We want to train leaders
who serve and care for others
At RJ, students are encouraged to show leadership through acts of kindness and service, reflecting a Christian ethos. This feature is readily embraced and exemplified by the students at our Oakhurst Campus and is to be replicated at our Marsden Park Campus:
"A lot of leaders at the School have shown me what it means to serve with or without a leadership title. This is what I want to leave behind as a legacy; to serve not because you are told to but because you want to."Mr Benjamin Cantre, 2016 School Captain
Whilst RJ actively encourages students to serve and lead others without the "title", there are some formal roles that directly benefit the School community.
Camp/Trip/Sleepover Student Leaders
The School deliberately involves Secondary students in Primary activities as much as possible to build the RJ community spirit and assist the Primary students when they transition to Secondary as they will already know some friendly faces. With this in mind, as the Campus grows Year 8, 9 and 10 students will be able to apply for leadership positions at the various Primary Camps, Trips and Sleepovers.
Year 10 students will apply early in the year to be a Student Leader on the Year 6 Canberra Trip. Interviews will result in a select number chosen to travel to Canberra and assist the teachers.
Similarly, Year 9 students will be able to apply to be a Student Leader on the Year 5 Camp in Term 1. Again, a select number will be chosen to participate.
During Term 3, the Year 4 Pyjamarama Sleepover will be held at the Campus and a select number of students will be chosen to be Student Leaders.
The School endeavours to give as many students as possible the chance of being involved in these leadership opportunities. On occasion, it is difficult to determine selections due to the high quality of applicants, so please be understanding of this when your child applies.
Secondary Student Forum
The Forum members will be chosen early every year. Each class from each Secondary Year Group will select a Student Leader to represent them at the Secondary Student Forum. The Forum will meet regularly and be led initially by the Oakhurst Campus Vice Captains, until the Marsden Park Campus has its own Year 12 cohort.
Sometimes the Primary Student Forum and the Secondary Student Form will meet together when matters which affect the whole School are discussed. At other times the Forums meet separately to deal with matters relevant to each of the Primary and Secondary sections.
Captaincy & House Leaders
As the Campus grows, Year 11 students will have opportunities during the year to show their organisational skills and initiative by arranging House Meetings and Sports Competitions. Halfway through Term 3, they will be able to apply for the Captaincy roles, after which interviews will be held with members of the School Executive. The two new School Captains, two Vice-Captains and four House Captains are announced on the last day of Term 3 as the Year 12 cohort concludes their time at RJ.
Early in Term 4, the other Year 10 and 11 students will be eligible to apply for the roles of House Leader. Students and teachers from each House vote for their House Leaders and a Vice-Captain and three House Leaders are chosen accordingly.
Year 11 students will also be invited in Term 3 to consider applying for the role of Chapel Captains, Performing Arts Captains, Service Learning Captains and Sports Captains.
Buddy Program
Once the Campus has its Year 12 cohort, its Year 12 students will enjoy engaging with our Primary students through our meaningful Buddy program. This program includes visiting a specific class in Primary during some extended Home Group periods and study periods throughout the year. Our younger students will love getting to know their buddies and benefit greatly from this special friendship.
General Award System
The School has a comprehensive Award System that runs across both Primary and Secondary. It culminates in a Principal's Award, and where this has been achieved four times, the student is awarded a School Plaque on Presentation Night and recorded on the Honours Board. Awards may be carried over from year to year.
The various components are as follows:
Tokens - Awarded in the classroom, playground or during a School activity for good conduct/behaviour. Each Token is worth one point in the House System.
Commendation - Awarded in the classroom (Secondary only) for subject achievement or improvement. Each Commendation is worth two points in the House System.
Service Credit - Awarded by the School Executive and Faculty Leaders for a special contribution of time and effort to the life of the School. Each Service Credit is worth two points in the House System.
Special Award - Presented in the classroom when a student has accumulated ten Tokens.
Merit Certificate - Awarded at a weekly Assembly for significant academic achievement/ improvement or when a Secondary student has accumulated five Commendations. Each Merit Certificate for a Secondary student is worth ten House points.
School Service Award - Awarded at an Assembly when a student has accumulated five Service Credits. Also, this Award can be presented at the discretion of the Principal.
Principal's Award - Presented at an Assembly when a student has accumulated twelve Special Awards or six Merit Certificates or three School Service Awards or a suitable combination of these categories, as determined by the Principal. Also, this Award can be presented at the Principal's discretion and aside from eligibility via the other Award categories.
School Plaque - Awarded at Presentation Night to a student who has achieved four Principal’s Awards.
It doesn't matter what colour you are, what size, how smart, what your talents are—you can do anything—that is my goal for all of you.
