Principal's Report
Term 4: Principal Report
Acknowledgement of Country
South Oakleigh College acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which our school is situated, the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to any and all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
Returning to Campus
With the news that all students would be progressively returning to onsite learning, after almost 70 days of learning online, the smiles on our faces could not be erased as we looked forward to welcoming our students and staff back on site. All our students will be back together from 1 November.
We appreciate that the transition from home to school, for students, parents and teachers, does bring a range of feelings and emotions, from jubilation to anticipation, to concern and nervousness. This is completely normal, and to be expected after so long away from friends, crowds, noise and a very different routine. The Student Services and Wellbeing Team are available to support all students with this transition. Please do not hesitate to contact them if you require additional support.
Class of 2021
Last week we farewelled Year 12 students with the conclusion of formal classes and the traditional celebrations, appropriate within the current restrictions, but with a great sense of optimism for their upcoming examinations and the exciting next stage of their lives.
Our very best wishes to each of them with their future pathways. We congratulate them on their resilience, tenacity, commitment, and willingness to always support each other through these difficult and challenging VCE years of 2020 and 2021. We wish them all the best for their examinations and life beyond the gates of South Oakleigh College. We are strongly encouraging our students to seek assistance from their teachers - and from the Student Services and Wellbeing Team - if they require support at this very demanding time.
I also acknowledge the work of our VCE Team, which includes the Student Services Teams led by Grace Terdich (Director of Students: Senior School), Aviva Mulloy (Careers Practitioner) Hue Truong (Assistant International Student Co-ordinator), our Wellbeing Team led by Michael Alexis, and all the VCE teachers throughout 2021 and 2020 who have worked with our students and indeed all staff.
To our parents, carers and families, you, too, are to be applauded for your ongoing support and encouragement throughout this extremely challenging year and, indeed, throughout the time with us at South Oakleigh College.
Open Letter to the Class of 2021
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the Bunurong & Wurundjeri land upon which South Oakleigh College is situated and we pay our respects to elders past and present as well as to any First Nations people who are in our College community and may be reading this. Including the acknowledgement of country in this message is an opportunity for us all to think about those who have come before us, and the challenges that they have faced, and to highlight the extraordinary resilience which is part of our history.
To the Year 12s, the shared experience that we have had, and that you have had together, is not one that any of us would have envisaged when we thought about the final two years of secondary school. Had it been pre-Covid you would have been looking forward to the significant moments and rites of passage that others who have come before have been afforded. The current circumstances have left us all with a sense of loss of what might have been. But, accepting that we cannot control everything, and focusing on what we can control, will help us all to move forward and prepare for the next opportunity when it arises.
Whilst some have thrived and others have struggled, we are confident that if you take some time to reflect, you will see that you have learned so much about yourself that you may not have known if you had not undergone the experiences you had these last two years. It is those lessons that you can take with you into the exam period and life beyond South Oakleigh College.
On 27 October most of you commenced the examination period with your English/EAL exams - although some had already commenced with Music Performance and Oral Language Exams. Be confident in your teachers that they are in this with you and will continue to support you to prepare throughout the exam period. Know, too, that your performance in the final exams is not just a result of the last two years, it is the culmination of everything that you have done prior to entering formal education, through Primary School and Years 7-10. It is throughout this time that you have developed skills, capabilities, knowledge and understanding which you are able to draw upon as you manoeuvre your way through these exams and into the next phase of your life.
Don’t lose sight of the goals which you had pre-COVID and ‘be the best you can be in everything you do every day, and you can do it’. Every year we see our top-performing students completing past papers, self-assessing against examiners reports, and accessing their teachers for feedback and revising key concepts. Take the time to think about your strategy, and share it with your peers, teachers and family so they may support you.
At this time, we would also like to acknowledge your teachers from 2020 and 2021 for all that they have done during this challenging time. You are central to everything that they do in our school and know that you continue to be their priority.
We wish you all the best as you move through this period.
Helen Koziaris, Anthony Katsianos, Mark Picone
Principal, Assistant Principal, Assistant Principal
School Review
Our School Review has commenced, and we have completed our Validation Day on 26 October. Our School Review is led by a panel that consists of an external Review Officer, our School Council President, 2 Principal Class members from other schools, DET Regional Office staff, and our Principal team. This is common practice, and every school participates in a review every four years. The review will evaluate the College’s growth and improvement since our last review in 2017. Over the Review days, the panel will examine documentation and evidence (including school data) and run focus groups with staff, students and parents and carers.
On Validation Day (first day of the review) the Terms of Reference (TOR) were developed in the areas of Achievement, Wellbeing and Engagement. The TOR are questions posed by the panel which require a more detailed investigation and analysis on the fieldwork and final review days. The TOR are as follows:
Wellbeing: How effectively does the school meet student wellbeing needs?
Achievement: To what extent do teachers use assessment data to provide point-of-need learning?
Engagement: To what extent is student agency evident in student learning?
Fieldwork Day 1 will be held on Wednesday 3 November, with the Final Panel scheduled for Thursday 4 November.
Mental Health Practitioner
We are pleased to introduce to you our Mental Health Practitioner, Martine Potter, who commenced with us on 16 October. This role is funded by the Department of Education. The Mental Health Practitioner provides an additional resource to the school’s existing Wellbeing Team and is involved with:
• contributing to whole-school approaches to mental health prevention and promotion
• provision of direct counselling support to students and other early intervention services
• coordination of supports for students with more complex needs.
Congratulations to Martine and we look forward to her valuable contribution to the Wellbeing Team and the school community.
Helen Koziaris
College Principal
