We are now in the third year of our Thrive programme – learning for life, not just for exams. We aim to help the girls develop resilience, to overcome the everyday challenges that we all face – accepting that failing is the way we learn (and therefore not a bad thing) and to face change with flexibility. In this age of 24/7 connectivity to an on-line world, our focus is about helping them stay connected in the real world.
For our Thrive day this year, we focused on the theme of ‘community’. It has been proven that reaching out to others, outside of ourselves, can improve our stress response and increase our resilience. Each year group worked on a different project learning something about themselves, about our Woldingham community or about others in the wider community.
Years 9-11 went out in to the local community. Local schools, Woodlea School and Hayes Primary, received help with teaching literacy and a road safety campaign. Some girls went to local churches to help with cleaning and preparations for the Churches’ Christmas Fairs, and also to Purley Food Hub, a cause close to our hearts.
Years 7 & 8 worked alongside some of the support staff in school getting a better understanding of what the staff do for us every day, things that we probably don’t even notice. They helped plant the new flower bed in the Sacred Heart garden and one group baked cakes and invited all the support staff to a special coffee morning to say ‘thank you’ for everything they do for us every day. One girl commented afterwards:
“This day really contributed to the community spirit in Woldingham because it made us all appreciate together the amount of work people do for us behind the scenes”.
Director of Pastoral Care, Judith Brown, said:
“Thrive Day is about thriving as an individual, reaching your goals through a balanced, healthy and mindful approach. We were so proud of the way the girls threw themselves in to the activities.”