Across all campuses of our School, we celebrated Gratitude Week as a way of focusing on this fundamental and significant school value.
At the Senior School, students and mentors have taken time during mentor sessions to reflect on what they are grateful for, explore the power of saying thank you and understand how gratitude can support mental wellbeing. During Monitor’s Assembly, we shared a message of appreciation for those who guide and support us every day. This culminated in students writing heartfelt thank you cards to their Mentors.
At the Prep School, House Meetings were a time for eliciting a sense of thankfulness from students. Blaxland, Harrison, Stiles and Thomas Housemasters collaborated to craft a significant Kindergarten to Year 6 experience that asked every boy to flex their respective “gluteus gratitude muscle”, as described by Mr William Sandwell. This involved boys engaging in activities like building walls of appreciative thoughts and planting the seeds in gratitude gardens. As the “walls” brighten corridors and seedlings begin to sprout, it has reminded the Prep community that gratitude, when practised intentionally, transforms ordinary moments into opportunities for connection, humility and joy that sit at the very core of the human experience.
At Tudor House, gratitude has been a focus all term in Chapel, Assemblies and Colour House Meetings. For example, many of the Psalms express awe, wonder and thanks to God for his goodness, faithfulness and love for us. In Assemblies, students have been celebrated through ‘Caught You Doing Right’ awards. This is an opportunity for students and staff to recognise and thank those members of our community who are going above and beyond in demonstrating our School values.
Gratitude is particularly important for students during difficulties and has been shown to help students build resilience during these times, particularly in learning. An article on the Psychology Today website shares a study that found how gratitude reminders, like those given in House Meetings this week, help students gain focus, confidence and put more effort into their learning. Gratitude in a school community is a helpful ingredient. Furthermore, it can help shift our perspective amid stress and trauma and help to build resilience, by facilitating strength, motivation and active problem-solving.
Khorrami, N. (2020, December 6) Gratitude builds resilience in the hardest times Psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/comfort-gratitude/202012/gratitude-builds-resilience-in-the-hardest-times