URStrong

The URStrong Friendship Program is taught to all Reception to Year 6 students at Hackham East Primary School. It is one way that we target our Site Improvement Plan’s wellbeing goal, which is to ensure that our learners feel safe, included, and valued.  By providing access to support, experiences, teaching, and resources, we are building our students' resilience and social-emotional skills. Last term we purchased posters in the yard to support and remind students of the tools and strategies they have been taught.

Understanding the Friend-o-meter

A key component of the URStrong program is the "Friend-o-meter," a simple yet effective tool that helps children assess the health of their friendships. The Friend-o-meter encourages students to reflect on their interactions by asking questions like:

• Does this friendship make me feel good about myself?
• Do we have fun together and support each other?
• Can we resolve conflicts respectfully?

By using the Friend-o-meter, children learn to evaluate their friendships and make informed decisions about who they spend time with. It empowers them to seek out positive relationships and address any issues that may arise, promoting a sense of self-awareness and responsibility. Many students have already used the signs during play times.

Me and Izzy did the Friend-o-meter and worked out where we were with our friends - Ava

We talked about what types of friendships we have - Izzy

I am trying to make friends at the moment and I’m using the friend-o-metre to see how I can stay friends with people - Zalia

I used the friend-o-metre to see what my friend and I can do to stay friends - Sienna

I used the friend-o-metre to see if Seth and I should stay friends and we should - Matty

When I am fighting with my friends I look at the posters and I fix the problem -Manreet

I used the poster to try to solve a friendship fire with a friend - Charlotte

My friends and I had a friendship fire and with Mrs Mawson’s help we sorted it out - Hannah

When I was fighting with my cousin, we read the posters and it helped - Layla