Leading Teachers Report 

Leading Teacher: Junior School Report

Dear South Oakleigh College community, 

It is hard to fathom that another year is coming to an end. For our Year 7 students, the completion of their first year of secondary school is an occasion to celebrate. I am so proud of the way all of our Year 7 and 8 students have integrated into our College community and become such valued members. The exams are now complete and reports are written. I encourage all parents and guardians to take the time to read these reports with their children and discuss their progress in all their learning areas. It is important we take time to reflect on the year and celebrate success. One of the highlights for 2022 has been the large number of students who are always willing to help at college events throughout the year. This sense of community spirit is one of the strengths of our school. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a joyous festive season and a happy and healthy 2023. 

Enjoy the holidays.

Orientation Day

On Tuesday 13th December we welcomed our 2023 Year 7 students to the College. Over 170 students partook in a range of activities designed to get them to know their new classmates. Our Peer Support students did a great job in leading the different groups throughout the day. We look forward to having these students with us next year as the newest members of our community.

Awards Ceremony

Our yearly awards ceremony is always a great event on our College calendar. Thursday 15th December saw many of our students recognised for their academic, artistic, musical and sporting achievements throughout 2023. It was amazing to see many of our Year 12 students receive subject awards as a testament to the magnificent results they received this year. Sophie Volpert of Year 7 also revealed the school production for next which will be Seussical the Musical!

George Tzimourtas

Leading Teacher: Junior School

Leading Teacher: Middle School Report

The end of 2022 sees our year 9 and 10 students successfully completing the year full of tremendous resilience. They have worked diligently to complete their studies and participated in camps, excursions, incursions and other extra-curricular activities to the best of their ability. Students undertook course selection this term, and I hope our year 10 students that are moving into VCE are excited to be undertaking this pathway as they continue their learning journey.  I wish all of these students the best of luck with their VCE studies, as well as other students that are exploring different pathways. 

I would also like to acknowledge our year 9’s who become leaders of our sub-school. Many of these students have recently undertaken peer-support training and will mentor our new year 7s. They will also lead the school in many other areas, including sports and academics, as they continue to mature into young adults. Congratulations on a wonderful year and I look forward to working with you throughout 2023. 

To this year’s Year 8’s. I would like to welcome you to the middle school. We look forward to a wonderful year, full of success and responsibility. I hope your transition into our sub-school with achievement and enthusiasm. I encourage you to work closely with our coordination and well-being teams in 2023. 

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our departing year 9 coordinator, Mrs Stav Kantzas. You have provided immense support for our students and I wish you the best of luck in your new role. I would like to thank our year 10 coordinator, Mr Arnie Ioannidis, for his hard work and dedication. Next year, we welcome Mrs Phyllis Dimakakos who will work as our year 9 coordinator in 2023, alongside Arnie as year 10 coordinator, and Mr Blake Cochrane, who will be our year 9 and 10 coordinators. 

The summer holidays are an opportunity to rest and recharge the batteries for 2023. Enjoy the break and we are excited for what 2023 brings! 

Travis Knox

Leading Teacher: Middle School

Leading Teacher: Senior School Report

To the School Community 

As the final days of this term are drawing to a close, I would like to acknowledge the efforts made by many of our students, staff and parents in the SOC community during the course of this year. The extraordinary commitment made by all our staff, teachers and support staff, means that we can continue to succeed and flourish as a learning community. 

I have enjoyed meeting many parents throughout the year at various events and working with you to provide the best possible learning outcomes for your child.  

We also enjoyed our inaugural VCE – VM Class. Mr Knee, Mr Blattman, Ms Marlbrough and I are busy planning the course and we look forward to sharing our projects with the school community. I can reveal our first project will be a kitchen garden ready to provide vegetables to the canteen and school community. 

To the Year 12 Students 

You have managed to achieve exceptional results and are a credit to yourselves and the school. We are so proud of your hard work and dedication throughout the years to your learning and the school. We welcome you to visit our school and share your pathways with us. 

To the Class of 2023 

The Students and Staff who attended the study retreat earlier this month deeply enjoyed our time. It was a fantastic time to reflect on our study habits, challenge our fears and build our independence. 

As we look to the future our school community is here to support students learning. We have supported our students through special provisions during VCE. Special provisions for 2023 will open when the College returns in 2023. If you feel as though you might benefit from the application of long-term provisions please contact Ms Grace Terdich in the new year. 

Grace Terdich

Leading Teacher: Senior School