Student Leadership

A key feature of Eltham North Primary School’s success is the active involvement in students in the life of the school.

Student Leadership Opportunities

The school offers a diverse range of leadership opportunities for all students that includes joining leadership teams and participating in leadership programs:

School Captains
House Captains
Sports Captains
Junior School Council
Welfare

Environmental Leaders
Marketing / Photography Leaders
ICT Leaders
Library
Instrumental Leaders

School Captains

Student leaders. They are our role models.

Introducing our 2024 leaders

India B

Captain

Stevie S

Captain

George h

Captain

Chloe M

Captain

Learn about some of our past leaders

Young Leaders Program

Our school based 'Young Leaders' Program focusing on the skills, values and attitudes needed for effective student leadership.

This program aims to maximise students' leadership potential and effectiveness by focusing on the following leadership habits of the mind:

Speak Up
Step Up
Have a Go
Think Team
Show the Way

Through their participation students learn about:

public speaking
'what makes' a good leader
organisational and team skills
encouraging and problem solving

Our student leaders are our role models. As role models, our student leaders are to act with:

care and courtesy and reliability
be capable of doing the job
positive and enthusiastic
show empathy towards others and act as good friends would
use manners and basic good grace when dealing with other students and adults
treat others fairly, honesty and keep their dignity in tact

self discipline
show self control of your feelings and your actions
Students are given support on how to become a student leader and build the following attributes:
responsible, reliable and trustworthy
friendly and act like a good friend should
works well with others

As role models, our student leaders act with care and courtesy and reliability: show empathy towards others and act as good friends would; use manners and basic good grace when dealing with other students and adults; treat others fairly, honesty and keep their dignity in tact; show self discipline and control of their feelings and your actions. Students are given support on how to become a student leader and build the following attributes: responsibility, reliability and trustworthiness; they are friendly and act like a good friend should; they work well with others; are capable of doing the job; and are positive and enthusiastic.

House Captains

They are sports leaders who assist to organise their team, sports equipment and build positive team spirit, attitudes and efforts. We have two house captains and two vice each captains for each house. The house teams are purple, yellow, red, blue and green.

Wellbeing Leaders

They are leaders who assist Janine Tucker (our Wellbeing Coordinator) to organise special activities and events and build positive team spirit, attitudes and efforts. They support students and help them. Our coordinators are Lou M, Lily S, Levi H and Molly C.

Environmental Leaders

Two Environmental leaders are chosen from each class year 2 – 6 (16 classes x 2 = 32 children). These students work under the guidance of two class teachers an our Science teachers (Liz Kane and Gemma Twomey) . The Environmental team are involved in the following projects:

Propagating plants from around the school; developing the garden areas in our school grounds; expanding our butterfly garden (to attract the Eltham copper butterfly); painting murals with interested community members and professional artists; placing environmental tips in the school newsletter; participating in the Ecological Footprint survey to get some benchmark data for measuring environmental practices in the community; participating in propagating lessons with staff from Edendale Farm; creating a compost system for our garden beds and recycling; being environmental ‘experts’ and assisting class teachers in the greenhouse; being responsible for classroom recycling program.

Technology Leaders

We have four ICT tech leaders who problem solve our computer software needs for classroom. They sort out, fix and guide our teaches and students.

Photography Leaders

We select four students who have extra opportunities to take photographs around the school. Their goal is capture poignant moments in the life of the school.

Bell Monitors

Operate the assembly system and ensure it works during the school assembly.

Junior School Council

Our school has a vibrant and enthusiastic Junior School Council made up of 26 elected girl and boy representatives from each year 3 - 6 class.

We have 3 JSC coordinators for 2024.
They are Amelia S, Indi T and Lexie D
‍
The JSC meet regularly to discuss issues of importance to the children of our school including fund raising for social service. This year we have held a number of very successful ‘Out of Uniform days’ to raise money for the State Schools Relief Committee’s Winter Appeal and other community supporting appeals. Children in our JSC also learn about how meetings are conducted, discussing issues and the process of voting to make a collective decision. Members of our JSC wear a badge which informs everyone of the important role they hold in our school.

JSC Details

Two Junior School Councillors are elected from each Year 3 - 6 class. The School Captains also form part of the Junior School Council. The Junior School Council meets on a weekly basis at lunchtimes under the guidance of two classroom teachers. To equip our Junior School Councillors with the Leadership skills they need to fulfil their role effectively, these children also participate in a one hour weekly Leadership Skills program over ten weeks, taken by our school’s social worker. Some of the responsibilities of our Junior School Councillors include:

Presenting Student of the Week certificates at whole school assemblies

Representing Eltham North Primary School at special ceremonies (eg. Remembrance Day at Eltham RSL.)
Acting as Tour Guides for visitors to the school on important occasions such as Open Days / Evenings and school celebrations
Organising fund raising events to support various charities / special causes
Representing Eltham North Primary School at special ceremonies (eg. Remembrance Day at Eltham RSL.)
Consulting with children in own classrooms and reporting school-based concerns to the Junior School Council.
Planning for the improvement of school facilities (eg. new playground equipment)

Student Leadership Conference

Each year we hold a Student Leadership Conference off-site to students holding a leadership position in Years 3-6.

All students in years 3-6 who have a position of leadership – Junior School Councillors, School Captains, House / Vice-House Captains and Environment Leaders were given the opportunity to attend a Student Leadership Conference held at Edendale Farm. This was a whole day event during which students participated in a wide range of activities that cover the five building blocks of being an effective leader – Public Speaking, Responsibility, Organisation, Confidence and Teamwork. The aim of the conference was to provide students with skills to assist them to carry out their leadership duties successfully.

For our Year 5 students, it forms an excellent introduction to our Term 4 Student Leadership Induction Program (SLIP) program, a more intensive leadership program for those wishing to hold a leadership position in Year 6. We hold the conference off site as a special treat to our school leaders and find that students are very mature and enthusiastic participants, understanding the privileges of being an ENPS leader.

The agenda for the day includes leadership workshops facilitated by ENPS teachers who coordinate a range of leadership programs at our school and the school captains. All sessions are hands on and involve active participation from all students. There is a focus on team work and on trying new things, aiming to increase student confidence and self esteem. Mixed aged groupings are formed, again to challenge students to work as members of teams. Mixed aged groupings also provide opportunities for our older students, some who have held several leadership positions, to act as experienced role models. Introductory talks by our school-captains, reflect the pride our leaders have in their school and for their leadership positions. Each year students attended the conference in August.

Effective leaders need to possess the following attributes: team skills, confidence, public speaking skills, responsibility and organisation. We aim to develop these skills in all our children and we focus on these skills in leadership training.

Student Leadership Induction Program (SLIP)

This excellent program focuses on the five building blocks, confidence, public speaking, team skills, organisation and responsibility. All of these building blocks are equally important if you want to be a great leader and SLIP helps to enforce you in these aspects of leadership. The program is led by our year 5 teachers who help us in many ways with our leadership. SLIP also helps us with our leadership, therefore it makes sense that you have to do SLIP to if you want to be a School Captain, JSC Co-ordinator or Sporting House Captain. To get into SLIP you must hand in an application letter by the deadline. These letters are then viewed and decide whether or not you will participate in the SLIP program.