Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to share with the House a fantastic initiative to be implemented by a Dobell primary school. Better Buddies is an antibullying program at Brooke Avenue Public School and is based on the Alannah and Madeline Foundation's belief that 'all children should have a safe and happy childhood without being subjected to any form of violence.' Better Buddies introduces and reinforces pro-social behaviours amongst kindergarten students. Fortunately, during the initial stages of the program the school received a generous donation from one of their families which enabled the purchase of a Buddy Bear for every kindergarten student. Thanks to this gift all of the school's kindergarten students can participate in and benefit from Better Buddies. Each student spends time with their bear throughout the day, reading to them, demonstrating their writing skills, holding discussions with them and ensuring the overall wellbeing of each Buddy Bear. The program engages students through various activities aimed at teaching students how to interact with each other in a fair and fun way. I am informed by their classroom teacher, Lisa McBride, that, so far, the students have engaged in discussions about what it means to be a buddy, what their feelings are telling them, how to deal with difficult situations and how the students can care for each other. The school is hoping to extend the program in 2015 to include stage 2 students, with a view to building positive relationships throughout the entire school. I would like to congratulate principal Kerry Whellam and her wonderful team at Brooke Avenue for this initiative that is effectively supporting Brooke Avenue's youngest students.