Principal's Report 

End Of Term 2:

Principal's Report 

As Term 2 draws to a close, it is worth noting the wide variety of opportunities that have been available to our students both in terms of their learning and their wellbeing growth this semester.   

Assessment and Reporting: A focus on learning growth and the removal of letter grades 

Our Year 10 - 11 students have completed semester one examinations across all subjects, demonstrating commendable preparation and maturity. Likewise, our Year 8 – 9 students participated in exams for core subjects,  while at the same time our Year 7 students wrapped up assessments.   

As reports will be distributed at the end of the term, feedback provided by teachers will assist students and parents/guardians to reflect on academic and personal achievements recognised and offer positive reflection of the consistent effort they have made, whilst looking towards their further growth in Semester 2.   

The continued focus on documenting student’s learning growth through developmental rubrics over letter grades this semester has progressed positively and we appreciate the patience of the community as we continue to navigate the best ways to keep students motivated and focused, and our parents informed. Thank you to those that offered feedback on our current reporting practices, it’s very helpful and valued. I thought I would take this opportunity to explain more about how we are reporting student growth and what the performance indicators mean in your child’s classes, as we move closer to the mid-year mark. 

For the Victorian Curriculum, students are expected to demonstrate the skills required at their year level. So, by the end of year 7, a year 7 student who is demonstrating expected skills and knowledge will receive a 7. At the mid-year point, a year 7 student who is demonstrating expected levels will receive a 6.5. See the table below: 

Year 7 – 10 Victorian Curriculum Levels – Mid Year 

To understand more about how students are reported on, please visit Victorian Curriculum 2.0. 

Students in VCE, receive a performance indicator expressed through ranges to indicate their performance in SACs and key tasks. It is important to understand that our traditional thinking around a SAC score is misleading and ultimately ignored by VCAA as they determine a student’s final score in a subject. What VCAA want to know is the rank of each student in a subject area as they apply their own statistical moderation processes.  

Our numerical scores are not determinants of student performance in VCE, only their rank order is. You can read more about that here. 

Therefore, what our teachers do, following advice from VCAA and our VCE examiners, is provide students with range indicators: 

• High-Excellent 

• High 

• Medium-High 

• Medium 

• Low 

• Very Low 

• Ungraded 

Determining which range students fall into is determined by the graded assessment distributions that VCAA share. These inform teachers what the exam score translates to for a student. For example, in 2023 on the VCE English examination, scores between 41-60 out of 60 marks, resulted in an A or A+. Therefore, when English teachers read student work and mark it against a rubric, students who are scoring similar results will receive a High-Excellent. See an example of a VCAA grade distribution table below. 

The reason the specific score is not revealed to students, is that it is subject to change due to VCAA’s statistical moderation system, so reporting the student’s range and encouraging the student to focus on the written feedback and conferencing with the teacher for specific improvement feedback, is far more accurate and useful. 

Quantitative results are shared with students as well, when appropriate, so that they still understand where marks have been lost in short answer questions. For example, students will be told if they received 3 out of 4 marks for question two on their Legal Studies SAC. They may be told they received 67 out of 70 possible marks on their entire Legal Studies SAC. But what will be reported on their Semester Report and the Learning Task, might be ‘Very High’. 

We thank families for the ongoing support they offer their children to help the learning journey be one that is enjoyable and meaningful. 

2025 Student Attitudes to School Survey 

This term, we received the results of the 2025 Attitudes to School Survey, where our students' voices continue to be invaluable in shaping the direction and improvement of South Oakleigh College.  

An impressive 95% of students across Years 7–12 completed the survey, providing anonymous insights into their experiences of school life. We're pleased to share that across all domains, the percentage of positive responses increased by at least 5 percentage points compared to previous years. 

This encouraging outcome reaffirms that South Oakleigh College is fostering a positive and inclusive environment for all students. 

Census Data Collection – Student Family Occupation and Updating Family Details 

Every year, the Department of Education conducts a census in August, which helps determine the level of our schools’ student-based funding.  

To ensure that the College is able to continue to provide quality programs and an efficient learning environment for our students, it relies on being supported by Department funding. Student Family Occupation details are an important component used by DE to formulate our correct level of funding.  

These details are originally collected on your child’s enrolment form, but are often not up to date. For this census to be accurate, we ask that all family details are current, including parent occupation and occupation code, employer, and all contact details.  

We kindly ask you to fill out the data collection form that you will receive from soc.updatemydetails@sosc.vic.edu.au. It's important to ensure that all information is current, so even if you believe your details remain unchanged, please take a moment to respond to soc.updatemydetails@sosc.vic.edu.au. 

Your cooperation will help us maintain accurate records.  

Co-Curricular Programs @SOC 

Our Student Leadership program at South Oakleigh has continued to provide opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills and become a part of a global leadership community. Our year 7-10 students took part in the “emerging leaders forum” with students across Australia and South east Asia to develop their leadership skills and meet other prospective leaders from various cultures.  Our SRC team took several members from years 10-12 to Brentwood Secondary College to take part in a “student leaders forum” with students leaders from other schools sharing their thoughts and ideas on how they could continue to improve their work  respective schools.  

When not out engaging with their contemporaries, our SRC members have been hard at work helping to engage in our local school community as well. Breakfast club has continued to be an opportunity for students to access a nutritious and filling breakfast every Thursday morning, and we are continuing to host a plethora of events and activities across the year to help boost student engagement and give back to the wider school community. 

With Wellfest Week and student leadership elections fast approaching, there is still much to go for our student leaders this year, and there is always another opportunity for our student leaders to take steps towards becoming fine young leaders of our future. 

Performing Arts

We presented a themed concert featuring a live performance and Q&A with Cameron Muncey of JET, a 6-time ARIA Award Winner and co-songwriter of a Number One on the Triple J Hottest 100. Muncey performed the smash hit “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” alongside 82 SOC students, in front of a sold-out crowd of parents in our Theatre. 

The final day of Term Two will see the return of our annual Performing Arts Carnival, and as we look toward Term Three we will hold our Spring Concert, Production, VCE Performance Evening and an incursion with Music Departments from visiting schools. 

Sporting Events 

This term have continued to add excitement and purpose to our school calendar. 

The staff versus Year 12 students’ competition is currently sitting at 2–1, with a basketball match held on Thursday which saw the staff come from behind to steal a thrilling victory!

We also had the opportunity to play a friendly soccer match against Melbourne High School, providing valuable interschool experience for our VCE students. 

Highlights this term included the introduction of our first-ever junior girls AFL team, who achieved an impressive second place in their competition. 

There was also strong participation in boys netball across the junior, intermediate, and senior levels. 

Our senior boys basketball team performed exceptionally well, finishing second in their division, while the Year 8 boys soccer team won their division and will progress to the EMR competition in August. 

Our house cross-country was another success, with VCE VM students starting to integrate and support staff in delivering a smooth and enjoyable day. Additionally, at the Monash Division athletics, we had an outstanding performance, winning the overall Intermediate Aggregate Shield. Thirty students will advance to EMR, and Lydia Volpert has qualified for the State Finals – an incredible achievement. 

We look forward to further success with the upcoming 22nd July with our whole school athletics carnival. 

These rich and diverse experiences reflect the strong sense of community and student engagement that defines our school. We’re proud of our students’ willingness to get involved, try something new, and lead with creativity and confidence.  

Finally, the term break will provide us all with the opportunity to re-connect with family and friends. It also presents an opportune time to express thanks to the teaching and education support staff for their commitment to provide the best educational opportunities for our students; and to thank the parents in our school community for continuing to support us in the development of our young people. 

Helen Koziaris 

College Principal