The Leader In Me

ASHLEE SCOTT

Student Leadership Coordinator – Junior School   

Leader In Me and Student Leadership 

It has been a pleasing start to Term 2, with lots of buzz in the air and hard work. At the beginning of each term, each class synergises to come up with a class WIG (Wildly Important Goal). This is a common goal for the whole class (or year level) to work together as a team to achieve by the end of term. Ask your child(ren) what their class WIG is for the term and how they, as an individual, are contributing to the successful achievement of that goal. 

Along with the class WIG, students develop their own academic and personal WIGs. These WIGs are based on an area that they recognise they need to work on. Students from Years 3 to 5 design their own templates and trackers for their WIGs, with Preps to Year 2s being supported in their template and tracker design. WIGs vary across the School from a Literacy or Numeracy focus to a sport or art emphasis. Check in with your child to see what they have identified as their growth areas this term. 

Our Habit foci for the start of this term are Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood and Habit 6: Synergise. Both of these habits lie within our Public Victories, developing our skills from being independent to interdependent. These habits require us to work with others and be more global thinkers, looking at the bigger picture.

Habit 5 is one even we, as adults, need to keep in check. Not assuming and projecting our own thoughts and experiences, but understanding what another person is thinking, feeling and seeing their perspective in situations. At times, we can all make assumptions and jump to conclusions, when, in fact, it is best to sit down and communicate with each other. 

Habit 6 is applied across the school on a daily basis. It is important to develop a student’s skills in working with others, recognising the common goal and being a team. If we all worked independently in a group task, the end result may never be achieved. Think of a team situation yourself – did you achieve the end goal? Did one person take over or did someone sit back and contribute very little to the project? Synergy is vital in a team in order for everyone to make a meaningful impact, the end result to be achieved and for each person to take away a learning experience. 

Finally, congratulations to Aaric (Prep), Maria (Year 1), Hunter (Year 2), Georgios (Year 3), Anastasia (Year 4), Cecilia (Year 4) and Ayden (Year 5) for their entries into the Leader In Me International Speech Competition. Your enthusiasm, ability to apply the Habits to complete the project and stick to very tight timelines was amazing! Your messages of positivity, looking after each other and the environment are inspiring. The winners will be announced in June.