Showing Kindness to the Community

November 17, 2022

In the lead-up to Christmas, at a time when we often remember just how lucky we are, the Year 7 Homerooms have been asked to prepare a gift for people in the community.

The instructions for the girls were to consider who in their community might need some cheering up at Christmas time and what small act of kindness they could prepare them.

The focus was not on money but on doing something for someone else. This was also in response to the girls learning more about gratitude and how showing gratitude to others has benefits for their own wellbeing.

The girls, with the help of the student leaders and their Homeroom teachers, planned their acts of kindness. They worked together to decide what they would need in order to prepare or make their gifts. This week in Pastoral Care Time, the girls have been busy putting their plans into action.

Dean of Year 7, Marsha Pengilly, said she enjoys this challenge. ”It’s great to see the girls really giving some thought to who in the community they could show gratitude to and how they might spread this kindness. It is lovely to see the girls develop their ideas and work together to bring their idea to fruition.”

In this year of Service at Santa Maria, Christmas is an ideal opportunity for the students to perform a small act of kindness and give service to those who are vulnerable in our community or who do so much for others. The gifts the girls created will be given to a variety of groups such as nursing homes, healthcare workers, College cleaners and gardeners, the charity Share the Dignity, Fiona Stanley Hospital, and the Edmund Rice Centre. The girls have learnt a little about these people and have enjoyed the opportunity to give to others during this time of Advent.

Here is what each Homerooms has created for their kindness challenge

Year 7 Byrne: Gift packs and cards for the College gardeners and cleaners

Year 7 Corbett : Care packs for healthcare workers

Year 7 de la Hoyde: Making cards to send to a local nursing home with the gifts the O’Reilly girls have created

Year 7 Dillon: Christmas gift backpacks for homeless teenage girls to donate via Share the Dignity.

Year 7 Frayne: Cards and chocolate bags for the residents and workers of an aged care home.

Year 7 Kelly: Baking slices and biscuits and creating a basket of goodies, for volunteers at the Edmund Rice Centre

Year 7 O’Donnell: Advent calendars for sick children at Fiona Stanley Hospital

Year 7 O’Reilly: Making ceramic gingerbread men as gifts for residents at an aged care home

What did the students think of this challenge?

In O’Donnell, some of us have decided to make Advent calendars. Other people in our class have been making bracelets and pom-pom bunnies to go in the calendars for sick children at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Our gifts were made to let the kids have fun and lift their Christmas spirit! We enjoyed letting our creative juices flow, knowing we were doing it for a special cause! We have also enjoyed the chance to have a break from our busy days and spend some time helping those in need. Bridget McCulloch, O’Donnell

I believe this project was good because it has taught us to show compassion towards people we may not normally show gratitude to. For our Christmas project, we are giving gifts to the cleaners and gardeners who don’t get as much appreciation as they should for their job keeping our school beautiful. Chelsea Noronha, Byrne

I found this project great because it’s good to thank the workers who work to keep our school clean. I can imagine it’s probably not easy to keep the school clean all the time, so thanking them for what they do for the school and us is a kind thing to do. Charli Young, Byrne

Congratulations to everyone involved in this challenge.

Collaboration, Creativity, Featured

Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.