Choose kindness

MAI THATCHER | Springfield Marketing & Events Officer

With such a whirlwind start to the year, the students at St Peters Springfield have chosen to spread kindness across the College and community.

In Term 2, our Upper Primary students began their ‘Thriving Thursdays’. Students from Years 4 to 6 were given the opportunity during a double lesson every Thursday to undertake activities that tap into their passions and serve others.

A group of 15 students decided to create the ‘Kindness Crew’ as part of their Thriving Thursday initiative. The Kindness Crew aims to spread friendship, support and positivity throughout the College through kind deeds and acts of service.

It was wonderful to see our students being so selfless and generous with their free time, truly reflecting the College’s ethos of showing care, dignity and respect to others around them. The students decided that their first project was to create messages of encouragement for students who were going to sit for their NAPLAN in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The Kindness Crew created ‘Pots of Kindness’. These pots held handwritten notes to help ease students into the testing period. Students in these NAPLAN years were all delighted to receive their pots. This simple act of empathy and generosity helped strengthen bonds across the College. The Kindness Crew is now searching for their next project to help spread more kindness throughout the community.

Another group of students participating in Thriving Thursday saw a different opportunity for service. They noticed the need for an ‘Environmental Club’. Their first project was to clean and refresh the Spiritual Garden at St Peters Springfield, originally provided by the Lutheran Laypeople’s League. The club will plant new flowers and herbs. They hope the Spiritual Garden will be a space of relaxation and inspiration.

At St Peters Springfield, the concept of serving others is important to teach our students. Our Year 11 students have recently focused on serving others as they ready themselves for being leaders of the College next year. The students have volunteered their free time to help the school community in various activities throughout Term 2. We have seen the Year 11 students reaching out to provide assistance to the Hearts Café, help read stories to Lower Primary students, organise games for Primary Students during lunch and, much more. The service they are providing gives them a chance to grow in their character, strengthen their relationships with students, teachers and staff in the College as they prepare to be leaders in 2023.

Pictured: Spreading kindness in the form of Pots of Kindness, Baby Give Back and, the Environmental Club refresh of the Spiritual Garden.

We would also like to applaud the St Peters Springfield community for their incredible response on our Community Focus Day to help provide emergency relief to flood affected families. Our community rallied together to bring in essential items and a gold coin donation for ‘Baby Give Back’, a charity which helps babies and families in crisis which is managed in Brisbane by one of our Founding staff members, Carly Lovell. Mrs Lovell was extremely thankful for St Peters Springfield’s contribution.

Together, we were able to raise almost $900 and delivered four car loads of goods (baby wipes, toiletries, baby formula, nappies, clothing and more) to Back Give Back. The money and items will be distributed to many families who have done it tough during the floods.

It is truly inspiring to see the kindness and joy that the St Peter Springfield community has provided to others in need this year so far. The College is proud of service initiatives our students have embarked on this year so far and how our St Peters Springfield students are using their heads, hearts and hands to reach outwards to help others and our world.