Principal's Report 

Term 3: 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. 

End of Term 3

As we move towards the end of a disrupted term, we look forward to Term 4 and the hope that it will bring us back together in some form.  

At this time I would like to congratulate all students for their fantastic participation and involvement in Term 3 mentor challenges and activities, and acknowledge the work of House Leaders and Mentors. We have been fortunate to celebrate these on the different platforms our Instagram, Facebook and our Weekly updates.  

Let us also take the opportunity to celebrate our students’ success in the recently released NAPLAN results: our Year 7 students’ confidence in numeracy was apparent with 45% of our students scoring in the top two bands in the numeracy test (compared with 33% in similar schools and 33% in the state). In writing, 34% of our Year 7 students were in the top two bands (compared to 22% in similar schools and 18% in the state). In reading, 32% of our Year 7 students scored in the top two bands in the reading test (compared to 30% in similar schools and 28% in the state. As always, we look at the NAPLAN results of our students as valuable data in relation to our teaching and their learning, while also recognising that there are so many aspects of student learning, wellbeing, and engagement at school that are not captured by the NAPLAN tests.

Another source of data is the feedback from students in the Attitudes to School survey results. According to our students, our teachers at South Oakleigh College have high expectations for them (86%), give extra help when needed (74%), give feedback on the learning (78%), and believe in students’ capacity to learn (86%). Yet there are areas we are keen to strengthen further, such as teachers motivating students to think (71%) – we know that there is little learning without thinking, so this will be an important area to continue exploring with staff and students at SOC.

While we have had several activities cancelled or postponed, this has not deterred or disappointed us but, rather, has made us more determined to embrace opportunities to connect and share and we look forward to what the rest of the year may bring us. I am always inspired by the collaboration, resourcefulness and creativity that continues to characterise our student body and staff. We have continued to be grateful for what we have achieved, and what have been able to participate in, to celebrate and embrace our values. Once again, we have Demonstrated High Expectations, Respect, Responsibility, Resilience, Teamwork! We have worked together to ensure that the current lockdown has provided us with opportunities to share experiences, learn, and experience different things, while always keeping in mind the wellbeing of our students and their capacity to keep moving forward in their learning.

We have also continued to work on the school grounds in readiness for - hopefully - all students coming back on-site in Term 4.

The College Council earlier in the year approved new sails adjacent to the basketball courts. This work has now been completed. We look forward to our students using this cover as the summer comes and we can once again spend time together enjoying our school grounds and amenities.

The term break is now a time for our students to stop and reflect on the past term; to set personal and school goals related to areas for improvement in their studies for next term - and for our Year 12s to focus on the task ahead, knowing that ‘we will be there with you.’

We can’t change the situation we find ourselves in but what we can do is manage how we respond to it.   During the break, a selfcare routine is critical to push away the uncertainty and anxiety that embraced us all in the last 18 months. Allocate time for yourself to do the things that make you smile and that you enjoy.

Stay safe and, once again, I look forward to us all coming back together soon.

Helen Koziaris

College Principal