Better Buddies Picnic

Creating a friendly and caring school community

Last Wednesday, St Carlo’s launched ‘Better Buddies 2024’, an initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, which helps students entering their first year of primary school to feel safe, valued and connected to the school community by pairing students of prep with an older buddy in grade six.

The Better Buddies Framework is designed to enhance the buddy systems in our school. It trains students to be buddies and is full of ideas for buddy activities focusing on social skills and values that benefit the younger and older buddies.

Better Buddies is designed to help reduce bullying and create friendly and caring school environments where younger students feel safe and cared for. 

The students come together for the official handing over of the Better Buddy bears. This is a gift from the grade six to each prep child. The prep students keep the bears at school so when they need a friend or feel sad they get to hug the bears.

The day concluded with the Better Buddies picnic in the evening allowing the prep parents to meet their child’s grade six buddy.

The Better Buddies Picnic was a great opportunity to catch up and meet other families. It was terrific to see so many families attend and everyone had a great time! The petting zoo and gelati van were very popular!