Student Leadership
Dear Saltwater Community,
What a term it has been with our student leaders! From celebrating community events to strengthening student voice, there has been so much to be proud of.
This term, one of our Junior School Council members, Jack Rush, shared his idea to support Daffodil Day. With the support of our Saltwater community, Jack’s initiative raised an incredible $1,092.65 for cancer research, a powerful reminder of the impact one student’s voice can make.
Our student-led clubs have also continued to thrive, with activities running every day and on every timetable. From arts and crafts, to sports, to mindfulness and games, these clubs have given students opportunities to pursue their passions, develop leadership skills, and connect with peers across year levels.
Timetable desgined by Dylan ZHOU and Zoe Sheat.
On top of this, our leaders have worked hard to bring new initiatives to life, including the House Point system, leading school tours for new students, and preparing for the upcoming Year 6 Exhibition. Their enthusiasm and commitment to making a difference has been inspiring.
HOUSE POINT SYSTEM
We have rolled out a new House Point system with tokens that connect to our school-wide Positive Behaviour Matrix, highlighting our core values of Caring, Risk-Taker, and Principled. Please see our House Captains share their excitement.
Our House Captains voiced that they needed a platform to communicate with their houses, so we have now installed noticeboards for each house colour. These will be run by our students to provide updates and reminders about house points, ensuring all students feel included and informed.
Our House Point system has already been a huge success within our school community. House Captains Evanna and Penny gathered feedback from our teachers, and here is what they shared:
Mr Vella – 5G “The house point system is clear, easy to use, the kids enjoy it, and they are becoming more proud to represent their houses.”
Kayla – Prep I “House Points are clear and tangible, which makes it easy for preps. Students are encouraging each other and asking who is receiving points or suggesting who should get points!”
Ms Palombi – 5E “The House Points system is a daily process in 5E. We use them every day in afternoon circle to recognise all the fantastic things the students are doing. We love them!”
Mr Peterson – 6A “The House Point system is a great way to support house spirit and ensure students are following the PYP attributes.”
Ms Niven – 6H “The House Point system is clear (literally!) and easy to use to encourage and acknowledge students when they do something great! Students seem to be really happy when they receive a token for displaying one of the learner attributes.”
Evanna and Penny - Freeman House Captains
NEW SCHOOL TOURS
Recently, I (Eloisa Sierra-Perez) and my fellow JSC member, (Sidharth Venkatakrishnan), led a school tour for a new Year 6 student. We greeted our new peer and guided them through the school, making sure to include all the important resources around the campus. We then took them to their new class to meet their teacher and continued with the rest of the tour.
We believe we handled the tour perfectly and that everything went smoothly and according to plan. We also had Ms Grenfell alongside us, but we took full responsibility the entire time. Overall, we both enjoyed the experience and hope to do something similar in the future.
Eloisa Sierra-Perez
I am Sid and I am writing about my recent experience in co-guiding a school tour. Another JSC member and I showed a new Year 6 student around the school, pointing out places such as the sickbay, IT, bike locker, and gym. We gave detailed information at each place, including who was allowed there, what it is used for, and why someone might need it.
This was my first school tour, and I enjoyed it. A tip I have for future student school tour leaders is to make sure you are confident. If you are asked a question, don’t stutter—take a few seconds to plan your sentence if you need to. There is nothing wrong with that. Thank you for reading this, and have a great day.
Sid, 6G
EXHIBITION EXCITEMENT
In Year 6, students have been working on a big project since the start of Term 3: the PYP Exhibition. We have been working very hard and are really excited to showcase what we have been preparing next term.
Exhibition is a project Year 6 students complete every year. As an International Baccalaureate school, we learn through Units of Inquiry. Normally, there are six Transdisciplinary Themes with six Central Ideas each year (except in Prep). However, in Exhibition we create our own unit of inquiry.
We choose our Transdisciplinary Theme, form groups, agree on our Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry, and then begin our research. After completing research, we create our action piece, which becomes our booth. This is the stage we are currently on, and we are almost finished.
We hope you come to Exhibition Night on
Thursday, 16th October (Term 4)!
Arush Borse, 6C
What is an Exhibition?
Every year, Grade Six students create their own Unit of Inquiry. They carefully choose a topic in groups and design a presentation. This can be digital, physical, or written work. Students from other year levels are invited to see what we have created and provide feedback.
Ameyaa Joshi Year 5
& Agambir Singh Year 1