Supporting Healthy Friendships Through URSTRONG
Our URSTRONG program is well underway in the Junior School now. So far this term our students have looked at the following:
Inner Ninja
A focus on self-compassion where students have been taught how to manage uncomfortable feelings, put things into perspective and ease their worries.
Making Friends
Students have looked at 4 strategies for making new friends including the art of conversation to move from strangers to friends.
Friendship Facts
Students see the ‘truths’ of friendships so they have realistic expectations in their friendships and explore respect vs disrespect and the importance of being kind-on-purpose.
Friend-O-Meter
Students reflected on how they feel in a moment with a friend using the friend-o-meter and identify ‘must have’ qualities in a healthy, feel-good friendship.
Friendship Fires
Students learn step-by-step how to resolve conflict with a friend and how to respond to both a positive and negative reaction. They also got to practise how to give a genuine apology.
Mean on Purpose
Students explored how to respond to behaviour that is intentionally cruel, rude or mean with a ‘quick comeback’. They saw the difference between a Friendship Fire and Mean-On-Purpose.
Tricky Situations
Students looked at ‘hot topics’ for their age and how to navigate tricky situations that can cause friendship fires.
Kind + Strong
This section will be completed by the end of the term but it ties all the other sections together and the key topics are all reviewed. Students have been working on a project and this will be shared with their class.
If you would like to read further about the program and how you as parents can help support your children and speak the same language we are using at the College, follow the link below:
Maybe listening to a podcast might be easier for you to fit into your week either on your way to or from work or as you make your way around the gym or walk the dog. Here is a link to a podcast from the URSTRONG creator Dana Kerford.
God bless,
Mr Luke Przydacz
Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing
