Year 6 Student Leadership Process

Expectations of Student Councillors and House Captains

Being chosen as a Student Councillor or as a House Captain is a real honour. It means that your teachers believe that you have the necessary personal qualities to be a Student Leader and that other students have agreed and voted for you. We expect our Student Leaders to be role models for the younger children. This means your actions will set a standard for others to follow. Student Leaders will:

Be willing to regularly give up some of their own time to perform their duties (this might include lunch and recess meetings and activities).
Take responsibility for any class work that has been missed (to be completed in their own time).
Wear the school uniform and their badge at all times.
Display our shared whole School Virtues (all of the time, no matter what).
Offer help before it’s asked for.
Deliver prepared speeches at assemblies and other functions
Be willing to speak in an impromptu manner (this means you might be asked to speak at a moment’s notice in situations like thanking visiting guests).

How Do You Get To Be A Student Councillor or House Captain?

The formal process for being selected as a student leader begins in the second semester of year five but, your demonstration of the Parkfield Virtues in the years previous is important in selection.

Student leaders are elected by a vote of both students and teachers. Not everyone will be invited to take part in the Student Leader election process. To be eligible to nominate for the Student Leader elections you must achieve the position of Peer Buddy before the election date (early term four).

Peer Buddies will be given jobs to perform at recess and lunch times (similar to our those done by our year six Student Leaders). This will help you to decide if student leadership is something you would like to do and it will give the teachers an opportunity to see how well you can perform your extra responsibilities. Your status as a peer buddy can be removed if you do not meet your responsibilities or if your behavior does not meet the standard expected of our Student Leaders.

The teachers nominate students as a Peer Buddy based on the following criteria:

The student shows a high level of RESPECT.
The student shows a high level of RESPONSIBILITY.
The student shows a high level of SERVICE.
The student shows a high level of INITIATIVE.
The student always acts in a manner that is CARING and SAFE.

Importantly students should display these qualities all of the time, no matter what. This means you should act in these ways everyday but during the year your teachers will organize some activities that will give an extra opportunity to display these qualities. These will include:

A special Leadership Day.
Buddy Class activities.
A special job at this year’s Junior Sports day.

The Elections

Those who qualify and wish to run for a Student Leadership role are required to plan and deliver a speech to all of the Year Fours and Fives who will then vote in an election to fill the roles.

STUDENT COUNCIL and HOUSE CAPTAIN SPEECHES

Some important points

Be well-prepared and practice – you will be nervous.
Have easy to scan palm cards but don’t read your speech.
Eye contact with the audience is important.
Posture is important – don’t slouch, lean or pace.
Don’t make any promises you can’t keep.

How to organize your speech?

Your speech should be about one minute in length

Introduction:
Introduce yourself to the audience (not everyone knows who you are!).
e.g. Good morning everyone, my name is John Howard. This year I’ve been in Mr. Smith’s Year 5 class, Room 31. This is my third year at Parkfield. Before this I spent my first 4 years at the Boyanup Primary School.

Main Points:
Explain why you think you would make a good student councillor.
Things you have done already are much more powerful than things that you promise you will do.
e.g. I believe I would make a good student councillor because I have shown myself to be honest and hard-working. During the past year I have played a number of sports, but my most enjoyable experience has been as captain of the U/12 football team. This experience as captain will help me to become a better leader at school.

Conclusion:
Finish your speech with a concluding statement….
e.g. In conclusion, I would like to say….
Finally, if you vote for me….

(Some) Duties of Student Leaders

Assist in the running of Junior and Senior Assemblies.
Plan fundraising activities.
Assist with the sports shed.
Assist with sporting events.
Organise lunch-time activities.
Help organise special days/activities.
Act as School Hosts for visitors.
Assist in the organisation of school discos.
Assist with playground duty.

Head Girl and Head Boy

The roles of Head Boy and Head Girl are important ones. These positions are selected by the teachers early in term one (usually after our year six camp). Teachers will make their selections based on how well Student Leaders have performed their duties. The Head Boy and Head Girl may be selected from either of our Leadership Groups (they could be a Councillor or a House Captain).