This week was ‘Cool 2B Kind’ week at Orley Farm School – in support of Anti-Bullying Week 2019, with the theme ‘Change Starts With Us’.
So what is ‘Change Starts With Us’?
The Anti-Bullying Alliance worked with over 1,000 children to come up with this theme. The idea being that by making small, simple changes, we can break the cycle of bullying to create a safer environment for everyone. Change could start with a conversation, by checking in with a friend, teacher or adult or by working together as part of a team.
At Orley Farm, we aim to live out our school values and it is important for us to show kindness as part of everyday life and not just for one week of the year!
Throughout this week we have held a number of events to celebrate the importance of being kind!
On Monday, our pupils took part in a moving Remembrance Day Service where the Headmaster reflected on how important it was to show love and kindness to everyone around you – especially on such an important day when we remember all the heroes that lost their lives to make ours better. Many of those heroes once attended Orley Farm School.
Within our registration groups and PSHE lessons we have held discussions and watched videos to help us develop a better understanding of friendship and bullying issues.
As part of our vertical mentoring session we had our ‘Save the Egg’ activity where the children wrapped their egg in card and tape to protect it from a fall! The egg was symbolising ‘us’ and the card and tape reflected the layers of support, help and protection we need in everyday life. Mr McAllister could be found running around the building, with some of our children, trying to find the highest point in school from which to drop the eggs – most of them survived (as did all the children!)
On Wednesday, some of our children delivered the most stunning assembly to middle and upper school with a key message being kindness. Whilst this was going on, Pre-Prep were singing about how ‘We’re Growing’ and having discussions about the Orley Farm umbrella of support.
Don’t forget ‘Odd Sock’ Day, which was launched as an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique!
This has been a tremendously busy week and, as always, our children have thrown themselves into every activity and have been the real ‘stars of the show’.