From the Principals' Desk 

The chilly winter mornings and short days remind us we are well into 2022. The commencement of Week Four in Term Three indicates the year is in full swing. We continue to have a full and busy program at Nossal High School.

The Crossing Authority Fun Day

The Clyde Road Level Crossing Removal Project held a Community Fun Day to thank locals for their patience and support, and to mark the completion of landscaping on the project. The event, held on Saturday July 23 in Buchanan Park, was a day of free activities, entertainment, and food.  There was no expense spared for the celebrations. Several performances from the Nossal High School students contributed to the event: the Big Band, which Sally Haworth conducted, the Jazz Combo, a Year 9 Vocal Quartet consisting of Anna, Marion, Megan, and Cynthia, and our own Bollywood dance group. The community enjoyed the performances, and the students thoroughly enjoyed the event. We are grateful to Ms Clare Budd and Ms Sally Haworth for organising Nossal's part in the event.

Monash Youth Music Festival 2022

Another recent coup for our musicians was the excellent performance of our String Orchestra at the Monash Youth Music Festival, held at Huntingtower School on Saturday 23 July. Authentic opportunities to perform are a vital part of the skill development of our performing arts students, and are also a wonderful opportunity for our students to celebrate and affirm their work over previous weeks, months and, in some cases, years. We are extremely proud of the String Orchestra's performance, and delighted to report that their abilities were reflected in a place on the podium on the day of the competition.  

3rd Place Trophy

won by our talented students 

Career Expo Night

It was fabulous to see the return of the Nossal High School Careers and Pathways Expo this year, for the first time since the pandemic. The event provided multiple opportunities for our students and their families to find out more about career pathways and course options, and to speak with representatives from a wide range of tertiary institutions. We had representatives from twenty tertiary providers on site providing guidance and support through the provision of expert knowledge to our students. A large number of Nossal alumni also attended the day, reflect on their tertiary experiences and career pathways in small workshops and panel sessions. There was something for everyone! The individual alumni talks and the panel discussion were well attended (standing room only, in some cases!), and we have received lots of positive feedback on these sessions. Our thanks and appreciation go to the Careers and Pathways Coordinator Clarissa Jacques, and to Acting Assistant Principal, Ms. Katherine Warriner, both of whom have developed this important event over the years and ensured that it would make a vibrant return to our calendar. 

Additional Pathways Advice

It may be helpful for family members to know that our students have access to lots of information on Careers and Pathways teams. Ms. Jacques regularly publishes an informative Careers Newsletter that has lots of helpful information in it about current and future information sessions offered by a range of tertiary providers, and is always available to talk individually to students about their pathway planning. The Careers Newsletter is available in this publication, and is published concurrently in the Careers channel of each of our year level teams; please take a moment to check this out. 

Celebrating our students’ success: Premier’s VCE Awards 2022

We were very pleased and proud of the performance of our Year 12 students in 2021, and thrilled to discover that five of them were formally recognised with Premiers Awards for being some of the top students in the state. The Awards recognise the outstanding results of individual students and pay tribute to the principals, teachers, and families who play such a valuable role in supporting these students during their VCE studies. This year Mr. Page and Ms. Warriner were proud to attend the ceremony held at Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Congratulations go to:

• Angela Peng, Mohammed Khan, and Varahi Jain for Further Maths
• Teresa Nguyen for Legal Studies
• Abinesh Baskaran for Tamil

Course Confirmation for 2023 

With the careful planning and organisation by our Acting Assistant Principal, Ms. Katherine Warriner, supported by Ms. Emma Winton and our Careers and Pathways Coordinator Clarissa Jacques, this year's Course Confirmation day was a great success. 

Our students had access to multiple sources of information prior to the event, designed to support them in making some informed decisions about courses and pathways for 2023. As a result, most students were well prepared for their interviews with either a well-considered course in mind, or some clear and specific questions to ask that would help them to clarify their options. 

Throughout the week, students can continue discussing changes they wish to make with the team. Students are reminded that they can make changes to their subject selections any time until midnight on Thursday 11 August (online), provided they submit a copy of their final choices (signed by a parent or guardian) to Ms. Emma Winton by the end of Friday 12 August.

Modification to Calendar: Wednesday 31 August

Members of our community who keep abreast of the Department of Education and Training's advice to schools may be aware that this year schools have been permitted to undertake two whole school Professional Practice Days. These are days when staff do individual work to support the teaching and learning program outside the classroom. 

As a result, the Synchronous Digital Delivery Day which was scheduled for Wednesday 31 August (the day after our House Performing Arts Festival) will be changed this year to a pupil free day. This will allow students an opportunity to rest and re-centre themselves after the excitement of HPAF while their teachers undertake necessary work elsewhere. 

Families of Year 9 and 10 students, in particular, should be aware that this change does not signal a decrease in the school's commitment to developing and maintaining our students' skills in online learning; all evidence points to the fact that students entering tertiary study in the future will definitely need well-developed skills in this space. As a result, the school will seek to schedule at least one synchronous online learning day for our junior students between now and the end of the year, to make up for this change in schedule. 

Monthly PFA Meeting

As you will see later in this newsletter, the PFA has been very busy in the last couple of months doing some significant fund-raising for the school while simultaneously planning for their next event a parent/student badminton tournament.  The school is very grateful for the work of this dedicated and determined band of individuals, and is always keen to see what new projects they will be pursuing.

The next meeting of these enthusiastic and effective folk is this Wednesday 3 August  and all are welcome. If you are not already in contact with them either via their mailing list or their WhatsApp group, use the details on their page in this newsletter to get in touch. 

Thanks for maintaining mask-wearing!

Despite the news that infections are on the rise in Victoria, we have adjusted our programs so that students can participate fully. Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you and ensure that our school activities continue. While we have high compliance with mask-wearing, we continue to recommend that all members of our community keep wearing their masks, and that they stay home if they have any COVID symptoms.

Fiona De Zylva

Assistant Principal