In the Junior School, we aim to nurture girls who will become compassionate, healthy and optimistic global citizens. One of the many ways we support this development is through our student-led focus weeks.

This week, we have celebrated Friendship Week, beginning with Chapel led by Rev Clayton Moss, Ms Elisabeth Wise and Mrs Ashleigh Burge. During the service, our girls heard that God’s relationship with us provides the model for true friendship, one of unconditional love, forgiveness and faithful care for others. Throughout the week, teachers have reinforced these values during Pastoral Time, helping girls understand how to put God’s love into action in their daily interactions.

Leading up to Friendship Week, our Prefects, guided by Mrs Nikki Bowden, met weekly to develop creative and engaging initiatives for the girls. They created videos that address scenarios they have navigated throughout their time in the Junior School. Drawing from their experiences, they explored ways to forgive each other, accept differences, help one another and include everyone. The Prefect team presented the videos to all classes and posed thought-provoking questions to the students.

Like any important skill, building friendships requires practise, patience, and the understanding that we will all make mistakes. To help the girls develop these important social and emotional skills, our teachers thoughtfully integrate these teachings into every day, from playground interactions to structured PDH lessons. Through this guidance, girls learn to navigate friendship challenges, recognising the difference between minor arguments they can resolve themselves and situations where they should seek help from an adult.

Parents might like to consider the following as they support their daughters to navigate the complexities of friendships:

• Listening without trying to solve every friendship challenge
• Acknowledging your daughter’s feelings while helping her develop her own solutions
• Encouraging her to notice and include others
• Helping her understand that different friendship group sizes are healthy and normal

Thank you to Mrs Bowden and our Prefect team for their thoughtful leadership. It has been encouraging to see our girls implementing some of the strategies they have focused on this week.