Friendship Fortnight runs for 2 weeks every school year in the month of November. This allows the children to learn about the value of friendship and how friendships are made and sustained. The school has decided to brand the fortnight “Friendship Fortnight” rather than “Anti-Bullying Fortnight”.
We believe the term anti-bullying has negative connotations for the children. It is better to highlight the benefit of friendships, as we feel that a child who knows the value of friendship is less likely to become a bully or a victim of bullying. But we are not ignoring the issue of bullying itself. As a school we are going to focus on all aspects of bullying, text messages, cyber-bullying, etc.
The staff of St Louis SPS are taking particular care to monitor behaviour and explain to the children the damage caused by bullying. We are making it clear that we are a “telling school” where children are encouraged to show dignity and respect for themselves and others. The principal aim of Friendship Fortnight is to ensure that all the children in our school can learn and play in a safe and caring environment during their time in school here.