Monday was Odd Socks Day – we raised £143.12 for the Anti-Bulling Alliance. Also on Monday, we met Bart. Bart was born with a disability and doctors told his parents he would never walk. Bart proved the doctors wrong. Not only did he learn to walk, he also learnt to swim, ride a bike and play the piano and the drums. Bart reminded us all that “even difficult things are possible.” An important message, which we will remember.
On Tuesday, we met Greig from The School of Kindness. He led a workshop where he introduced us to some children who had been helped by the charity 52Lives. He then asked our children to think of others less fortunate than themselves and encourage hope by spreading kindness (which they did by making notes and cards to be sent to refugees). We will remember Greig for reminding us that kindness means being: friendly, considerate and generous.
We are very proud to have received the following feedback from him after his visit-
‘I had the most wonderful time at your school and was utterly inspired by the children, the staff and the school’s focus on well-being. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your school. I cannot begin to express how impressed and inspired I was from my visit to Westfield. As a well-being educator and character education consultant I know all too well of the importance of looking after our body and minds. The staff at Westfield are not only educating their pupils about the importance of well-being but more importantly, they are modelling it. There is as much emphasis on staff well-being as there is on the well-being of pupils and this is vital in helping create a culture of physical and mental well-being.
It is essential that we look after both ourselves and each other and in my six years of working in schools this has never been more evident than what I witnessed at Westfield Primary School. A truly incredible school led by a head teacher who fully understands what it takes to not only help children survive in this ever changing world but thrive. Please keep up the wonderful work that you do. Mrs Stace, I hope you are sharing your vision and practices. The education system and indeed the world has never needed this more. ‘
Greig Trout – Founder of 101 Things To Do When You Survive (www.whenyousurvive.com) and Director of Kindness at 52 Lives. www.52-lives.org
On Wednesday, we watched The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly, which was produced by the charity The Diana Award. The assembly reminded our children to get adult help if they think you are being bullied. The Diana Award trained our anti-bullying ambassadors in the summer term of 2021. The anti-bullying ambassadors do such an amazing job at our school, helping our children get the support of an adult if they need it.
On Thursday, the book “What were you thinking?” travelled from class to class. The book has an important message about impulse control and reminds us that we should: stop, think and ask ourselves whether we are making a situation better or worse, before we say or do anything. This is particularly important in the context of kindness. Afterwards, we wrote positive messages to children in another class, thinking about the theme of anti-bullying week: One Kind Word.
On Friday, School council organised, ‘Wear something spotty’ in support of raising money for Children in Need. Thank you to all of the children and parents who supported this event and helped us raise £152.10.