Assistant Principals

Learning Through Our HARK Values

At Oakleigh Grammar, our HARK values Humility, Aspiration, Respect, and Kindness are at the heart of everything we do. They shape how we learn, how we teach, and how we support one another from the Early Learning Centre through to our senior students in Year 12.

Humility: The Key to Growth

Humility reminds us that learning never stops. It helps students accept feedback with grace and see mistakes not as failures but as opportunities to improve. True growth begins when we place learning above ego.

Aspiration: Reaching for Our Best

Aspiration fuels ambition. From a child’s first attempt at reading to a senior student’s preparation for exams, aspiration pushes us to stretch beyond comfort zones and pursue excellence with determination.

Respect: Building a Learning Culture

Respect creates classrooms where every learner can thrive. By valuing teachers, peers, and the learning process, students contribute to an environment of safety, purpose, and collaboration where voices are heard and every effort matters.

Kindness: The Heart of Achievement

Kindness reminds us that success is never solitary. When encouragement and empathy are freely given, students develop resilience and confidence, knowing they are supported in their journey.

Together, HARK values move us into a mode of learning and achievement that is both aspirational and supportive. They ensure that at Oakleigh Grammar, academic success is not only about results, but about developing character, purpose, and a lifelong love of learning.

Aim High, Achieve More.

Lance Ryan

Assistant Principal ‑ Academic

A Whole-School Commitment to HARK (ELC – Year 12)

Our HARK values Humility, Aspiration, Respect, and Kindness are at the heart of our school community, guiding the way we teach, learn, lead, and relate to one another from our youngest learners in the ELC through to our senior students in Year 12.

These values create a common language and consistent expectations across all year levels. Whether it is a Prep student learning to take turns, a Year 5 student stepping up as a role model, or a Year 11 student supporting a peer, we are continually building a culture where character matters as much as achievement.

We ask families to support this whole-school approach by reinforcing shared expectations at home whether through respectful communication, supporting age-appropriate independence, or trusting staff to guide and support students through both successes and challenges. These are vital opportunities for growth.

Every stage of schooling brings new opportunities to practice Humility when things do not go to plan, Aspiration when setting goals, Respect when working with others, and Kindness in the way we treat ourselves and those around us.

Together, we are shaping young people who are not only learners but thoughtful, compassionate and capable individuals who carry these values beyond the school gates and into the world.

Shelley Parkes

Assistant Principal - Head of Junior School