South Oakleigh College

Wellness Starts With Connection

There was something pretty special about breakfast at South Oakleigh College this morning.

As part of Wellness Week, our regular Thursday Breakfast Club was brought forward to today, giving students and staff the opportunity to start the day together over breakfast, conversation and a few laughs.

Because wellbeing is about so much more than simply responding when someone needs help. It is about connection, belonging, relationships and creating a school environment where people feel seen, supported and valued.

That philosophy is reflected in our newly built Kenko Centre — a dedicated space that represents our commitment to the whole person and to building a culture of wellbeing across our school community. Kenko, the Japanese word for “health”, encompasses physical, mental and social wellbeing, while recognising the important role that family, relationships and community play in helping people thrive. (vrqa.vic.gov.au)

And sometimes, wellbeing can be as simple as sharing breakfast, sitting with a friend, having a conversation and knowing that you belong.

A wonderful way to start Wellness Week at South Oakleigh College.

Our students made the most of a Uniform Free Day at South Oakleigh College, bringing plenty of colour and personality to the school!

Meanwhile, our Year 10 cohort took part in our annual Barista Course, developing practical skills and gaining an insight into the world of hospitality.

The course takes students through the fundamentals of becoming a barista, from understanding coffee beans and grind size to learning how to operate an espresso machine safely and correctly. Students are taught how to dose and tamp coffee, extract the perfect espresso, steam and texture milk, and create popular café-style beverages.

Students then put their new skills into practice, learning about consistency, presentation, customer service and the importance of working efficiently in a café environment.

It is a fantastic hands-on learning experience that combines practical skills, teamwork and employability — while giving students the opportunity to discover whether hospitality could be a pathway for them in the future.

Well done to our Year 10 students for getting involved and embracing the experience!

SOC Science News
Term 3 is traditionally at South Oakleigh College is a very busy and exciting term for the Science Department, with a number of excursions, special programs and important practical activities taking place. It is also a particularly important term for our Year 12 students, who are currently completing the final areas of study in their Science subjects and beginning their preparation and revision for the upcoming VCE examinations. We wish all of our Year 12 Science students the very best as they approach the final stages of their VCE studies.

Our Year 7 students have been exploring Ecosystems and Classification, developing their understanding of how living things are organised and how they interact with their environments. A highlight for some classes has been creating their own ‘ecosystem in a bottle’, allowing students to apply their learning in a hands-on and creative way. Later this term, students will begin their next topic on Forces.

Our Year 8 students have been learning about body systems, developing their understanding of how the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems work together to keep the body functioning. This topic will culminate in one of the highlights of the Year 8 Science course: the heart dissection, which will take place over the next few weeks.

Our Year 9 students will spend the term exploring different human body systems. They have begun by studying the nervous system, including how the brain and nervous system coordinate and control the body. Students will then move on to learning about the immune system before exploring how ethical principles can be used to guide decision-making in science and healthcare.

Robotics club
This term at Robotics club, we have been continuing to build on the programming and construction skills from last semester. This semester we have introduced a series of increasingly difficult challenges to give teams a clear goal to aim for. We still have space for new members if anyone is interested, no experience required. If you are interested please send Mr Presland a message on teams

Science Club
This term at Science Club, we have had a lot of fun completing a range of exciting practicals and demonstrations. Students have had the opportunity to explore science beyond the classroom through hands-on activities each Friday in the DLC.
We started off the term with the elephant’s toothpaste practical, where students observed a rapid chemical reaction that produced a huge amount of foam. Students also took part in brain dissections, giving them the opportunity to examine the structures of the brain and see how they relate to its different functions. During our flame tests, students investigated how different metal ions produce distinctive colours when heated in a flame. We also explored air pressure with the crushing cans experiment, where students watched cans dramatically collapse as changes in temperature and pressure created an imbalance in forces.

Monash Tech School – Superhabitats
Over Weeks 5 and 6, all Year 7 students will have the opportunity to spend two days at Monash Tech School participating in the Superhabitats program.
Superhabitats challenges students to investigate how technology and sustainable practices can be used to protect the environment. Throughout the program, students will use design thinking, robotics and ARCKIT physical and digital prototyping to design ecological and resilient habitats.
The program will build on what students have been learning in Science this term, while also providing them with the opportunity to develop their design-thinking skills and experience a range of new and emerging technologies.

VCE Biology Excursions
Early in term, two classes of VCE unit 3/4 biology students went to the city to engage in a program run by the University of Melbourne to provide them the opportunity to engage in science experiments relating to Unit 4 biology. The first experiment allowed students to investigate changing attributes of Drosophila flies over the course of multiple generations, namely their wings. By counting and measuring frequency of wing variations, students were able to determine which type of wings were being selected for by the flies.The second experiment involved students conducting an indirect ELISA test, which involves testing for the presence of influenza antigens in a sample. Students were able to utilize scientific equipment including micro-pipettes to transfer samples and indicator solutions to demonstrate a blue colour change if a sample presented for antibodies.

This excursion was another great opportunity for students in our VCE science cohorts to engage with real life applications of what they learn in the classroom, and I am excited for them to have more opportunities to apply their learning in all subjects to better understand how they could proceed beyond their learning.

On Saturday 15 August, two of our teams, The Everlasting STEM Cells and Sky Nova. competed in the STEM Challenge at the Tournament of the Minds at Deakin University.

Both teams represented South Oakleigh College with enthusiasm, creativity and a strong commitment to teamwork. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and the way they embraced the challenges.

A special thank you to Ms Suwara and Mrs Heppel for supporting and preparing our students throughout the competition.

Well done to both teams!

See the latest issue of Oak News here

Oak News - Newsletter, End of Term 2 Edition, June 26, 2026 copy Beginning Term 3 : - Explore Your Future – Open Days in August! Thinking about what you want to do after school? August is packed with Open Days and Open Nights — a great chance to explore your options, check out campuses, meet staff and students, and find out what courses are on offer. Don’t ...

Congratulations to South Oakleigh College student Jessie P on her outstanding performances at Eisteddfod by the Bay.

Last Saturday, Jessie competed in Section 30 (13–14 years, Song from a Musical Production – Solo) and was awarded third place for Sing Happy.

Then on the Sunday, she performed in Section 36 (13–18 years, Song by an Australian Composer – Vocal Solo) and received second prize for The Bouquet.

We are incredibly proud of Jessie’s achievements, particularly as this was her first time performing as a soloist. Her dedication, talent and growing confidence are truly inspiring.

We also acknowledge the wonderful guidance and encouragement Jessie has received throughout her vocal lessons, along with her involvement in the South Oakleigh College Music Instrumental Program. These opportunities have played an important role in developing her skills, confidence and love of music.

Congratulations, Jessie. An outstanding achievement!

On Wednesday, we were delighted to welcome Channel 7 weather presenter and meteorologist Jane Bunn to South Oakleigh College as part of the Edrolo Science curriculum.

Jane shared her knowledge and passion for weather and science with our students, providing a fantastic opportunity to connect classroom learning with the world around us.

Be sure to watch Channel 7 News this evening and keep an eye out for the Herald Sun tomorrow as we celebrate Jane’s visit and, most importantly, showcase the wonderful things happening at South Oakleigh College.

We are incredibly proud to share our College community with Melbourne and the whole of Victoria.