Students in Prep to Year 6 have been participating in URSTRONG ‘Friendology’ sessions as part of the Wellbeing curriculum. At St Paul’s we always ensure any program we use is well backed by current research. Friendology encourages students, teachers and parents to use the ‘Language of Friendship’ when learning how to resolve conflicts with friends and maintain healthy relationships. The child centered approach looks at equipping our children with strategies on how to best deal with ‘Friendship Fires’ and ‘Mean-on-Puropse’ situations. 

A ‘Friendship Fire’ is an issue or situation between you and a friend that results in negative feelings’.  Students from Years 3-6 also learn strategies for dealing with ‘Mean-on-Purpose’ situations. ‘Mean-On-Purpose’ replaces the term ‘Bullying’ which can often be misinterpreted. Students come up with a ‘QUICK NINJA COMEBACK’ to use when or if they find themselves in a ‘Mean-On-Purpose’ situation. 

All students have learnt to use a ‘Friend-o-meter’ when thinking about whether certain friendships are healthy or not. They also revise the ‘4 Friendship Facts’ regularly.

I hope this information can help you as parents when you find yourself trying to help your child/children navigate their friendships. The URSTRONG website has a number of excellent resources for parents when you sign up for a free membership. https://urstrong.com/parents/  

Katrina Gardiner

Wellbeing Leader