Year 7 Captains book 2019

Y ear 7 C aptains 2019

S omerset C ollege P ersonal S uccess | G lobal O utlook

L eading a L egacy – Y ear 7 C aptains

A word to the Captains from the Captains before...

Michael Guy and Katie O’Boyle As Year 7 Captains you have been chosen by your peers and teachers as the best people for the role. Throughout your time in this role you need to stay true to yourself as individuals and ensure that you are placing time, effort and commitment into the role and the demanding requirements. We hope that as leaders we have left a legacy which you can strive to achieve and improve upon each year. Continue to generate new and innovative ideas to make student life for the Year 7’s as enjoyable and memorable as possible!

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

W hat does your position entail ? As Year 7 Captains we are in charge of assisting the students in the first year of senior school as well as working with them to make the year as memorable as possible. Throughout the course of the year we’re able to work alongside Mrs Rowe to make their transition into Senior School as memorable and enjoyable as possible. We had the opportunity to attend camp at the beginning of the year which allowed us to get to know the students and engage in heaps of fun activities. We were also able to hold the inaugural swim day which all of the students loved and in addition to this, we ran a ping pong tournament. Throughout the year Mrs Rowe in collaboration with the Year 7 Captains organises pizza parties and many other fun events. In order to fulfil the role of Year 7 Captain, you need to be an extremely outgoing person who is willing to become involved in all of the activities as well as being an enthusiastic role model for the students. You also need to have a strong presence within the common room. During this year Michael and I have been able to get to know all of the Year 7 students and we are so grateful to have been able to spend time with them. If you’re interested in this role you need to be committed to becoming actively involved in the lives of the students as well as being passionate about the wellbeing and service associated with the role. F ive tips you give to your successors In order to follow in our footsteps and become the most amazing Year 7 captains on the planet you should: • Be enthusiastic.

• Listen to their problems; even though they might seem really trivial to you they are so important to them.

• Take time to talk to all different groups of the grade to help them to feel valued and special.

• Realise the role extends further than just the Year 7 Common Room. You will see the 7s around the school, during PC and (sometimes) during class!

• Just enjoy it! The Year 7s love having a senior who knows their name and someone who they can talk to in and around the school.

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

A s year 7 captains , you get an opportunity to be involved in : Throughout the year we/you in collaboration with Mrs Rowe will have to be involved and organise several events to ensure the Year 7s have the best first year of senior school ever! You make the role what you want but some activities occur every year: • Games Day – During the last week of school, the Year 6s (next year’s 7s) are involved in a games day where they meet with their PC tutors, play games that help to build House spirit and get to know the new students within their House. It is an important day as all new students coming into Year 7 attend, making it a valuable to time to get to know all of the new students and help them to fit in. • Orientation Day – This is during the last week of the Christmas Holidays and involves the Year 7 Captains getting involved with the new Year 7s and answering any questions they may have. As well, you will assist Mrs Rowe in sorting the lockers, common room and timetables. • Year 7 Camp – is an amazing opportunity for all of the leaders to come together and develop new relationships with the Year 7’s. During the day spent attending camp all of the leaders (but especially Year 7 Captains) were encouraged to become involved in all of the group activities as well as being provided the opportunity to perform a seniors’ dance routine (which was spectacular!!!) • Year 7/12 Activities – It is important to increase the interactions between the Year 7s and the Seniors. Especially after Year 7 Camp during the first couple of weeks, it allows the Year 7s to feel comfortable around the Seniors and allows them to get to know the leadership team in particular. This year we held a swim day where both the Year 7s and the Year 12s jumped into the pool, to enjoy a fun filled lunch time.

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

• Around the Year 7 Area – It is important that you have a strong presence around the Year 7 area. This includes visiting the students at lunch time to engage with them as well as ensuring that you are assisting Mrs Rowe with anything she needs. This portion of the leadership role is really important as it helps the Year 7’s to under- stand how passionate you are about your role as a leader and how eager you are to get to know each and every one of them.

L ooking B ack H ighlights of our C aptaincy

Michael Guy – the highlight of my captaincy this year was the Year 7 swim day. This was an amazing activity which Katie and I had the pleasure of planning and executing. Having already participated in Year 7 Camp our bonds with the students had grown along with their confidence around the seniors. We were able to plan this fun filled lunch time for the Year 7’s to spend quality time with the seniors and each other whilst enjoying games and activities. Katie O’Boyle – personally my favourite part of my journey as Year 7 captain was attending camp. Although we only attended the camp for one day, I found this provided me with quality time with all of the Year 7’s allowing me to get to know each and every one of them in a relaxed environment. During the camp we go to participate in loads of great activities which helped to form bonds between us, as well as creating lasting memories. The highlight of the camp was the dance party which all of the students enjoyed (including the seniors). *helpful tip: take a speaker to camp, you’ll be the new favourite!!!

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

U nexpected things that happened during our captaincy : Initially we thought that being a captain would be pretty straight forward, all we would have to is come up with an amazing and entertaining idea and it would go perfectly to plan. Within two days of being Year 7 Captains we found that this was not the case. Regardless of how many amazing ideas you have, without planning and organising these activities nothing will go to plan. It is so important to be prepared to dedicate time and effort to the behind the scenes work of these activities in order to succeed. M emorable moments with M rs R owe As Year 7 captains you get the opportunity to spend quality time with Mrs Rowe. Not only is she an amazing mentor but she makes it her mission to get to know you as captains. Within our first week as captains we got the opportunity to join Mrs Rowe on a wonderful coffee date to the Bird and Bush (note to self: you don’t have to have coffee) and continue to enjoy regular “dates” to discuss new ideas for the Year 7’s. The Year 7’s at Somerset can be best described as overly dramatic, spectacular, amusing, enthusiastic and extremely passionate. T hings we will miss most about our captaincy : Throughout our role as Year 7 Captains we have been granted endless amounts of opportunities to become involved with the students. However, I believe the thing we’ll miss most about our captaincy is the time we get to spend with the students; whether it’s at the House carnivals, camp, ping pong or even just having a chat. These memories will be cherished forever. Of course when taking on the role as Year 7 captain you have a completely different cohort of students however, regardless of the group, this role relies on the amount of time and effort you dedicate to it. O ur advice to you is …. To become involved in as many activities as possible and show how passionate you are as a leader by getting to know each and every student and making a concise effort to spend time doing a range of different activities. “You only get out what you put in. Don’t expect more until you do more.”

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

Y ear 7 C aptains 2019

Brock Hudson

Holly Clements

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

G oal S etting 2019

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

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Somerset College Year 7 Captains Handbook

S omerset C ollege P ersonal S uccess | G lobal O utlook Somerset College ABN 54 010 343 227 CRICOS Provider 00521G Address Somerset Drive, Mudgeeraba, Queensland 4213 Telephone 07 5559 7100 Facsimile 07 5559 7345 Email mail@somerset.qld.edu.au Website www.somerset.qld.edu.au