Principal's Report
Term 2: Principal Report
After two years of a global pandemic that impacted all areas of our life, we continue to be affected as we transition and re-engage with the community. This has been particularly challenging in Term 1 where COVID-19 infections led to staff shortages and intermittent interruptions to the learning program for students who were in isolation.
With the easing of health measures, the community is seeing a resurgence of influenza and other illnesses, on top of COVID-19 infections, which has placed enormous pressure on all workplaces, the health system and our schools. I am incredibly grateful that we have been able to draw upon our pool of CRTs, our part-time staff, staff on leave and other education support staff, who have stepped in to ensure that our children continue to access learning opportunities and co-curricular programs. Whilst I will discuss the importance of promoting positive attendance and reducing absences later in this article, I ask that our families ensure that children stay home when showing visible signs of illness. When we notice that students are unwell, we will request that they attend the sickbay and our Office staff will contact families to collect their children.
Building Connectedness and Strengthening our Community:
Students who find their own voice in supportive schools are more likely to develop a confident voice, a capacity to act in the world and a willingness to lead others. Student engagement is enhanced when students feel able to exert influence and participate more fully in the classroom, school and community.
Voice, agency and leadership represent different aspects of student empowerment. Each aspect relies on a student's belief that they are both supported and empowered, in ways that help them to develop their knowledge, skills and dispositions in the classroom, school and the wider community. This requires a deliberate, planned and coherent approach to embedding voice, agency and leadership within a positive climate for learning. (Education State Ambition: Pride and confidence in our schools)
Our student leaders have been gaining momentum and are contributing enormously to the culture of connectedness within our school community working both through the S.R.C. and the Enrichment Clubs to support and embrace our diverse school community, which adds to the richness of our experience and mirrors the world in which we live. This diversity includes, but is not limited to gender, sexuality, race, religion, socio-economic status, and abilities. It is important that all members of our community feel respected and safe regardless of these factors. I am grateful to my staff for supporting our students with the organisation and implementation of activities aligned with this focus.
ANZAC Dawn Service:
It was an honour to accompany our College Captains, Maple La and Kyriakos Emmanoulidis to the ANZAC Dawn Service held at 6 am at the Cenotaph, corner of Drummond St and Atherton Rd in Oakleigh on Monday the 25th of April. Maple and Kyriakos laid a floral wreath at the memorial on behalf of all students, staff and members of our community to honour all our fallen soldiers in the course of a very moving ceremony. We thank the Oakleigh Carnegie RSL Sub Branch for the invitation and for the work they do in honouring all those who have served our country.
CAD Walkathon:
On the last day of Term 1, our staff and students stepped up and led the way in our annual Walkathon raising over $22,000 for the Monash Children’s Hospital School. I am very proud of our community for their efforts but also for those who sponsored us to be able to achieve this great result. In future editions of the newsletter, we will let you know the programs and work that your contribution has been allocated to.
I would also like to thank and acknowledge the following students and their supporters for their outstanding contribution to this worthy cause.
Isavella Dimopoulos (Waratah 5): $1691
Kiera Vincent (Grevillea 4): $1598
Nathan Cohen (Waratah 5): $1177
A special thank you to our key team at the Rotary Club of Oakleigh Clayton Huntingdale for giving up their time to cook a BBQ for our ravenous students after a long walk!
Swimming Success:
Congratulations to Hue Fithie who came second in the State Swimming Championship in the 50m breaststroke. An outstanding achievement! Congratulations also to the Boys 4 x 50m Relay team (Hue Fithie, Leo Jeon, Sam Briggs, Tawhi Briggs who finished 3rd at the Regionals and our Girls 4 x 50 Relay team (Alicia Robinson, Ella Hunt, Eloise Triferis, Kyla Heyward Davenport) and Leo Jeon (50m freestyle) on their efforts at this event.
Our Open Night in the final week of term was a great success and it is always a great source of pride for me to showcase our school community to visitors and prospective families. I wish to acknowledge the wonderful work of Mark Picone, Anthony Katsianos, George Tzimourtas, all our staff, student leaders and all students who attended in the evening, for providing prospective students and parents with a wonderful insight into what life could be like for their child if they were to attend South Oakleigh College.
The importance of full-time attendance
With schools back to onsite learning, the Department of Education and Training (DET) continues to focus on the re-engagement of students. One of our key initiatives in this area is ‘Promoting Attendance and Reducing Absenteeism’. I understand that increases in illness will impact this across the state however, when this is exacerbated by unexplained absences, it has a significant effect on learning over time.
Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term, unless:
there is an approved exemption from school attendance for the student, or
the student is registered for homeschooling and has only a partial enrolment in a school for particular activities
Each day of school missed makes a difference, with the effect on learning accumulating over time. From an early age, if children are taught that they need to 'show up' for school and make a commitment, this positive mentality aids academic and career success and brings benefits in adulthood.
Research shows that every day of absence made a difference, and this was particularly true for unauthorised absences. The effect of one day of absence was relatively small but added up quickly as more and more days were missed. The effect of missing days accumulated over time, so that school absence not only impacted achievement in the year in which the days were missed but in future years as well. https://www.telethonkids.org.au/our-research/research-topics/school-attendance
Daily school attendance is important for all young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don't fall behind both socially and developmentally. Students who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. School participation is important as it maximises life opportunities and provides students with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community.
Senior Secondary Reforms
Victoria is moving to a new integrated senior secondary certificate that will bring together our two senior secondary certificates, the VCE and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). This will give all students the learning opportunities to develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work, and life.
From 2023, enrolment options for Year 11 and 12 students will include:
the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Vocational Major
the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC).
A fully integrated VCE will be implemented in 2025. For more information on the certificates please visit the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority website. Our School is collaborating with network schools and DET to ensure that we are prepared for the implementation of this program in 2023.
Helen Koziaris
College Principal