September: StuCon Update
As Sha Tin College students, we’ve all heard of the joke about our school uniform triumphing the Student Council in terms of transparency; surely, they must do more than just print student cards and run elections. This 2017 Cabinet has decided that it’s about time we address this issue and give students accessible methods of staying informed about the Council’s progress by:
- Posting monthly infographics on the Sha Tin College Student Council Facebook Page
- Publishing monthly detailed updates onto the School Website
- Creating of an external webpage in liaison with ICT Student Kevin Do Cao for Council updates and other resources (eg. the suggestion box, agendas, contacts, minutes)
Through implementing the above actions, the Council will be able to create a stronger connection to the student body through increased transparency.
Since the commencement of the academic year, the Student Council has formed the 2 subcommittees with to focus on 2 major projects we are working on, with the first being the Student Learning Feedback System (“SLFS”) Subcommittee and second being Student Internship Programme (“SIP”) Subcommittee.
The SLFS subcommittee’s overall aim is to create a non-critical system, similar to ones already in place at other ESF Schools, which gives students a formal platform to have a say in the STC learning process and provides a resource for teachers to make learning more rewarding for all. Its primary goal at the moment is to finalise the mechanisms of such a system so it is suitable for our school, produce a document to summarise our proposal, then pitch it to the Senior Leadership Team by the end of October. After receiving approval from the SLT, it will then proceed to run a pilot programme to trial the system, identify further issues, make necessary adjustments, and implement it across the school. This system should be in place for Student use by mid-2018.
The SIP subcommittee wishes to establish a connection between middle, senior school students to parties outside of Sha Tin College (parents and alumni in particular) to increase job experience opportunities crucial for student’s interpersonal development and future ventures. The Council feels that it is often difficult for students to source such internships alone, and by forming this bridge to the outside world, the SIP subcommittee can improve our school’s ability to prepare students for their future. As of now, the subcommittee has communicated with Mr Campbell and the Higher Education department to discuss how this can be achieved. By the end of October, the committee will produce a plan of action and timeline to be shared with the student body.
Many students may also be aware of the upcoming UN Tolerance day, which coincides with the School Fair on November 18th. The Council has brought this to the Fair Committee’s attention and arranged accordingly for the Council to run a small stand near the General Office, allowing students to write short messages in support of others and celebrating the occasion. This ties in well with the Council’s ongoing goal of increasing the awareness of bullying on school grounds.
Of course, the Student Council has also been working on printing Student Cards for Year 7s, Year 10s, new students in other year groups, and those who have requested replacements for lost cards. Although the Council has experienced a delay in receiving student data and several technical difficulties, the manual printing system is now up and running. All Year 7 and Year 10 students will have receive their student cards by the first week back from half term. Students who have lost student cards should collect a lost/new student card form from the Whitehouse, fill it in, and pay the $50 replacement fee with their school octopus. Student Cards will be replaced within 2 weeks the submission of both form and payment.
Martha Chow, 12X1, on behalf of The Student Council