Student Voice
College Captains’ Report
As the Year 12 cohort reaches the end of our final term of schooling, we would like to spend some time and reflect on these eventful and unforgettable few weeks we have had during Term 3. It has been filled with academic and social highlights within the College, such as our yearly Wellfest Week, the School Production, and fundraising for the Valedictory Graduation.
As usual, we would like to congratulate students on their achievements throughout this term in all school areas, whether academic, sport, art, leadership and more. The spirit of students uplifting one another and trying their best in all key areas is a pillar of our core values.
Participating in the school production is a wonderful opportunity to be involved with the Performing Arts department in the school. Since we started our SOC careers, we have both shown interest in participating in the school musicals. That’s why it was a privilege to sing and dance one last time with students across all the year levels. Looking at our current roster of student actors, we can rest assured that the school productions are in good hands as we retire from the school theatre. Over the years, we have both had such a memorable and exciting time performing in front of our fellow teachers and students, and we couldn’t be more grateful to get to do it once more, for the road, in our final school production at the College.
During Wellfest Week, quite a few activities ran for the students, with guest speakers, competitions, games and more, organised by our outstanding Student Representative Council. We want to thank the S.R.C. for organising such a fun week for everyone. As School Captains, we organised and ran the Year 12 bonding activity. This was an opportunity to gather all the year 12 students and write a positive or supportive message to one another in each student’s respective envelopes. The activity was an excellent opportunity to spread kindness and empathy among the cohort to speak to students we may not always have the chance to talk to daily. All the year 12s were very fond of this activity, bringing us together as a year level and thanking each other for the last six years together.
As part of our end-of-year Valedictory Dinner, the two of us, along with the Year 12s, have also started organising school fundraising, such as doing a BBQ and selling lollies on the last day of school to raise funds for this dinner. We look forward to celebrating such a special milestone in our lives with friends and family on Monday the 16th of October. We encourage all Year 12 families and staff to purchase tickets at https://www.trybooking.com/CKKKZ.
Academically, we are finally coming to the end of our Year 12 Unit 4 content and the completion of all our SACS, whereby we now have started Exam revision. The Year 12 students have all worked so diligently and put much effort into this year to reach this final stage. For many of us, our first Year 12 exam is on the 24th of October, the English exam. Hence, we wish all of our cohorts well and all the best for working so hard for this moment. We want to congratulate our fellow year 12s and remind them to try their best no matter the final score and be the best version of themselves, thus showing resilience and high expectations for our final exams.
We were also very excited to end Term 3 with the annual SOC’s Got Talent, where we both performed. We were both incredibly excited to see all the other students participating and representing their Houses.
Term 3 has been a memorable term for us, helped by the fact that it’s our final term. We want to thank our teachers, fellow students and families for all their support and encouragement throughout the many years as we come close to ending our schooling careers. We look forward to our last two weeks of school in Term 4.
On a different note, we’d like to send our goodbyes to the students at South Oakleigh College. It’s been a turbulent year and proudly doesn’t begin to describe how we’ve felt to be able to have this position in our final year of schooling. When we started at SOC, we couldn’t imagine how we would change as people but also how our school would grow for the better with new facilities and more students. This position has given us many opportunities throughout the year, and we are glad to provide more students with these experiences with the upcoming student elections next week. In this instance, we’d like to thank you, the reader, for reading these newsletters and updates that we have published.
We are sure that the next set of school captains will do more than a fantastic job with the mantle, and we look forward to seeing what they have in store.
Thank you very much; this has been Sylvia Krozian and Jason Pouliezos.
Sylvia Krozian and Jason Pouliezos
Your 2023 College Captains
Performing Arts Prefects’ Report
Production:
South Oakleigh’s rendition of the musical Seussical Jr. was a spectacular sight to behold. On Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th of August, the cast put on a show full of life, energy and fun! It was very clear to see the connections and the friendship between the cast on stage, and it’s an extraordinary feeling to know that this show has created so many friendships across so many year levels.
A huge thank you to the staff and crew that have dedicated so many hours of energy and time to this performance. It definitely shows! The show explored so many universal themes, such as friendship and loyalty, all encompassed in the wonderful and magical land of Dr. Seuss.
We look forward to next year's production and are super excited to see where the College takes it next year!
Spring Concert:
On the night of Thursday the 7th of September, we hosted our annual Spring Concert. The evening showcased South Oakleigh's talented musicians and performers, and the months of hard work preparing their material. It featured performances from our VCE music class, our concert band, choir, chamber ensemble and a wide range of original groups and soloists from across the year levels.
We are super proud of everyone who joined us on stage, everyone brought an amazing energy that made for an excellent show. A huge thank you to our music staff for their help in putting it all together, our technical crew for making sure things ran smoothly, our talented performers, and, of course, everyone who came to watch. It was a whole lot of fun and we hope to see you all again next year!
Maya Noyman and Fin Morgan
Your Performing Arts Prefects
S.R.C. Presidents’ Report
This term was another massive success for the S.R.C.! A huge highlight was Wellfest Week, during which we organised various activities to promote all dimensions of student and staff wellbeing.
Some highlights included Active Friday, a day dedicated to physical activity, and our gameshows - MasterChef and SOC Fued. We also held a Fundraising Tuesday supporting StreetSmart Australia (https://streetsmartaustralia.org/) and other fun year-level activities that taught us how to take better care of ourselves.
Another ongoing initiative that continues to be successful is our Breakfast Clubs, which provide students with a nutritious start to their day. We encourage all students and staff to keep visiting the Canteen every Thursday from 8:00 am.
As we approach the end of the year, we are also beginning to prepare for the 2024 handover. We look forward to continuing the SRC's success and are confident next year will be as exciting as this.
Genna Windsor
Your Student Representative Council President
Shyli Barak
Your Student Representative Council Vice-President
Campaigns Portfolio Report
Event after event, we are now coming to the end of a productive Term 3. All the S.R.C. Students worked diligently to help plan, produce and pack down our annual Wellfest Week.
As for the Campaigns portfolio, we played our part on the Fundraising Tuesday, holding a Krispy Kreme Fundraiser and a ‘cozy’ out-of-uniform event. Students were invited to the school in warm and comfortable clothing, bringing $2. All the funds from the events went towards StreetSmart Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that works towards a community response to combat homelessness. They help by raising awareness about the issue and informing people how to play their part. Wellfest week held other activities that included ‘Tag a Friend’, ‘Active Friday’ and visits from guest speakers.
Besides Wellfest Week, our Campaigns Portfolio managed the Athletics Carnival Canteen, supplying food such as noodles, sausages, chips, soft drinks, and lollies. Whilst the day was jam-packed, we raised money unlike any Athletics Carnival had before. All funds went towards the Cathy Freeman Community Spirit Foundation (https://www.communityspiritfoundation.org.au/), a not-for-profit organisation that works with remote young First Nations Peoples to support their education and lifelong learning. This term has taught us how to work effectively as a team, and it is understood that it was a learning curve for all the Campaign members.
We look forward to Term 4, preparing our Welcome to Summer event to end the year!
Mackenzie Dickson
Your Leading Campaigns Representative
Student Representative Council
Communications & Student Experience Portfolio Report
We evaluated the school’s club offerings this term using student feedback from a school-wide survey distributed in mid-Term 3.
Attendance data, as well as qualitative and quantitative feedback, will be used to determine what went well and what didn’t go as well this year in the club space. We have also been planning a way for students to more effectively receive information on what’s happening around the College.
Recently, we trialled going to every classroom and sharing the following week's events. Next term, we will deliver recommendations to help finalise the 2024 Club Offerings, including clubs that will continue next year and putting forward potentially new clubs based on student and staff feedback. Additionally, we will continue to work on our communication with students to ensure they are aware of important information regarding upcoming events. Our team hopes the College Community has a great term break, and please reach out with any suggestions or inquiries!
Stefani Milanovic
Your Leading Communications & Student Experience Representative
Student Representative Council
Connections and Wellbeing Portfolio Report
Another eventful term is now coming to a close. With Wellfest Week and R U OK Day completed, our Connections and Wellbeing Portfolio has been hard at work this term to demonstrate the importance of mental health and social connections.
During Wellfest Week, we facilitated Chalk Art and Tag a Friend, on Mindfulness Monday. Chalk Art consisted of selected serious leaders sitting outside in the nice weather, drawing around the school in chalk. The purpose of this activity was to boost creativity and student morale. Every student involved enjoyed their time, and it was an activity we would definitely consider bringing back in Wellfest Week 2024! Our second activity, Tag a Friend, involved students writing a nice message to a student/staff member onto a tag distributed the week after. The purpose of Tag a Friend was to spread happy messages and gratitude for one another.
Later in the term, we had our annual R U OK Day, encouraging people to reach out and have conversations that can help people through difficult times. The purpose of having R U OK Day at school is to encourage students and staff to reach out and talk about mental health. Our Connections and Wellbeing portfolio held a sale at recess and lunch, supplying slices of pizza and socks. All funds raised went towards the R U OK Foundation (https://www.ruok.org.au/). This wraps up our Term 3 agenda.
As for Term 4, we have lots to come. Stay tuned and keep your eye out for posters and Compass posts!
Anastasia Donnellon
Your 2023 Leading Connections and Wellbeing Representative
Student Representative Council
Breakfast Club Report
On Thursday the 14th of September, our school's Student Leadership Team hosted our end-of-term Celebratory Breakfast Club, a fantastic event for everyone involved. We wanted to ensure that we had a large spread of foods that would satisfy the tastes of all our students. The menu included a wide range of delicious items, including our regular breakfast offerings such as cereals, toast, juice, and fruit, as well as bacon, eggs, pancakes, milkshakes, pastries and hash browns.
We were amazed to see over 100 students and staff attend the Breakfast Club. We were also delighted to have one of our program sponsors, the Rotary Club of Oakleigh, Clayton, and Huntingdale, join us for breakfast. Alongside the Bendigo Bank – Murrumbeena Branch, Buxton Oakleigh, and Foodbank Victoria, we are proud to partner with these organisations to support this initiative. It was rewarding to see our efforts in planning and organising the event pay off and positively impact our school community.
Overall, the Celebratory Breakfast Club was a huge success, and we hope to see even more people come to our celebratory Breakfast Club next term. We acknowledge all of those students who came during their time to help run our celebratory breakfast club, and it is deeply appreciated. I hope to see more students and staff come to our next breakfast club in Term 4 on Thursday the 5th of October, in the Canteen. If any students would like to help with the program, please get in touch with Genna Windsor (gmwin1@schools.vic.edu.au) – S.R.C. President or Soham Dhital (SDHI15@schools.vic.edu.au) – S.R.C. Breakfast Club Liaison.
Soham Dhital
Your Campaigns Representative and Breakfast Club Liaison
Student Representative Council
2023 Senior Student Leadership Elections
On Tuesday the 12th of September, we hosted our 2024 Senior Student Leadership Elections. All students and staff came to vote in our voting Centre for their 2024 Senior Leaders. The process of voting went quite well and was efficient. While helping at the voting Centre, everything went smoothly, and we were not overloaded with tasks. I personally enjoyed how well the day went and how all votes were cast by the end of the day. Good Luck to all the candidates who applied.
Soham Dhital
Your Campaigns Representative and Breakfast Club Liaison
Student Representative Council
Student Leadership: City Perspective Walk & Empathy Workshop
On Tuesday the 5th of September, selected students got to participate in the Student Leadership City Perspective Walk and Empathy workshop. Throughout the day, a representative from The Intersection Urban Learning gave us a city tour. We learned about the city’s history while exploring concepts such as homelessness and different stereotypes.
We were also fortunate to hear many stories from Mike about his interactions and experiences with different people in his life. Later in the day, everyone collaborated and worked together in an activity that tested our creativity, leadership, and observation skills. We all had a great time discovering different aspects of Melbourne City and learning various knowledge and skills that might prove useful in our lives.
Yohan Soju
Your Communications & Student Experience Secretary and Enrichment Liaison
Student Representative Council
Wellfest Week: Year 10 Excursion
As a part of Wellfest Week, all the Year 10’s took part in a History Skills Workshop and City Discovery Experience. My group started the day at State Library Victoria where we toured the various displays including Ned Kelly’s armour, the newspaper reading room and the Cowen Gallery. We then took part in a history workshop where we learned about looking at historical Australian art with an analytical lens.
This workshop allowed us to examine the effects of colonisation and how Melbourne has changed over time. After lunch, we took a discovery tour of Melbourne. Our knowledgeable tour guide taught us about the history behind many of the city’s arcades, laneways, and retailers. Overall, the excursion was an interesting and enjoyable experience. I really enjoyed learning about the city, and its history.
Lauren Olver
Year 10 Student
College Production: Seussical
On the 24th and 25th of August, our production family had an incredible time performing Seussical Jr! I had the privilege of playing the role of Mayzie LaBird, as well as being the rehearsal captain for the show.
From our first rehearsal in March to our final dress rehearsal on Wednesday, we have had an absolute blast learning the songs from the inside out, practising our choreography and isolations, and making our characters come to life. I am so grateful to have been able to use my role as rehearsal captain by leading warmups and cardio workouts, and getting to help everyone with their choreography, blocking and confidence was so rewarding. Seussical Jr has honestly been the highlight of my year, and definitely my favourite school production thus far. Performing onstage with my best friends is always the best feeling, and the vibrancy and wackiness of the musical just brought more fun.
Thank you to everyone who came to watch the show, and we are all pumped for next year's show!
Genna Windsor
SRC President
With this year’s production being a hit, the whole cast and I had so much fun. There’s always a strong sense of community throughout the whole duration of the show every year. You always end up making so many friends and receiving so many hugs.
I look forward to every rehearsal and every meetup each year I join. Weeks feel empty without the production filling up my schedule!
We all came home with such fond memories and pride in our contributions. Many of us received plenty of positive feedback from peers. Overall, Seussical 2023 was a very positive and welcoming experience for everyone involved.
Hannah Jones
Year 8 Student
Wellfest Week: Year 11 Excursion
On Monday the 14th of August, the Year 11 cohort took a trip into the city for an Interpersonal Skills Workshop and First Nations History Tour. During the workshop, we learned about empathy and understanding others and their perspectives, highlighting their importance in everyday life and considering other people’s feelings and experiences. The hands-on activities and open discussion made the experience more engaging and exciting.
Learning more about how we perceive others and critiquing our thought process behind making everyday judgments about people felt enlightening, and it helped us view other people’s situations differently. After the empathy workshop, we took part in a First Nations History Tour, which included a walk along the Birrarung River and several stops at different art installations and learned about the history behind them.
We also learned about various Aboriginal tools, how they were used to hunt and how different animals were utilised. Overall, the day was a great learning experience for everyone.
Stef Milanovic
Your Leading Communications & Student Experience Representative
Student Representative Council
2023 ICAS Competitions
ICAS Math was very interesting. I did not know everything in the test so then I got to learn more topics. I am not good at word problems, so these are the questions I can work on. I can make new goals. If I can learn these various topics, these can help me in Naplan. Overall, the test was hard and that made the test more fun to solve.
Aditya Kovvuru
Year 8 Student
The ICAS exam took place on a few specific days within the range of 7th to 28th August. This was the time for enrolled students to sit a set of tests.
The tests they sat on depended on what they were enrolled for, with the options consisting of, in the respective order of their dates, digital technologies, writing, English, science, a spelling bee, and mathematics. The exams I enrolled for were digital technologies, English, science and mathematics. The exam for digital technologies was about the different things one can do on the internet. An example of this is how to edit the font on a specific website and it included a bit of general knowledge regarding the tips and tricks one can do online. Along with that, it had several questions related to coding, more specifically, the online language, HTML.
Questions for the English ICAS test were comprehension questions that one would have to answer from a text or passage. During the science ICAS test, questions asked were mainly numerical reasoning, with the information given, such as the number of calories for a specific food, and a question asked regarding the data provided. As expected, in the maths test, several math-problem questions were given and would typically need the student to work out and solve the answers for each. The type of questions given would depend on the participant’s year level.
Questions would be generated as per the general ability level of the individual as comprehended during the test, by taking the overall performance of the individual throughout the test as a factor.
Overall, I found ICAS to be a slightly overwhelming experience, taking into consideration that it was an exam, but it was also quite memorable and there were many key points to take away from it. One of the many things I learned from ICAS that would help me in the future is time management during an exam. Every ICAS test had a time limit, which varied depending on the test and the year level the student taking it was in. For me, ICAS was a practice for many other major tests that I would have to take in my life, such as VCE and NAPLAN. I would definitely recommend enrolling for an ICAS exam next year.
Dhruvi Chakraborty
Year 7 Student
Year 12 Valedictory Dinner Fundraiser
Dear Parent/Guardians,
Thank you so much for continuously supporting our College, especially through fundraising. We are excited to announce we are holding a Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Doughdrive as a major fundraiser this term. To achieve our goal of fundraising for the Valedictory Dinner we need to sell a total of 45 tubs
Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Dough is an exciting fundraiser, made by an Australian, family-owned and operated business. There are nine (9) dough-licious flavours to choose from, including the most popular Choc Chunk and Caramel White Choc. You can also create your own cookie magic with the Golden Classic flavour – the base of Billy G’s secret family recipe. Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie Dough is exclusive to fundraising, so stock up!
Get started! Orders are now ready online and hard copy order form via reception Please note Billy G’s is a completely cashless fundraiser. All orders must be placed online and paid by credit or debit card or PayPal
Start Date: 15/9/2023
Final Orders Due: 12/10/2023
Estimated Delivery Date: Week of the 16th October
How do we create a Fundraising Page? Creating a fundraising page is easy!
- Visit www.australianfundraising.com.au and click the “Cookie Dough Login” button on the home page. Search for our school “South Oakleigh College”
Then click the register button to fundraise on the cybersafe, Billy G’s Cookie Dough platform.
- Choose your goals and create a unique avatar!
- Place your order using the “Order Now” button and share your fundraising page with your family and friends via the “Share” section so they can start buying some yummy cookie dough. Easy!
Happy fundraising,
Sylvia Krozian and Jason Pouliezos
Your 2023 College Captains