Wellbeing

International Friendship Day

Last Saturday was International Friendship Day. 

I spent the day with my best friend, my husband, Brian.

The day made me think, "Why do we choose the people we have to be our friends?"

If you are an adult, do you have a childhood or school friend with whom you are still best buddies?

If you are a child, what is it about your friends that makes the 'friendship?'

Asking children at school about the qualities of their friends, the overwhelming words that arose were:

• kind and understanding
• respectful
• fun
• listen and are trusting
• make me feel good about myself and accept me for who I am
• forgiving.

It's great to hear so many words to describe the qualities of friends that we can relate to our  HEART values - respect, acceptance, empathy, and trust. It is also fantastic to see 'friendship' in action on the playground and the classrooms, from welcoming a new student (and seeing the beaming smile on her face this week) to inviting younger kids to play a game of soccer on the oval when you are an older child. 

As you know, good, long-lasting friendships can be hard work. Kids learn early that their actions and attitudes can affect their friendships. They also learn that having a true friend is one of the most rewarding aspects of being human!  

I am sharing a couple of clips about friends. In Assembly this week, the children listened to a song called K.I.N.D. There's also a lovely story about friendship too.

So there is a special day dedicated to friendship! What do you think - is friendship day every day? 

One of the quotes I love in this short animated story about friendship below is:

"One of the most beautiful qualities of friendship is to understand and be understood."

Connie Drossaert

Wellbeing Leader