Student Voice
Foundation - Grade 2 Swimming
At the start of Term 4, our F-2 students took part in the swimming program at the Doug Ellis Swimming Pool at Monash Clayton. They made fantastic progress throughout their lessons. The program focused on building water confidence, safety awareness and fundamental swimming skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Over the two weeks, students grew more independent and enthusiastic as they practiced floating, kicking, basic stroke techniques and became more organised with their belongings and getting changed before and after lessons. It was wonderful to see their confidence soar both in and out of the pool. A big thank you to our teachers and families for supporting this important life skill program!
Grade 5 Leadership lessons
Our Year 5 students have been taking part in a weekly Leadership Program, exploring what it means to be a positive, responsible and proactive leader. Each session has focused on key leadership qualities such as communication, organisation and teamwork. To finish each lesson, students have taken on fun team challenges like The Longest Chain, Saving Fred, Texta on a String and The Human Knot, which have encouraged collaboration and creative problem-solving. Students are now preparing to submit their written applications for 2026 leadership positions before moving on to the next stage - interviews with staff and a speech to their peers.
Oakleigh Primary Shines at STAV Science Talent Search
We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our Oakleigh Primary School students in this year’s Science Talent Search (STS). The STS is an annual, state-wide competition that gives primary and secondary students the opportunity to explore science through project-based work in a wide range of categories.
This year’s competition was especially tough as our students were competing against over 2,500 students from across Victoria, showing creativity, scientific thinking, and perseverance. What makes this achievement even more impressive is the dedication our students showed.
The students invested hours during lunchtimes, after school, and at home planning their investigations, experimenting, constructing models, sourcing materials, and refining their ideas. Their commitment paid off, and many received well-deserved recognition, ranging from participation and credit certificates to minor bursary awards.
We especially congratulate the following students on being Minor Bursary winners:
- Kent Rhi & Justin Cheng, for their project “How Cucumbers are Impacted by External Factors” – a thoughtful exploration into plant biology and environmental science.
- Daniel Choi & Aidan Tari, for “Carbon Clash – Race to Net Zero” – an ambitious and timely investigation into carbon emissions and sustainability.
In addition to them, we also celebrate the hard work of other Year 5-6 student teams and individuals who entered the STS:
- Jasper Dickson & Ellis Roden - Senior Citizens Helpin Hand
- Rahul Chavva & Vihaan Sawant - The Magic of Light
- Priyanshi Sharma & Sheza Shehri - The Constellation Explorers
- Nadia Cendana - Discovering Nature’s Secret Numbers
- Aarya Kundu - Stars: A Guide for Space Explorers
- Deon Vithanage & Oscar Larkin - An Atoms Adventure
Each of these projects was unique with their submissions ranging from working models to experimental research, from games to creative writing which highlights the diversity of scientific inquiry at our school.
Thank you also to Elenor Pletsias and all the families, and staff who supported these students. Whether helping them brainstorm ideas, gather resources, or review their work, your encouragement played a huge role in their success.
We look forward to seeing how these young scientists continue to grow, innovate and we can’t wait for next year’s STS entries!
Year 1 CERES excursion
The Year 1s had a fantastic and enriching day at CERES on the 13th of November, where they explored and celebrated First Nations culture through a range of hands-on activities. Students listened to the story of Tiddalick and then brought it to life by dressing up in costumes and acting out each part, which helped them deepen their understanding of the lessons in the story. They also had the opportunity to use ochre to create traditional body paint, carefully adding meaningful symbols to their arms and learning about their significance. Later in the day, the children explored the gardens and tasted a variety of native plants, including saltbush and warrigal greens, discovering new flavours and learning how these plants have been used for generations. It was a memorable experience that helped strengthen their connection to culture, nature, and learning.
Foundation excursion to the zoo
The Foundation students had a wonderful day at the zoo yesterday. Please see below for a selection of recounts written by our Foundation students and some photos taken during the day.
Grade 3/4 excursion to CERES
Our grade 3/4 students thoroughly enjoyed their day out at CERES, an urban farm in Brunswick. Please read the recount below
