate advocate and leader within our Performing Arts program and under her direction our drama and production program has flourished. She will be greatly missed, but we wish her well in her new role and state. 

We welcome Ms Cathleen Barker who will be taking over her classes this term, and Mr Tyler Eccles who is replacing Ms Thompson this term.

Please Note the new date for the Working Bee!

Saturday September 3