URSTONG: Empowering Friendships at RPCS

Written by Mrs Lydia Alfonso, Yr 4 Teacher

In Primary, we have launched a program called ‘URSTRONG’ and are learning about how to be a friendship ninja (aka a good friend).

Before we can be a good friend and love others, we need to first love ourselves. Through the program, students are reminded that they are special and made in the image of God. God has given us each our own strengths, so that we can be kind and compassionate towards ourselves and others.

We started from the basics: how to make friends!

It’s very normal to feel a bit awkward sometimes when we first meet someone new or start at a new school (especially in kindergarten!). We practised how to introduce ourselves, start and continue a conversation and be a magnet (act and speak in a way that attracts others).

Then, we learned that friendships are awesome but they can also be tricky sometimes. We learned 4 important friendship facts:

No friendship is perfect
Every friendship is different
Trust and Respect are the two most important qualities of a friendship
Friendships change… and that’s okay!

It is normal to feel annoyed or have disagreements when you spend a lot of time with someone. This is called a ‘friendship fire.’ We can put out a friendship fire by ‘talking it out’ and showing forgiveness. This helps us grow closer and stronger friendships.

Sadly, we can experience ‘mean, on purpose’ behaviours. When this happens, we use a quick comeback – ‘STOP’, walk away and report it to a teacher. We use the ‘friend-o-meter’ to help us reflect on whether a friendship is healthy or unhealthy. We can’t control others, but we can control ourselves and choose to use our skills to be a friendship ninja.

We are so proud of our students for working hard to be a good friend.

If you are not yet a ‘URSTRONG family,’ we’d like to encourage you to sign up for free. It is so important that we encourage our children to be kind and strong!