The Value of Kindness

As part of our school commitment to supporting students' mental health and wellbeing, 8 staff members attended the Berry Street Education Model training. One area that we explored was values and strengths.

Values are enduring beliefs and attitudes that guide everyday behaviours, both big and small. Exploring values is an important source of self-knowledge and awareness.

Character strengths are defined as positive traits that influence thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Exploring values and character strengths together is valuable because it helps students to develop awareness of who they want to be (values) and how they want to act (strengths).

ARPS recently celebrated World Kindness Day which was a wonderful opportunity for students to share what the value of kindness means to them.

Here are some student and staff reflections:

Foundation:

Andrew – You need to be nice to people. It means you are sharing stuff; you’re playing with them, and you take turns.

Mey Fong – Kindness means when you share stuff and when you be nice. When a friend asks to play with you, you say yes. Doing things that other people will like.

Miss Walton – You can show kindness everyday by doing small little things. Kindness to me means caring for others and doing things to better their lives and your own. You can do these things at school which can make someone smile and be the highlight of their day. 12 simple and easy ways you can show kindness are:

Listen to a friend.
Write someone a kind message.
Invite someone to play with you.
Forgive someone for a mistake.
Let someone else go first.
Give someone a high-five or a smile.
Work with someone new.
Help clean up.
Help someone who is having a hard day.
Hold the door open for others.
Spend time with a friend.
Say please and thank you.

Year1/2:

Sophia – I show kindness by being a friendship ninja.

Jenjera – I show kindness by playing with someone if they don’t have anyone to play with.

Jessie – I show kindness by helping my community.

Michael H – I show kindness by being respectful to others.

Mrs Sketchley – Kindness is when you always lend a helping hand.

Year 3/4:

Hawa - You feel comfortable around other people. They are people who you can trust.

Rebecca C - Kindness is when you have good friends, who take care of you when you’re hurt.

Alice - You have a lot of good and kind friends. They are friendships where they have fun with each other and treat each other with respect.

Mary-Grace and Ruksana - Being respectful, using kind words and letting everyone join in on all our games.

Miss Halliwell: Kindness is being friendly, generous, and considerate. Kindness goes beyond merely being nice. It’s about showing respect to everyone, being selfless, caring, and compassionate. Kindness is all about making sure everyone feels included and welcomed.

Year 5/6:

Delita - I feel happy to come to school because my friends and teacher listen to me and give me a voice.

Sophia - Kindness means someone making me feel welcome, comforting me and understanding when I’m sad.

Mrs Hastings - Kindness is when we are treated with respect, our thoughts and opinions are valued and people accept us for who we are. This helps us feel like we belong to the group and we become more invested in the people around us.

ARPS Melbourne Cup Celebration Day