A diverse array of activities and experiences is essential for your child’s scholastic development. When it comes to providing an unrivalled co-curricular program, St Leonard’s College, in Bayside’s Brighton East, Melbourne, ticks all 10 boxes.
1. Social skills and relationship building
Exploring a wide range of co-curricular activities develops your child’s interpersonal skills and enhances their ability to work within a team dynamic, providing them with new and varied scenarios to explore their capacity to communicate and support others.
At St Leonard’s College, your child has access to over 30 different sports to explore, including athletics, Australian rules football, badminton, basketball, cheer sports, cricket, cross country, futsal, golf, gymnastics, hockey, karate, kayaking, lifesaving, mountain biking, netball, running club, sailing, snow sports, soccer, softball, sofcrosse, sport aerobics, swimming, table tennis, tennis, touch rugby and volleyball. In years 5 and 6, students compete in a range of sports in Coeducational Independent Primary Schools Sports Association and South Yarra District Sports Association competitions. Students in years 7 to 12 represent the College in the Association of Coeducational Schools (ACS).
2. Resilience
Developing your child’s capacity to overcome difficulties and bounce back after challenges so they can thrive is essential to an education for life. Experiential learning through outdoor education is an ideal way to develop such abilities. A renowned leader in this space, St Leonard’s College celebrates 50 years of outdoor education in 2022. The College has a permanent campsite on the Banksia Peninsula, Camp Ibis, which provides the perfect setting for students to participate in water sports, orienteering and initiative challenges. St Leonard’s also offers adventure camps, mountain bike camps, snow sports camps, fitness camps, and hiking camps, in addition to the Duke of Edinburgh Award youth development program.
3. Discover and develop talents and passions
Your child’s education should ignite their inner spark, uncovering their talents and interests and inspiring them to reach their full potential. From activities in sport to music and the performing arts, St Leonard’s also offers a variety of clubs such as Chess Club, Debating Club, Digi STEM Hub (coding, eSports and robotics), Writers Workshops, Public Speaking and House Activities.
4. Leadership
Developing your child’s ability to lead others enhances their communication and listening skills, and refines their ability to motivate others towards a common goal. It builds their capacity to contribute to society in a positive manner. St Leonard’s College offers your child many leadership opportunities including College, House, Performing Arts, Sport, Peer Support, Social Justice, College activities and event leadership roles.
5. Concentration
When your child spends time actively participating in an activity that they are passionate about, it helps to improve their brain function and ability to focus. Regular sport provides mental and physical health benefits whilst mastering a musical instrument builds concentration skills. The highly acclaimed St Leonard’s music program offers the opportunity to play in three bands, seven orchestras, nine choirs, three guitar ensembles, six jazz groups, six chamber music groups and international music tours.
6. Time management
Participating in co-curricular activities teaches your child to prioritise and manage their time efficiently across varied commitments. It fosters student agency as they learn to take personal responsibility and accountability. St Leonard’s offers before and after school activities, and all ACS sport takes place during the week, leaving weekends free for students and families to pursue other activities.
7. Initiative and social responsibility
The ability to act independently and enthusiastically, particularly to instigate social change or positive environmental outcomes, are invaluable traits for your child to develop. At St Leonard’s, students are able to participate in Model United Nations, Indigenous Awareness Group, House Social Action, and The Amiel Society, which covers a range of local, national and international social justice initiatives. The College also runs its own food van service, Lennie’s Van, for Senior School students to participate in, supporting those who are disadvantaged in the local community.
8. Creativity and curiosity
Creativity and curiosity are critical skills for the modern world. In addition to all of the clubs at St Leonard’s, the College also offers visual art exhibitions and competitions, film and animation photography, ceramics, portraiture, costume making, makeup/hair crew, stage crew and tech crew. The St Leonard’s College Hart Theatre Company stages five productions per annum, including musicals and plays. The company has established a reputation for creating productions of the highest calibre, winning numerous Victorian Theatre Guild awards and being showered with an array of nominations from the Musical Theatre Guild of Australia.
9. Self-esteem and wellbeing
When your child experiences success outside of the classroom, it can significantly improve their self-
esteem and wellbeing. This confidence can flow through to their academic studies, enhancing their self-belief and allowing them to adopt a more self- assured and contented approach to their school work.
10. Academic achievement
A brilliant co-curricular program, such as St Leonard’s, develops your child’s confidence to actively engage in their learning. It fosters their ability to think creatively, concentrate, collaborate, effectively manage their time, and take responsibility for their academic tasks. St Leonard’s College provides a range of academic extension programs
to support educational outcomes, such as science competitions, the Da Vinci Decathlon, Future Problem Solving, and study tours of South-East Asia and Indigenous Communities of Australia.
It is through the diverse programs and brilliant teachers at St Leonard’s College, that your child will be nurtured to believe in their own ability to succeed. As a consequence, they will thrive academically, socially, physically and spiritually.
St Leonard’s College welcomes enrolment waitlist applications for places in Junior School (ELC, prep and Years 1 to 4), Years 5 and 7, 10 and 11. Limited places are also available in other year levels as they arise.
To learn more about St Leonard’s College or to book a College tour visit www.stleonards.vic.edu.au