Empowered to Lead: Year 5 L.I.F.E. Conference

Year 5 marks a significant step in the Junior School years. Students move into positions of greater responsibility and influence, with an expectation of visible leadership across the community. The L.I.F.E. Conference has been designed to intentionally equip them for that role.

The Framework

Year 5 Team Leader Karen Gilligan describes the conference as the formal introduction to the Year 5 wellbeing program. L.I.F.E. stands for Leadership, Identity, Futures and Empowerment, and the framework sits alongside the Burgmann Keys to guide learning across the year. It is not a standalone event. The four pillars provide the foundation for classroom programs, units of inquiry and novel studies, ensuring the language and concepts continue well beyond the conference itself.

Leadership in Action

The conference opened with a celebration and the presentation of the inaugural Year 5 shirts. As the first cohort to receive them, students were encouraged to see the shirts as a symbol of pride, identity and shared leadership. Senior School Y9/10 Stage Coordinator Samantha Economos spoke about the significance of wearing a jersey with pride, drawing on her experience representing Australia. Her message centred on commitment, responsibility and representing something greater than yourself.

Delivered in partnership with Burn Bright, the Leadership day challenged students to reconsider traditional ideas of leadership. Rather than focusing on titles or status, students explored influence, decision making and the responsibility that comes with being the senior students of Junior School. Through collaborative challenges and practical problem solving, they reflected on how everyday actions shape the culture of a classroom and the experience of others.

Identity and Character

Identity is a significant focus in Year 5. Students are at an age where they are forming a clearer sense of who they are, what they value and how they relate to others. Through discussion, reflection and classroom activities, they explored the idea that identity is shaped not only by strengths and interests, but by choices, character and the way they contribute to community.

Understanding themselves provides the foundation for confident leadership and positive relationships. By naming their strengths and recognising areas for growth, students begin to take ownership of the kind of person they are becoming.

Future Focused

Alongside leadership and identity, students were encouraged to think intentionally about their Futures. Year 5 is a time to set goals, consider aspirations and recognise the connection between effort, character and opportunity. By reflecting on who they are now, students are better equipped to think about what comes next and the responsibilities that come with growing influence.

Empowered to Contribute

The final day turned the focus to Empowerment, with Principal Leonie Harwood addressing the cohort. Using a series of symbolic objects, a name badge, a superhero cape, a crown and an academic gown, she invited students to consider how power is often associated with status or position. Yet it was a well worn briefcase belonging to her great grandfather, a teacher who championed education for girls, that carried the most meaning. His story was a reminder that education can be transformative and that influence is often exercised quietly and purposefully.

Ms Harwood’s message was clear. Empowerment is not something handed to you through a badge or title. It already exists within you. Kindness, courage, curiosity and the ability to choose your actions are forms of power. Students were reminded that they have the capacity to make a difference in this school through inclusion, self control, initiative and care for others.

With camp approaching early in the term, students will soon have opportunities to put this shared language into practice. The L.I.F.E. Conference is more than a week of activities. It establishes a clear expectation for the year ahead, that leadership is lived daily, identity is shaped through action, futures are built through intention and empowerment begins with everyday choices.

Back