Getting Ready for Leadership

On the weekend of 28 and 29 October, the student leadership team travelled to Tallong to participate in a retreat that was simultaneously spiritual, instructive and administrative. Supported by our friends in the team and wonderful teachers, Mrs van der Meer, Ms Kempers, Ms Whiley, Mrs Graneiro, Sr Sheila and Ms Skerman, we discovered more about what we could expect from our upcoming leadership journey. 

Activities included being led blindfolded through Tallong grounds to teach us about communication and collaboration, creating a ‘Web of Trust’ connecting our individual skills, and a very enthusiastic and lively planning session where we shared our ideas for the year ahead. As a Prefect team, we have decided this year to focus on the theme of ‘Joy’, believing that the most important goal is making sure that every student and staff member at Santa feels appreciated and valued. We have planned heaps of fun and engaging initiatives to align with this, and we can’t wait to share them with you all in 2024. The House Captains developed plans for a Super House Cup, aiming to increase House spirit and participation through the introduction of lots of new activities. Hence, we decided that our joint theme for 2024 will be the Joy of Spirit. 

On the second day, we spent our morning in reflection, immersing ourselves in the beautiful environment of Tallong and reminding ourselves of the attributes we bring to the team. We had to choose five from a list of options, and Sr Sheila proudly informed us that not a single attribute had gone unmentioned. We are a diverse team of talented and passionate people, and the retreat was a great opportunity to grow closer as a group. We ate lots of great food courtesy of ‘Cheffrey’ and his team, and worked on Instagram posts (and our karaoke skills) as we were transported via bus, thanks to Mr Ayoub. 

It was a fantastic weekend and we have already implemented some of our initiatives, such as ‘Santa Season at Santa’ and various House activities. So many ideas were brought to light during our planning sessions, and we are ultimately incredibly grateful for this opportunity to bring joy to the Santa Community throughout our leadership experience. 

2023/24 Student Leadership Team