Teaching & Learning
Year 11 Legal Studies Incursion: Police Visit
On the last day of Term 2, the Year 11 Legal Studies classes were each paid a visit by three members of Victoria Police – Senior Constable Jaclyn Mahood, Youth Resource Officer; Constable Simon Jacobson, Glen Waverley Police Station; and Sara Coe, Senior Constable, Monash Crime Prevention Unit. This head-started VCE Legal Studies Unit 2 Area of Study 1 Sanctions – Law Enforcement. Several of our "Legal Eagle" students are interested in potential careers in law enforcement and other occupations involving criminal law so were very keen to find out more – straight from the source!
The officers shared a wealth of information about the police academy training and life on the job. Our visitors shared insights into the sorts of traits required to join Victoria Police, such as discipline, respect, people skills and resilience – which of course match up nicely with our work on character traits in Mentor Group, as well as our College Values.
The students had prepared questions beforehand – and those who spoke up were rewarded with very candid and detailed responses from our visitors! A few lucky students even got to be "arrested" (hand-cuffed)!
Jacinta Marlborough
Legal Studies Teacher
MUMA Behind the Scenes VCE Studio Art Excursion
On Thursday the 14th of July Unit 3 and 4 Studio Art students visited the Monash University Gallery of Art in Caulfield. Students attended a talk where they learnt about gallery processes, staff roles and the conservation methods used at the gallery. Students then attended the First Nations exhibition Collective Movements.
Walking through the MUMA gallery and back conservation area helped me get a deeper understanding of how different materials all need to be kept in specific ways. We got to see the thought and effort that goes into keeping artworks safe, as each work is carefully examined and decided how to be kept in perfect condition.
Jenna MacPhee
Year 12 Studio Art student
The MUMA gallery's presentation and conservation process assisted Unit 4 Studio Arts students with the important knowledge and efforts into keeping artworks in their best condition. We also had the opportunity to see the amazing new 'Collective Movements' exhibition, featuring First Nations Indigenous artists' historic and contemporary artworks.
Sylvia Krozian
Year 12 Studio Art student
The Bionics Institute 2022 Graeme Clark Oration
The Bionics Institute 2022 Graeme Clark Oration is Australia’s most prestigious public science event. It was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 12 July. More than 800 members of the public attended to hear from international leaders in biomedical sciences and public health.
SOC in conjunction with Monash Tech School attended the event. Six students,
Cayla Kingsley, Andre De Vries, Meghal Patel, Jia Kaur, Lauren Olver and Mackenzie Dickson joined Ms Helen Koziaris and Mr Steven Kuruc on the night.
After meeting back at school at around 5pm, both staff delivered the six students to the Convention Centre near the Melbourne CBD. Once inside we walked to the VIP section of the auditorium to take part and listen to inspirational speakers who shared insights and stories of how they achieved miraculous outcomes in the face of difficult circumstances and challenges. The keynote speaker was Natalya Trayanova.
Professor Trayanova shared stories about how her research team combined biological data and 'AI machine learning' to create a ‘digital heart twin’ for patients with heart disease. This virtual heart replica is then used to forecast the progress of heart disease, estimate the risk of adverse events; and predict treatment responses. This exciting technology aims to inform clinical decisions and improve the lives of people suffering from this condition. To add perspective to this research, around 1.2 million people in Australia are affected by some form of heart disease annually.
The 2022 event program also included a Women in STEM Lunch, a Biomedical Innovation Showcase, the Oration and a Gala Dinner. Speaking of dinner, an amazing array of dishes were served that wanted for nothing. Dessert was fabulous and without looking at the clock it was 10pm before we knew it.
The night was memorable, inspirational and enjoyable. It was a privilege to be part of this well-planned event. We hope to return in 2023 to learn more from these innovative, ambitious and highly driven people who push boundaries to create future state biomedical technologies that best support our global community.
Steve Kuruc
Learning Specialist: STEM
Year 8, 9 and 10 Japanese Careers Panel
On the 15th of July, students from Year 8, 9 and 10 Japanese classes attended a careers panel to learn about the employment and education opportunities that can come from further study of the language. The panel was held in the newly refurbished Theatre, with presenters speaking through an online video call. Featured guests of the panel were alumni from Monash University -Anna Fukuda Berry, a freelance translator, and Joshua Cabaj, a consultant from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. Both guests provided their short presentations introducing their work and experiences using Japanese in and outside of the workplace.
Students' questions regarding the experience of learning Japanese were explored during this time. The panel guests discussed how developing resilience and reminding oneself of short and long-term goals were crucial for maintaining motivation in their studies in languages and beyond. The event was made interesting as students learnt how Anna's study of the language led her to translate documentaries for renowned naturalist David Attenborough and notorious whistle-blower Edward Snowden, as well as how Josh's studies led him to now reside in Osaka and work with Japanese and Australian businesses.
VCE Studio Art City Excursion
On the 28th of July, VCE Studio Art students attended a gallery excursion in the Melbourne CBD. They visited the National Gallery of Victoria and Blindside Gallery. Students learnt about the roles of different gallery spaces and the way that exhibitions are designed, installed and promoted, as well as saw some interesting art from a range of eras and artists.
Della Butler
Visual Arts & Design Teacher
Teaching and Learning Leadership Team Update
Oakleigh Education Plan
Did you know the Oakleigh Education Plan is not a new thing?
A strategic partnership between SOC, OSPS, HPS and MTS occurred way back in 2018.
In April 2018, the Victorian Government announced it would develop the Oakleigh Education Plan (the Plan), with the aim of reforming local secondary education. This decision to establish the Plan was made in response to community concerns about the need to improve local learner engagement, achievement and wellbeing outcomes.
The purpose of the Plan is to deliver educational reform to meet the needs of the growing population and high expectations of the Oakleigh community. The Plan seeks to improve students’ outcomes to empower them with the skills, knowledge and relationships they need to build healthy, happy and prosperous lives.
Community consultation on the Plan took place between April and June 2019. A survey and three community engagement workshops were conducted with students, teachers, school communities and local residents. These activities enabled participants to share ideas and provide their views on secondary school education in the Oakleigh area.
Consultation identified the community’s appetite for expanded opportunities for students in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), sports, humanities and social sciences. It also highlighted the need for more effective and seamless transitions from primary to secondary school, and more consistent areas of educational focus.
Analysis of local provision indicates that there is capacity in the Oakleigh area for current secondary school provision to meet anticipated enrolments over the next 20 years. However, detailed assessment of the student enrolment patterns within the area identified that there is an uneven distribution of students across the secondary schools, with significant underutilised capacity at South Oakleigh Secondary College.
Enhancing provision at South Oakleigh Secondary College, through expanding student learning opportunities and improving school facilities, will lift community perceptions of the school, and have a positive impact on enrolments and student engagement, achievement and wellbeing outcomes.
The Oakleigh Education Plan formalises a Learning Precinct involving SOSC and its two key partner schools, Oakleigh South Primary School and Huntingdale Primary School, to connect and collaborate more purposefully with a shared goal of achieving educational excellence.
A Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), with the principals from the three schools, has shaped the development of the Plan and its vision, ensuring it has the Oakleigh community’s needs and aspirations at its heart. The vision for the Plan reflects the community’s emphasis on high-quality education provision with high expectations for students, and strong STEM education to prepare students for a technology-rich future.
The vision is ‘To create a student-focused Learning Precinct that connects three schools engaged in collaborative STEM teaching and learning’. To achieve the Plan’s vision of a coordinated and student-focused Learning Precinct, it will deliver three interconnected strategies:
• develop a connected Learning Precinct
• foster academic excellence through STEM partnerships
• promote the Learning Precinct across the community to build pride and confidence in government schools.
These strategies are aimed at linking the three schools and leveraging their current relationships to improve students’ access to rich curriculum opportunities by enhancing teaching expertise and capability in STEM learning domains. The Plan involves SOSC partnering with experts in design and delivery of STEM programs, including the Monash Tech School, to provide students with access to contemporary and expert-informed learning opportunities. STEM programs will develop students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills based on local industry needs in order to equip students for the future of work.
To support the delivery of the STEM programs, the Plan will build the capacity of teachers to ensure a highly motivated and knowledgeable workforce. This will foster a culture of innovative teaching to deliver engaging, deep and real-world learning experiences that focus on learning growth for every student.
To raise the community profile of the Learning Precinct and build stronger community confidence in SOSC, the Plan will create a shared vision, values and culture for the precinct that reflects how the schools would like to be regarded by the community and sets high expectations of students.
The Plan represents a key marker for educational change in the Oakleigh community. Through it, the three schools will strive for excellence in STEM education and a shared reputation, acknowledged by the community, as a modern and world-class education precinct that develops young adults’ skills and capabilities and prepares them for their futures.
Steve Kuruc
Learning Specialist: STEM
Pedagogy and Professional Learning
19th July 2022, during whole school curriculum day we looked in to the Rubrics for the elements Questioning, Flexible Grouping and Feedback.
Here is a snippet of what DET HITS document has to say about these three elements:
In case you are interested to read more you can click the link below:
I would like to update teachers about the Unlocking Potential Principalship Program that I recently completed. This program involves a number of workshop days and a 20-day internship. Leaders who aspire to become Principals in future can apply for this program. Prior to making an application, applicants need to consult college Principal for their approval.
During the workshop participants gain skills to develop a learning culture at their own schools. Coaches coach participants so that participants can reflect on their strengths and areas of improvement. Participants are supported to do an analysis of their personality and traits and how might they best interact with people with varied personalities and traits. The internship component helps participants gain insight of the varied role of Principal Class member. Participants can contribute by utilizing their own skills and knowledge into a project that the mentor school might want to work on.
I worked on developing a student voice-based HITS Rubric for Mordialloc College. For those who are interested in this program you can read the details here:
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss more about this program.
I hope to talk to varied members of staff this term and learn varied differentiation strategies that are working in our classrooms.
Sulagna Monga
Learning Pedagogical Practice
Curriculum
2023 Changes to VCE program
As most of you know, next year all Victorian Secondary Schools will be required to provide students with an opportunity to undertake an alternative VCE pathway called VCE VM (Vocational Major). As part of the VM students will undertake Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development Skills, Work Related skills as well a VET certificate and structure workplace training.
The VM has been developed to help all students to achieve their potential and aims to incorporate “vocational and applied learning builds critical and creative thinking, communication skills, teamwork and collaboration, curiosity and innovation. It provides students with real-world knowledge, including about the workplace, and practical and transferable skills”. (DET)
The new senior certificate will be a staged implementation with SOC offering a Year 11 stream of VM in 2023, then both Year 11 and 12 streams in 2024. We are still working through the students who are interested in VM next year, and we hope to finalise the details shortly. Students will be at school on a slightly reduced time fraction to support their VET certificates which will be completed at nearby training facilities. In coming years, SOC will look to offer VET courses on site to support student learning.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the VCE VM, visit https://www.vic.gov.au/vce-and-vce-vocational-major
Lousie O’Niell
Learning Specialist: Mathematics & Science
Murray & Ms Jeffries
Hello again from Murray and Ms Jeffries, the certified visiting therapy dog team. Welcome to Term 3!
Some of the highlights from this term so far have been hanging out with the Year 12's, participating in some great Drama classes, watching more production rehearsals for Matilda, and luckily receiving some bacon from the Year 12 students cooking the Wellfest Week Morning Breakfast BBQ.
Wishing all students, staff, and the community a wonderful and safe term ahead.
Atlanta & Murray Jeffries
SOC Jellyfish Art Mural
On Thursday the 4th of August, students from the S.R.C. decorated a beautiful jellyfish mural. To show our school spirit we drew and painted with our House colours. Each jellyfish was coloured uniquely and intricately, using markers, pencils and watercolour paint. It was calming, fun and a wonderful opportunity to bond with our fellow leaders.
Emily Lay
Your Campaigns Representative
Student Representative Council