Wellbeing Festival
Liza Askew
/ Categories: In the press
The objective of the festival was to encourage pupils to focus on their health and happiness and give them tools to help them with their wellbeing throughout their lives. It was an opportunity for the whole school community to focus on the same topic and experiences despite being socially distanced in year group bubbles.
The festival explored five main areas that influence wellbeing. These were Connect, Be Active, Keep Learning, Take Notice and Give. Connect related to spending time with family and friends, doing things together and talking to each other. Be active involved keeping physically healthy. Keep Learning encouraged pupils to try new hobbies or learn something new that interested them. Take Notice guided them to take a break to see how they feel, to look around them and enjoy nature, or relax in whatever way works for them. Give helped pupils understand the pleasure of giving and helping others. These five areas were explored through activities and lessons both on and off curriculum.
Pupils explored their emotions and how to manage them, they created diagrams showing how many people they were connected to, took part in Yoga, meditation and mindfulness sessions, were introduced to active listening, teamwork through an inter-house relay, nature walks in the school’s forest and creating natural art and even played a crazy golf course set up on their sports pitches! They sent each other Bee Positive messages to be displayed around the school and learnt how to send messages using Semaphore. They supported a range of charities in the wider community chosen by Year Six pupils.
Mrs Kay Goldsworthy, Head Teacher at St Ives, said “We are firm believers in helping our children understand the importance of wellbeing and how to achieve it. Our pastoral provision aims to not only keep the children happy whilst they are St Ives pupils, but also to give them the tools to keep them balanced throughout their lives and to be kind, considerate and mindful of others.”