Leaders in the Making
Our Year 6 students with formal leadership roles dedicated the last day of their holidays to learn that leadership is not about being in charge but about selflessly and confidently motivating others.
The Junior School classroom was buzzing as our Head of Junior School, Ms Justine Lind, led the girls on a journey through the principles of outstanding leadership, inspiring them with the stories of impactful figures, including Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, Maya Angelou, Barak Obama, and Jacinda Ardern.
The students quickly absorbed insights from modern leaders such as Mother Theresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But all of us can do small things with love.” Ms Lind explained that solid leadership skills would allow them to make a meaningful difference each day to enrich the experience of all Junior School students. These skills will empower future leadership influence, whether they are leading a team, a community, or simply their own families.
The importance of relationship building and ‘leadership essentials’ such as vision, values, valour, and vitality, were also a focus. The students received guidance on developing the skill of introspection by critically evaluating their actions and learning ways to examine a topic from all angles. "Hope and optimism are also important," Ms Lind stressed, encouraging the girls to stay committed to achieving their goals.
"She also told us to think about the legacy we will leave behind and which strengths we each need to build," said Messiter House Captain Harriet. "Another good bit was when she asked us to choose a talisman that could help motivate us to become good leaders. I chose a lighthouse because it shines a light for others to follow and guides the way," said Hadley House Captain Sienna. "My talisman is the compass because it represents the direction we want to take," said Sport Captain Fleur.
The afternoon session was a chance to make inroads into the functions of their roles. ICT Captain Siena, was helping plan out the next day’s Junior School Assembly. Performing Arts Captains Grace and Annaliese, began dreaming up activities such as Fun Fridays to encourage the younger girls to put themselves forward for creative opportunities. Library Captains Ellen and Maddison, plotted activities for Book Week and ways to promote the Premier’s Reading Challenge while starting to gather content for their biannual library newsletters.
A diverse and enthusiastic group, many of the leaders took copious notes throughout the seminar and left brimming with enthusiasm to put their knowledge into practice.
Starting the year strong
Students in Kindergarten and Years 3, 5, 7, 11, and 12 got a head start on the year on Monday 30 January.
For new students in our intake years, especially Year 7, it was daunting but manageable, thanks to the support of our teachers and existing students. "Even though I have come from the Junior School, there's still a tonne that I don't know," said Abi (Year 7), who wants to focus on Water Polo as a co-curricular activity. She was helping the newly enrolled Claude (Year 7) adjust to 91黑料不打烊 life. "Debating and public speaking are areas I would like to pursue," Claude said.
"It's really different for us that there are no bells between classes and having multiple different teachers instead of one. I am excited about the new change,” said Alexandra, who is considering a bustling co-curricular schedule including Drama, Music, Creative Arts, Fencing and Basketball. She has already made a friend in Rose (Year 7), who wants to pursue sports of varying kinds during the coming years.