Trinity St Peter's Celebration of Kindness Week

Over the past two weeks, pupils and staff at Trinity St Peter’s have been raising money as part of their Celebration of Kindness Week. This week linked strongly to the school’s ‘Be Kind’ motto and encompassed several national events that took place this month, including: International Kindness Day, Anti-Bullying Week and Children in Need.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the build-up to Trinity St Peter’s Celebration of Kindness Week came in a surprise assembly on the Friday afternoon before the week’s proceedings began. The whole school gathered to watch their very own music video, starring the children themselves, their teachers and friends in the community! Senior Leader, Mr King stated, “The video reminds us to ‘be kind’ to ourselves...laugh more, worry less! It was a great way to begin our Celebration of Kindness Week and helped to build on all the work we do in school around mental health.” All the children rushed home that afternoon to watch the video again and share it with their friends and families. To watch the video, click the link below:

Another highlight of the build-up was children in each Key Stage 2 class being able to attend a Virtual Reality Anti-Bullying Workshop. This exciting workshop enabled pupils to enter a real-life situation - using their own Virtual Reality headsets - whilst learning about the background of the characters, their motivations and offering advice to reduce bullying. Jonathan from Year 6 commented, “It felt like you were really there and you just wanted to help the vulnerable child! It was a good idea to use the headsets and bring you into the experience!”

The music video and Anti-Bullying workshop then kickstarted a whole week’s worth of events across the school. On Monday, Years 3 and 4 took part in their own TSP Bake Off! They made cakes with their families over the weekend and brought them in to be judged by our own special judges, including the catering manager. The children then sold their cakes to parents and other children over two days, raising hundreds of pounds! Bake Off finalist, Theo Summers commented, “it was so fun! I loved making my burger style cake at home. I managed to sell all my cake and raise lots of money!”

Years 5 and 6 competed in their own triathlon during the week, raising hundreds of pounds through sponsorship money. Year 5 cycled throughout the day in class, while Year 6 swam hundreds of lengths of a swimming pool. The two year groups then came together to run a mile of the school field. Lower down the school, Years 1 and 2 participated in a ‘Bring a Bear’ Day! They were encouraged to nurture their bear throughout the school day and participated in a range of lessons – such as PSHE, English and Maths - while involving their bear at all times. Finally, in Reception and Nursery, pupils attended a very special ‘Pudsey Picnic’ on Friday, enjoying lots of snacks and playing lots of fun games! Through parent donations towards the event, they were able to raise a lot of money too!

Throughout the week, the children had lessons in class and workshops altogether which focused on various aspects of anti-bullying, kindness and the work Children In Need does. The week concluded with all the children coming together and releasing balloons of the school colours into the sky. Each balloon contained messages relating to what they had learned this week, thus symbolising how their school values can spread kindness and eradicate negativity. The children and staff then gathered in the hall where they reflected on the week and performed ‘Sing’ by Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band. It was a very emotional experience – made apparent by the number of staff in tears!

It was a truly amazing week at Trinity St Peter’s. By the end of the week, the children had a raised a staggering total of £1436.30 for Children In Need. This was a fantastic achievement for a one-form entry school and reflected all the hard work put in by children, parents and staff.