This year we are planning to focus our school assemblies around our School Values
- Belonging
- Enjoying
- Creativity
- Health
- Responsibiity
This morning, Mrs Irvine and Miss Irvine led separate assemblies for our Secondary and Primary pupils to explore Belonging. We were also delighted to welcome our nursery bairns, who joined the primary assembly as we came together to celebrate and recognise achievements from home.
We started the assemblies by explaining what belonging actually feels like. That it isn’t just about being in a room with other people or being part of a group photo, it means feeling safe, seen, and valued exactly as you are. It means knowing that your voice matters, and that everyone is important and valued at home, in school, at clubs and across our wider community.
Pupils were asked to think about how we can make sure that everyone feels included. Some of their suggestions included:
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- Looking out for anyone who might be alone at break or dinnertime, and taking the time to speak to them or invite them to join in.
- Learning something new by asking others about their interests, rather than judging them for liking different things.
Pupils were also reminded about the code of conduct on the School Bus and the importance for everybody to be safe and respectful towards the drivers and passengers.
Following their assembly, primary pupils were asked to complete a jigsaw piece for a display to show that everyone belongs at Whalsay School.
The Secondary pupils then spent the day off time-table for the Virtually Safe, Virtually Sound workshops. The themes of the workshop tied in very closely with what Mrs Irvine shared at the Secondary assembly. The workshops delivered some powerful messages which we look forward to sharing with you in a new post.
