Oak News

Leading Teachers Report 

Leading Teacher: Junior School Report

To the South Oakleigh College community, our Junior School students have hit Term 4 with great enthusiasm. The finish line for 2022 is in sight but there are still a lot of school events ahead of us. 

 

Our Year 7 students have been fortunate enough to spend two days at Monash Tech School located within the grounds of Monash University in Clayton where they partook in a program of STEM through Space and designed a spacesuit to meet specific human needs for diverse situations. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

 

It’s been great to see our Year 7 and 8 students representing our College in sporting competitions with particular mention going to Sophie Volpert (Year 7) and Will Amiatu (Year 8). They made it all the way to the State Championships for athletics. An amazing achievement!

 

With the end of the academic year fast approaching it’s an opportune time to discuss with your child how they are tracking with the submission of learning tasks for their subjects and preparation for the upcoming exams. The exam period begins on Friday 11th November and runs for one week, with all Year 7 and 8 students undertaking exams in English, Maths, Science and Humanities. Preparation for exams is an important skill to learn and practice so we encourage all students to take these exams seriously and ensure they achieve the best possible results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Tzimourtas

Leading Teacher: Junior School

Leading Teacher: Middle School Report

Middle School Exam Advice

All Year 9 and 10 students are commencing exams on Friday 11th of November. In preparation for their exams, we encourage all students to revise their work and develop their study routines. They should be encouraged to set goals prior to each study session and complete practice questions. 

 

Students should look for a quiet study space that will help them to maximise their concentration and study. We ask them to ensure they are well-rested and have adequate sleep the night before exams. Lastly, we encourage all students to reach out to their teachers if they need any assistance. 

 

Year 9 City Experience

Despite the rain, our Year 9’s spent last week trekking into the CBD as part of our City Experience program. The purpose of the program was to challenge students’ personal and social capabilities, as they learned to navigate the city over the 3 days. 

 

Perhaps the highlight for student managers and teaching staff was the way that our students conducted themselves throughout the 3 days. It was really impressive to see the students tackling the challenges with enthusiasm while being responsible and respectful. Well done Year 9’s! 

I would like to thank our Camps coordinator, Mr Jason Knee, for developing such an impressive schedule as well as our Year 9 coordinator, Mrs Stav Kantzas, for her help in preparing the camp. Thank you to all the staff who gave up their time to join the Year 9 City Camp.

 

City Camp articles from students:

Year 9 Student - Natalie Pateras

Last week all of the year 9s went on a city excursion for a 3-day city adventure. One of the activities was an escape room, where we had to get into groups of six and challenge each other to escape the room. The two teams had to compete with each other to finish the challenge within the time limit without the other team catching them. Members of each team worked together to think of possible solutions to open locks and solve puzzles.  Fortunately, my team managed to escape the room with 1 minute left and we accomplished this by working together.

Year 9 Student - Phoebe Dedman

There were so many activities I loved! Out of all the activities, I think I enjoyed the aquarium the most, but the escape rooms, the amazing race and the sky deck are strong contenders for my favourites too. 

Being able to have independence in the city was something new I hadn't experienced before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travis Knox

Leading Teacher: Middle School

Leading Teacher: Senior School Report

We have reached the conclusion of 13 long years of study for our Year 12s. They are now two weeks into the month-long examination season. With our final students sitting exams on the last day – the 18th of November. 

 

Shortly our year 11s will begin their exams. Year 11s should treat this as an opportunity to reflect on their study habits and exam revision skills as in exactly 12 months they too will be sitting exams as our year 12s are. 

 

Valedictory Dinner

Early in this term, we farewelled our year 12s at the valedictory dinner. Despite the flooding rain our year 12s and families were able to enjoy their graduation and a light-hearted trip down memory lane. 

 

The college congratulates Esther Walker for receiving the valedictorian award for 2022. Her achievements are reflective of the talent and skill of our students. 

The photos from the event can be accessed from this link: 2022 Valedictory Dinner

 

Year 12 Study Retreat 

Once headstart commences the Year 11s become our new year 12s. The college holds a study retreat during the first week of a headstart to prepare our students for the challenges of year 12. 

 

This retreat is a highlight for the students, balancing academic skills, and goal setting with traditional camp fun such as giant swing. The retreat is open to all students returning for the 2023 academic year and must be paid for by the 11.11.22 

 

Advice for the Year 11 Exams 

The Age has published a series of articles to support VCE students over the examination period. Listed here is advice applicable to all exams, not just Year 12.  

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/vce-study-guide-20220915-p5bi9s.html 

  • Don’t try to cram. Draw up a realistic timetable that takes all your subjects into account. Try studying in 20-minute chunks, allow time for exercise and relaxation, and make sure you get enough sleep. 
  • Work in a study group, check each other’s answers and discuss ideas.
  • Try the “traffic-light” method: highlight things you know in green, yellow for “unsure” and red for “no idea”, so you know where to focus your study 
  • Take a deep breath and use your reading time effectively. Some students plan during this time, while others use it to answer multiple-choice questions in their heads.
  • If you are stuck on a question, mark it, move on to the next and come back to it at the end.
  • Keep track of the time during the exam. Calculate how long you have to answer each question and try to do as many as possible.

VTAC Important Dates 

VCE Results and ATAR advice will be available from 7:00 AM, Monday 12 December 2022. 

 

The college is not responsible for releasing your ATAR. 

 

To view your results online, log on to resultsandatar.vic.edu.au using the instructions provided there. 

 

Note: The Results and ATAR service login details are different from your VTAC ID and PIN. You will need your student number, the number used to create your VTAC account and used as ID on the exams. 

 

If you do not know your student number please contact the college.  

 

If you have not yet registered for results and atar you are able to do so here: https://resultsandatar.vic.edu.au/results/an/students/register.htm 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace Terdich

Leading Teacher: Senior School