At St Therese Catholic Primary School Padstow we greatly value student voice. We encourage children to be engaged and motivated learners who take ownership of their learning with the support and feedback of teachers. We endeavour to empower children to be agents of change, not only for themselves but for all people in the school community.
There are many leadership positions made available to children with a particular focus on the Catholic Social Teachings. As part of their learning, students at St Therese are offered the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. Students from all grades are invited to nominate themselves to represent their class as a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC). The students vote for two representatives in each class who meet regularly to plan fun ways to involve the student body in the life of the school. At the end of each year, students from Kindergarten to Year 6 vote for the students who will lead the school the following year as School Captains, Vice Captains. Years 4, 5 and 6 vote for Sport Captains.
Formal student leadership bodies at St Therese are:
- School Captains (2 students)
- Vice Captains (2 students)
- House Team Captains (2 students per House Team)
- Year 6 Student Leaders (year 6 students)
- Student Representative Council: Semester 1, years 1–5 (2 students per grade) Semester 2, year K–5 (2 students per grade)
The activities that the SRC has organised in recent years have included talent quests, spelling bees, art competitions and mufti days.
Buddy Program
Prior to beginning Kindergarten the following year, students are welcomed to our school through a transition program in Term 4. During this program, the Kindergarten student meets the Year 5 student who will be their buddy during their first two years of school. The Year 5 students work hard to ensure that their buddies feel safe and settled at school and regularly join them for lunch.
Social Justice
Initiatives in social justice have been the focus of the SRC in recent years. A variety of projects were undertaken by these children to collect funds to support Project Compassion, Catholic Mission, Charitable Works Fund and the St Vincent de Paul Society.
A student led group, the Mini-Justice Crew, began the process of implementing social justice and charitable works initiatives within the school community in 2011 and continues to work tirelessly for St Vincent de Paul and other charitable works.