Student Voice / Student News
Beginning Of Term 2:
College Captains
Wishing you all a warm welcome back to term 2 at South Oakleigh College! We hope everyone had a relaxing 2 week break to refresh and reset for the new term.
On the 24th of April, we held a commemorative whole school assembly to honour the original ANZACs who served in the war and those still serving in our country’s armed forces. We read a few readings and paused for a minute of silence, remembering those who fought for us and to honour the values of loyalty, selflessness, and courage. The next day, we attended the dawn service in Oakleigh and laid a wreath on behalf of our college community.
Lots of smiles, fresh uniforms, and a few funny moments started the term during our photo day. Each student and staff got to take their own individual photo along with a virtual image for the group photos. It was lovely seeing the bright smiles throughout the day.
We also had our annual house cross country on Monday, 4th of May. Well done to everyone who participated in this event, and congratulations to those who placed.
In the next upcoming weeks, a few more exciting events will brighten up this term.
Our talented and hard-working students will be bringing a vibrant arrangement of songs during our Eras of Rock concert, held on Tuesday May 26. This will be an event full of great fun as we celebrate a night of fun with our incredible students.
Our annual House Athletics Carnival is also coming up at the end of term. We’re keen to see the effort and house spirit from all students – from participating to cheering our fellow peers, this day will be an eventful day to look forward to.
Close to the end of this term, years 8-11(VCE) students will be undertaking their semester 1 exams, while our year 11 VCE VM cohort will be going on work placement. It is important that we use the weeks leading up to exams effectively to enhance our academic studies, whilst taking care of our health along the way.
In other news, planning for the year 11 formal in September, the year 12 valedictory dinner in October, and the school’s yearbook has commenced. If there are any questions or inquiries, or if you want to say a quick “hi”, please do not hesitate and feel free to come up to us, River Zielinski and Abigail Avienna.
Have a great rest of the term ahead!
River Zielinski
Abigail Avienna
2026 College Captains
College Vice Captains
Term 1 has been quite a busy yet rewarding term for us. It began with a new initiative of Custom Sport Jerseys for the senior school. Close collaboration with the principal team helped get the idea up and running. Work with PSW was also completed, and the jerseys are now finished. Excitement is high to show them off, and some of the seniors will be wearing them to Interschool sports on the 15th of May. Thanks go to Mr Mark Picone, Mr Zane Fernandez and Ms Noor Jenkins for the support they provided.
The main responsibility for the Vice Captain role is planning for formal. A team of individuals from the year level was created, and planning began for what is going to happen. A bake sale was organised, and fundraising will continue throughout the year to make the Year 11 formal for 2026 as memorable as possible.
Appreciation is extended to Ms Jessica Ferguson and Ms Sylvia Kosztyi for the support they have given.
We have begun work on the Year 12 jackets for next year. A team was formed, and a couple of designs were organised. Companies are now being considered for production of the jackets, with more information to come soon.
There are still lots of plans for the rest of the year, and we are excited to share them soon.
Aryan Bhasin
Abigail Raymer
Vice School Captains 2026
SRC
We are proud to reflect on what has been a highly productive Term 1 and an exciting start to Term 2.
Term 1 focused on planning and setting the foundation for the year ahead. We kicked things off with a successful Swimming Carnival, which brought great energy and heaps of participation from the students. To finish the term, we hosted our student favourite celebratory Breakfast Club, providing a great opportunity for students to come together and connect whilst enjoying a healthy nutritious breakfast before school.
We’ve continued that momentum into Term 2. To start the term, our Student Experience portfolio organised our Cultural Dress Day and it was wonderful to see so many students wearing their cultural dress. We are also pleased to share that we raised significant funds for Street-smart Australia from this day.
Looking ahead, we have several exciting events planned. In Week 5, the SRC will be hosting the Biggest Morning Tea, where students can purchase a range of delicious treats, including hot chocolates, during lunchtime. In the same week, we will also be recognising IDAHOBIT Day, with guest speakers from Monash Youth and Headspace expected to join us in the downstairs foyer.
To finish Term 2, the SRC will be running the canteen at the Athletics Carnival. We’ll be offering a variety of food options, including sausages, veggie patties, soft drinks, and more.
We wish all students the very best for their upcoming exams. As always, if you have any questions, feedback, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact Soham Dhital via Teams or email at (SDHI15@schools.vic.edu.au).
S.R.C. Presidents
Soham Dhital
Mai Pandjaputra
S.R.C. Presidents
Year 7 Student Leaders
Year 8 Student Leaders
Year 10 Holocaust Excursion.
The year 10 cohort went on the excursion to the Holocaust Museum on the 22nd of April. We were given a brief guided tour of the museum, but we unfortunately did not get a chance to see everything. We were given the opportunity to look at primary sources in teams and discussed what we thought about it.
We were then given a tour of the museum. One of the exhibits we saw was a model of one of the concentration camps. We saw many artifacts that had belonged to members of the local Jewish community, including possessions and photographs.
We then were presented with talks from Holocaust survivors and given the opportunity to ask them questions. The first group got to hear from Sarah Saaroni, and the second group got to hear from John Lamovie. I learnt some things about Sarah Saaroni, and more about everything she experienced. I learnt was how Sarah fully managed to escape a train that was going to a concentration camp, and what it was like to live through those experiences in hiding.
I thought the excursion was really interesting and all the activities were very informative.
I highly recommend visiting the holocaust museum, because there is much more to see. It is relevant and important to know what happened, and the truth is that even if you know it will upset you, that is what it is.
I think that it is important to know what happened in the past and to learn what happened to people depending on their different groups or backgrounds. I think it is especially important for people our age to go, because even though it is scary to learn about, it is an event that is important and useful to learn about.
Minee Bernshaw