On Monday 26th June, our Primary School Captains participated in a Leadership Day led by Mrs Jo Woolley. The students met in the School’s Boardroom and were treated to a variety of hands-on activities that were both informative and inspiring.
The day commenced with an activity that focussed on developing the skills of team building, co-operation, leadership and synergy of teams.
They were then treated to a session titled ‘Your Future – Anything is Possible’.
Russell Potapinski, Head of Cognitive Science & Robotics together with Alison Barnes, Senior Consultant Cognitive Science & Robotics, at Woodside gave an interactive presentation detailing their work history as engineers. They explained how the jobs that they are doing now didn’t exist when they were at school. Their key messages were:
- keep an open mind and a hunger for learning;
- work hard, take risks, put yourself out there – make it happen;
- anything is possible!
Interestingly, Russell and Alison shared a little of their experience at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre where they worked with the Robonaut.
Another team activity ‘Tower Building’ followed enabling the students to experience first-hand how their leadership style impacts the performance of the team.
A presentation by the Mayor of the City of Wanneroo, Mrs Tracy Roberts, titled ‘Making a Difference‘ was next on the agenda. After a brief presentation, the students were assigned some of the real issues in the City of Wanneroo. They then brainstormed options to resolve these issues, and presented their recommendations to the Mayor.
After a delicious lunch prepared by the wonderful Café staff it was time for some reflection and goal setting.
The final session for the day was about ‘Confidence and Determination’ and was run by Zlatan Jovanov, Owner of Premier Martial Arts, and also a 6th Dan Master Black Belt.
This session was all about building leadership from within, building self-confidence, maintaining respect for self and others, and being focused and determined. The day concluded with a ‘board breaking’ session, in which each of our Primary School leaders realised that they can do anything if they really want to, but they need to stay focussed on their goal.
The day was a huge success and I would like to sincerely thank Mrs Jo Woolley for organising such an amazing day for our students. Jo volunteered her time to plan and implement this day for our students because she is passionate about leadership and about giving back to the community.
The students and staff are extremely thankful and I am confident that they will carry the lessons learned with them.
Nicole Brown
Deputy Associate Principal, Primary