LEADERSHIP AT ST ANDREW'S COLLEGE
RATIONALE BEHIND CHANGES as of 2009:
• Better alignment of House prefects with school-wide portfolio responsibilities.
• Improved accountability of House prefects as school leaders
• Facilitates the forming of real working portfolio committees, based on house-based portfolio committees working under a school portfolio prefect.
• Take positives from old prefect system (House prefects running the houses) and new portfolio system (individuals with passion leading a school portfolio).
• HOH and DHOH also allocated specific roles
• Maintain guidance from teachers
• New portfolios – House Spirit ( functions, braais, dinners, games & competitions, House Suppers, Christmas Dinners, birthdays, support etc. While this is House-focused, there are benefits in a school committee for this portfolio.)
-- Environmental Issues (broadening of the Outdoor Portfolio)
• Merging certain portfolios to make them more meaningful.
STRUCTURE:
Head of House:
(Discipline / House Spirit allocated to HOD / DHOH)
Deputy Head of House
Prefect Portfolios Academic:
Student Affairs
Chapel
Sport & Recreation
Culture & Ceremonies
Marketing
Community engagement
Environmental Issues
Day Boy
MECHANICS:
1. Pupils vote online for Head Prefect, Deputy Head Prefect and six College prefects.
2. Pupils vote online for a School Portfolio Prefect in the following eight portfolios: Academic, Pastoral Care, Chapel, Sport & Recreation, Culture & Ceremonies, Marketing, Community Engagement, and Environmental Issues.
3. Pupils vote online for Head of House, Deputy Head of House and House Prefects, using different portfolio structures as guidance for which House Prefects might best suit the portfolios, in addition to running the House.
4. Boys apply / nominate for the School Portfolios and the House Prefectship.
5. For the School Portolio Prefects, there is an interview process with Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and Teachers i/c.
6. For the House Prefects, there is an interview process with the Housemaster and Deputy Housemaster, bearing in mind both House and Portfolio responsibilities.
7. All Prefects are appointed by the Headmaster, after discussion of the ballot and interview results in the Housemasters’ Committee. School Portfolio Prefects are also House Prefects.
8. Housemasters and prefects meet and allocate portfolio roles. Certain portfolios might be allocated to non prefects.
9. Prefects form their own House portfolio committees – essential to include as many of the grades as possible.
10. Different portfolio committees meet regularly with School Portfolio Prefect – possibly every second week (Sunday night when School Prefects meet)
11. Staff members in charge of portfolios facilitate the process and make sure all the Houses are aligned in their understanding of policies and work closely with School Portfolio Prefect.
12. The School Portfolio Prefects Committee meets twice a term with the Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster, and portfolio teachers-in-charge.
13. The College Prefects meet weekly with the Headmaster.
Summary: What’s changed?
1. The IT portfolio has been merged into the Academic portfolio.
2. The Dayboy portfolio has been merged into the Pastoral Care portfolio.
3. The Outdoor Education portfolio has been more broadly defined as Environmental Issues.
4. House prefects are allocated school portfolio responsibilities, and they are members of the portfolio committee under the leadership of the school portfolio prefect.
5. House prefects, as part of their portfolio responsibility, set up House committees of pupils, preferably across the grades.
6. The Head Prefect is assumed to be the Discipline portfolio prefect, and so there is no separate appointment in this portfolio.
7. The Head of House is assumed to be a member of the Discipline portfolio committee.
8. The Deputy Head of House is assumed to have a portfolio responsibility for House Spirit. While this is primarily a House responsibility, there is a school-wide House Spirit portfolio committee, chaired by one of the Deputy Heads of House, who is elected by that committee.
PREFECT PORTFOLIOS
ACADEMIC PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The Academic Prefect reports to the Deputy Headmaster in his capacity as Director of Studies. The Prefect and the Deputy Headmaster meet on a fortnightly basis. Issues to be addressed in the portfolio include:
• the operation of the timetable and the school week
• academic planning and administration – both for the term and the year
• the quality of teaching and learning
• the monitoring of pupils with learning difficulties
• the monitoring of pupils who are put on academic detention
• ICT and the Library in teaching and learning
CHAPEL PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The holder of this portfolio must be a Christian who has a desire to see the Chapel as central to the well-being of every Andrean. This person will form a committee on which every house is represented. This committee will meet with the Chaplain on a regular basis to discuss spiritual matters pertaining to the school. This will include brainstorming ways to make the chapel/ chaplaincy more relevant to the students, what to do with funds collected, the DLC meetings, sacristan duties, prayer meetings, and discipline in the chapel etc.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The person who applies for this position should have the following qualities:
• Leadership
• Imagination
• Ability to organize
• Ability to delegate
• Good administration skills
• Good time management skills
• Willingness to serve others
The position will require you to:
1. Head the President’s Award committee
This will involve:
a. Arranging regular meetings throughout the term
b. Put together agenda’s for the meetings
c. Chair the meetings
d. Oversee the planning, preparation and organization of projects
e. Improve and sustain the profile of the President’s Award
f. Mobilize and communicate with the committee
2. Liaise with the Community Engagement Director
This will involve:
a. Meeting on a weekly basis
b. Writing reports of activities
3. Set Goals for the year
4. Represent the school when appropriate
5. Assist with the roll-out of Community Engagement activities in the school that do not fall under President’s Award
CULTURE AND CEREMONIES PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The Prefect in charge of Culture & Ceremonies should have an interest in the Arts and a broad knowledge of the cultural and ceremonial calendar of the school, as well as the allied Extra-Mural activities. He should also have organizational ability and vision for creating meaningful experiences for the Andrean family.
His function is primarily to liaise with the Teacher-in-Charge, and assist with the design and execution of Cultural and Ceremonial moments in the life of the school, including theatrical productions, exhibitions, concerts, Youth Day, Founder’s Day Service, the John Axe Arts Programme, Speech Day and Chapel Services, where necessary.
MARKETING PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The holder of this portfolio will assist the Marketing Department with:
• visit’s from prospective pupils and parents.
• New Boys’ Day, Open Day and Balloon Week.
• local information evenings and expos.
• confirmation of assembly notices and assistance with the relevant photographs.
• gathering information and photographs of school events for the press, web sites and publications.
The incumbent should:
• have good interpersonal skills and be comfortable in adult company.
• be able to communicate well with younger boys.
• be able to address small groups of people with confidence.
• be willing to learn about news reporting, have an interest in photography and write well.
• be able to meet deadlines.
• be willing to learn about the special features and places of College.
• be able to assist in raising the profile of College through example.
• show initiate and enthusiasm in assisting the Marketing Department.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
This portfolio champions and addresses environmental issues at St Andrew’s College. Actions involve:
• promoting environmental awareness,
• organizing, implementing and monitoring recycling programs,
• encouraging energy and waste audits,
• linking community services to environmental action,
• and outdoor education planning.
STUDENT AFFAIRS PREFECT PORTFOLIO:
The holder of this portfolio will tackle important issues concerning spiritual, emotional and mental development in the school. The health, social and moral behaviour of the school as well as issues of care and bullying will need to be addressed. In addition the portfolio prefect will act as a link between all pupils and The Centre and will be required to take part in peer counselling course.
SPORT AND RECREATION PORTFOLIO:
The Portfolio Prefect responsible for Sport will serve as a link between the Director of Sport, the Games Committee Chairperson, the Teachers in Charge of Sport and the boys. In order to do this effectively, the Portfolio Prefect will be tasked with forming a Committee of boys which will assist him in this task. This Committee should have a Grade 11 as a Deputy and should be representative of all the grades. The Portfolio Prefect will chair this committee. The Director of Sport will be an ex officio member of the Committee. The purpose of the Sports portfolio would be to make a positive contribution to the ethos, co-ordination and development of sport at the College.
DAY BOY PREFECT PORTFOLIO
Missing Helen8th May 2012
"Missing Helen" will be St Andrew's College and DSG's Dance 2012 Production. Updates on the preparation and production will be posted here.
Ireland Debating Tour4th May 2012
13 College Debaters participated in the St Andrew's Ireland Model United Nations competition in Dublin.
