Teaching & Learning
Calling all Former SOC Students!
Interested in joining our Alumni Community? We would love to hear what our former SOC students are up to! Fill out the following online form: https://forms.office.com/r/JakrRiSTFm if you are interested in sharing!
Year 8 2024 Head Start Program
Our Year 7 students had the opportunity to commence their Year 8 Head Start program this term. Students enjoyed taking part in team-building challenges, art projects, house sports, wellbeing incursions, resilience and mindfulness activities.
It was great to watch the students' enthusiasm and willingness to participate throughout the
week- developing connections with their peers and demonstrating great school spirit!
Kerryn Hoernel
Year Level Leader: 7
Specialist: Enhancements, challenge & VCE
Year 10 Wheelchair Basketball Incursion
Our 2023 year 10 students recently engaged in an inspiring incursion, delving into the world of wheelchair basketball. Guided by experienced wheelchair basketballers, they navigated the court in specially designed wheelchairs, experiencing the unique challenges and camaraderie of the sport. The students quickly discovered that playing wheelchair basketball required not only physical skill but also a heightened awareness of teamwork and communication.
Beyond the physical aspects, the event fostered empathy and broke down stereotypes about mobility impairments. Students gained a deeper understanding of the impact of a physical disability, and the resilience of individuals with physical challenges. The incursion successfully promoted inclusivity, leaving a lasting impact on our school community by encouraging compassion and appreciation for diversity.
Noor Jenkins
House Leader: Acacia
The Future of VCE Greek
In Australia, specifically in Melbourne, we have a developed cultural awareness and appreciation for all cultures and language learning. The influence of Greek culture and language is undeniably significant for the future of Greeks in Victoria. It is imperative to promote the teaching of the Greek language and culture to the younger generations as they are an integral part of the diverse, multicultural Australian society.
Over the last decade or so, there has been an increase and decrease in interest in choosing Greek as a second language at the VCE level. What is certain is that we must maintain the interest of our students in Greek. It is also important to attract the interest of the broader Australian society. To increase interest in choosing Greek, collective action is needed towards the creation of encouragement programs. The Ministry of Education in Victoria, primary, secondary, and tertiary education, parents, and communities can all collaborate to promote the interest in learning Greek through various cultural and educational activities. Support is needed for selected educational equipment programs. As educators, we also have a responsibility to nurture and renew this interest. At South Oakleigh College, our students who choose Greek from the first year of high school are categorized into two streams or sequences: one for non-Greek background beginners (7-10) and the other for advanced learners (F-10), continuing to VCE (Years 11-12). The accelerated classes formed for Greek F-10 usually determine the VCE classes. All classes are enhanced with teaching materials supported by language assistants and educational materials from Greece. There is participation in extracurricular activities, including guest speakers, visits to the Hellenic Museum and the Immigration Museum, cultural school events, and involvement in the broader Greek community.
South Oakleigh College wishes the very best for our YR12 students and their future aspirations.
Phyllis Dimakakos
VCE Greek Teacher
Sustainability Club – Bread Tag Competition 2023
The Sustainability Club’s Bread Tag Competition has now been running for 3 years and is going from strength to strength! Thank you to everyone in the College community for collecting bread tags throughout the year. The initiative continues to be a very popular way for our staff and students to raise awareness about environmental issues, as well as kindness and gratitude.
During 2023, as a College, we have collected almost 6.5 kilograms of bread tags – our biggest collection yet, with more than double last year’s total!
The overall results for 2023 are as follows:
1st - Waratah: 4,442g (collecting the most tags of any House, every single term!)
2nd - Grevillea: 1,021g (a massive improvement, after collecting the least bread tags last year)
3rd - Acacia: 561g (collecting 10 times their total from 2022)
4th - Banksia: 465g (also a massive increase on their previous efforts)
Points have been allocated towards the 2023 House Cup, accordingly.
A big shout out to the helpful students who have been sorting the tags into different colours before we send them off to "Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs" - a charity that recycles the tags locally to make items such as bowls. The funds raised from sales of these items are used to make wheelchairs for those in need: https://ozbreadtagsforwheelchairs.org.au/
The competition will continue in 2024 - so PLEASE KEEP COLLECTING!
Why not ask your friends, family and neighbours to collect them over the holidays too? Just hang onto them until we return to school, then drop the tags into the colour-coded collection containers outside the House Leaders' office. A reminder to please only collect plastic tags. The cardboard ones – which of course are better for the environment, can be recycled or composted at home – or you can ask a staff member to pop it into the staff compost bin at school.
Thank you,
Sustainability Club
Award Ceremony of the Certificates of Attainment (Ellinomatheia) in the Greek Language
South Oakleigh College was invited to the Official Award Ceremony of Ellinomatheia at the Greek Consulate, where our students who are studying the Greek language, were awarded their Certificates of Attainment in the Greek language. This certificate confirms the knowledge of Greek as a foreign/second language at six levels, corresponding to the levels of the Common European Framework (CEFR).
Our Principal of South Oakleigh College Ms Helen Koziaris, the Consul-General of Greece in Melbourne Mr Emmanuel Kakavelakis, the Head of the Education Committee of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Dr. Nick Dallas and the Executive Educational Consultant at the Greek Ministry of Education, Dr Georgia Nikolaidou congratulated all students for taking the annual exams of Ellinomatheia and receiving their diplomas on the day.
Our student Jason Pouliezos gave a speech on describing his experience of participating in the Exams for obtaining the C1 level Greek language certificate and how much it benefited him in improving his Greek language skills in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
Olimpia Ferousi was awarded for the A2 level of attainment
Maria Elephtheriadou was awarded for the A2 level of attainment
Michaela Psomadeli was awarded for the A2 level of attainment
George Vakirtzis was awarded for the B1 level of attainment
Jason Pouliezos was awarded for the C1 level of attainment
Dimitra Maniatis
LOTE: Greek Head of Learning
Headstart Program: Koorie Education
During the Headstart Program, Year 8 students learnt from Mark Lumley, our school’s Koorie Education Support Officer. Mark, a Yorta Yorta Wiradjuri man spoke to students about what Country means, how we can all feel our own unique connections to Country, and the lands South Oakleigh College sits on.
Jessie Matheson
English/ Humanities Teacher
Big Summer Read 2023-24
Year 9 Japanese Water Calligraphy
During their Headstart for Year 9, Japanese students were provided with an opportunity to further practise their handwriting with shodo (Japanese style calligraphy).
Only this time, however, no ink or special paper was involved. Using special fabric that dries completely blank, students practised their writing using just water while listening to relaxing music.
Much thanks,
Bonnie Tynan
LOTE: Japanese Head of Learning
Sustainability Club, 2023
The sustainability club has organised many activities this year and has participated in a variety of community events. The focus for the club throughout 2023 has been recycling. The importance of living sustainable lives and recycling was discussed with all classes during
- Sustainability Week, 15 – 19 May
Students were encouraged to:
- Recycle plastic bread tags
These tags are made into a range of products. Revenue from these products provides the resources to buy wheelchairs for disadvantaged people, mainly in South Africa.
- Recycle batteries - introduced in 2023.
SOC is linked with the Planet Ark battery recycling program. https://businessrecycling.com.au/batteries4planetark/
More than 95% of the materials in batteries are recovered for recycling – the steel, copper, and aluminium are returned to the manufacturing sector to be recycled, while the remaining ‘energy metals’ are turned into new lithium-ion batteries. Recycling ensures the dangerous materials in batteries don’t enter our environment.
- Recycle mobile phones - introduced in 2023.
SOC has linked with the Mobile Muster recycling program.
https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycle-a-mobile/
Through recycling, MobileMuster transforms the components from mobile phone waste into valuable materials for reuse. By recycling your mobile phone today, you will be helping reduce the impact on the environment of tomorrow.
- Shrub and grass plantings
During the year sustainability club members planted a variety of shrubs and grasses throughout the school. Students were engaged with every aspect of the panting: digging the space, separating the roots of pot-bound plants, fertilizing the hole, planting the shrub, and then watering the plant.
These plantings not only beautify our school but help mitigate some of the destructive effects of rising temperatures and climate change.
Sustainability Club participated in several community events:
- Schools Clean Up Australia Day
Students from the sustainability club joined students from all around Australia to participate in Schools Clean Up Australia Day on Friday 3 March and walked around the school collecting rubbish.
Dropped litter, especially plastics, often end up in the ocean where it is eaten by birds and animals, including whales, dolphins and turtles who mistake it for food. Plastic not eaten breaks down into microplastics which are eaten by fish, making their way up the food chain until eventually they are eaten by people.
- Schools National Tree Day
28 July was Schools National Tree Day and our students, with thousands of other students around Australia, participated in plantings at our school.
The reasons it is important to plant trees:
To tackle climate change: Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere and are important carbon sinks.
To clean air: Trees clean the air we breathe by absorbing harmful pollutants.
To prevent soil erosion and improve water quality: Intricate tree root systems hold soil in place encouraging water to seep into soil.
To create and restore habitats: A single tree can provide home to many living things including mammals, reptiles, birds and smaller organisms such as insects, fungi and other plants.
To improve mental and physical health: Being in nature reduces stress and anxiety as well as other health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zarll9bx6FI
- Aussie bird count
Our students participated in the Aussie Bird Count, a project of BirdLife Australia when volunteers from all over the country conducted bird counts throughout Australia. During the bird count – which is for a total of 20 minutes – our students saw 33 birds from 6 different species.
- Sustainability Meetings
The sustainability club meets weekly during lunch. The time and venue are to be confirmed early in 2024. Everyone welcome.
Alison Jones
Sustainability Co-ordinator
In2Science Program 2023
What is In2Science?
It is an initiative that has been around for 19 years and looks to promote science and STEM learning in schools by directly connecting undergraduates to secondary school students.
Enthusiastic In2science peer mentors are currently studying for university degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines. They are placed as volunteers in secondary school STEM classes, joining the class once per week for 10 weeks. Working with the classroom teacher, the mentors help students, share their own experiences and motivations for studying at university, and relate schoolwork to real-world examples. In2science mentors also act as role models, sharing their passion for STEM and encouraging secondary students to pursue tertiary studies.
This year, I was able to access an amazing mentor - Jaidyn Gluskie.
Jaidyn is a mechanical engineering undergraduate who volunteered his time through the In2science program to support our weekly STEM club at SOC. In this environment, he was able to share his knowledge, passion and skills to showcase the ability to turn household 'rubbish' into something useful - ie, a cordless vacuum cleaner!
He was able to connect closely with our students, as well as impress Mr Kuruc with his race car and aspirations to pilot a WRC rally car. Jaidyn has an abundance of energy as shown by his ability to juggle university studies, a part-time job at Toyota, play basketball at night, and drive his rally car on weekends whilst also frequently popping home to Tasmania to be with family and friends.
We were extremely lucky to have Jaidyn stay with us for the entire year as opposed to a single term.
As a school, we will continue to support the In2science program into 2024 and look forward to connecting more students to mentors who can inspire, guide and support students with their unique talents, personalities and perspectives.
Steve Kuruc
Learning Specialist: STEM