Macquarie Anglican Grammar School

Head of Junior School – Mrs Keera Job

Friendships play a significant role in our children’s overall wellbeing, academic success and emotional growth.

Through strong friendships children develop essential social skills, empathy and a sense of belonging. Our students have been learning and focusing on building friendships in our Second Step lessons this term. Following are the key skills and concepts we’ve been learning - we invite you to also help promote friendship skills at home:

Empathy: Help your child understand and appreciate the feelings and perspectives of others. Encourage them to consider how their actions and words can impact their friends.

Communication: Encourage your children to express their feelings, thoughts and needs clearly and respectfully. Talk about the importance of active listening and effective communication in building and maintaining friendships.

Problem-Solving: Help your child develop problem-solving abilities by encouraging them to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts. Teach them techniques such as compromise, negotiation and understanding different perspectives.

Inclusion and Kindness: Discuss the importance of including others, reaching out to new friends and being kind to everyone. Encourage your child to stand up against exclusion and bullying to promote a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Digital Citizens: Discuss responsible online behaviour with your child. Remind them to use social media and digital platforms responsibly and kindly to promote positive interactions and to report cyberbullying to a trusted adult. Encourage them to be an upstander to this behaviour, not a bystander.

By fostering friendship skills in our children, we can help them develop meaningful relationships that contribute to their overall happiness and success and create a supportive community where our students feel connected and valued.