Better Buddies
St Francis has introduced its first official buddy program, Better Buddies. The Alannah & Madeline Foundation's Better Buddies Framework is an initiative designed to create a friendly and caring school community where bullying is reduced.
Through Better Buddies, children in their first year of school are buddied up with older students and learn the values: caring for others, friendliness, respect, valuing difference, including others and responsibility.
The students learn these values through formal and informal activities, including their interactions with the mascot Buddy Bear, our giant, fun-loving and caring purple bear.
Better Buddies enables younger children to feel safe and cared for while older children feel valued and respected.
Last week, students in Years 5 and 6 met with their Kindergarten buddies for the first time. This meeting was based around the students getting to know each other, with the older students having prepared a question cube for the younger kids. Kindergarten students had a reading book to share with their buddies.
All students were highly engaged in the activities, learning lots of new information along the way. It was a great first start to what will be a fantastic opportunity for all students involved.
Mr Tim Stibbard
Stage 3 Coordinator