From the 2022 Bayview School Captains: Respectfully Supporting Our Peers
Ava E and Aden R | 2022 Bayview School Captains | Grammar News | 12 August 2022
Respect is said to be a reflection of your character. Your character is the type of person you are and what you value. The level of respect you show to others, says a lot about you as a person and it leaves a lasting impression. Respect means a strong feeling of acceptance of somebody or something, even when they are different from you or you don’t agree with them.
Respect sounds like listening to others' stories, conversations or ideas. It sounds like asking for permission before using equipment, saying please and thank you, sharing compliments to one another and encouraging others to do their very best. Respect looks like showing good manners and eye contact, to show them you are engaging with them. It also looks like playing together nicely and using equipment thoughtfully. Respect is important because it shows that you care. Whenever a person is respected by someone else, that person feels important. Respect makes others feel safe, trusted, valued and special. Showing respect has a flow-on effect to others, which will help them show respect to others.
On Wednesday 3 August, Year 6 Bayview went to Pittwater Uniting Church Hall with Mrs Glen and Miss Willis to learn all about Peer Support Leader Training. The day had three sessions to help us understand what a good leader is. Our first session included reflecting on inspirational leadership quotes on what a good leader is. We had to pick one quote that spoke to us and explain why we related to this quote. This activity helped us unpack what qualities are important in leadership and made us think about the type of leader we want to be.
During our second session we were given materials to create a building. We were also given groups with different students. We had to learn to collaborate and communicate by sharing and listening to others' ideas and put those ideas into one final piece. This activity showed us how important it is to communicate, to collaborate with our team members and to help get the piece finished during the time limit. All of these skills we will need, as we start leading peer support groups.
For the final session, we looked at respect and explained what respect looks like, sounds like and feels like. During charades it helped us to learn the different words that could come up during our sessions such as listening, compassion, kind and showing humility. We finished off our session with practical learning of how to run a peer support group and what to do in different situations while running a peer support group.
This Semester, as Year 6 leads peer support sessions on respect for self, each other and our School, we hope that we can help our peers from other classes and year grades learn what respect means, what respect looks like, sounds like and feels like. We hope that we become a very respectful School as we carry on with the remainder of our year and forever. Showing these respectful qualities will shape our School more than ever - to be kinder, more caring and respectful.