The student council thought that participating in Kennedy’s annual Gratitude Week would be a great way for staff and students to stay energised during the last week of Term 2.
Gratitude can be summarised as the quality of being thankful, recognising the value of the good things in our lives and showing appreciation for them through our actions. In psychological research, gratitude is strongly and consistently linked with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, appreciate positive experiences, and improves their health. It also helps people deal with adversity and build strong relationships. These significant impacts are why we want to promote gratitude. In our form classes, we had the opportunity to write a short thank-you to a teacher, family member, or friend. This was just one way in which we encouraged students to actively practise gratitude, as it can be expressed in many ways.
The Student Executive Team also interviewed various students and staff asking what they are grateful for. Responses ranged from being thankful for living in Australia, sport, family, and various others, reinforcing the many things we can be thankful for. The Student Council also planned different ways to show appreciation for the wonderful Kennedy staff on behalf of the students. This included delivering encouragement cards to each staff member, the student exec speaking at a staff morning tea, as well as special gifts for each Learning Area.
We hope that through these various activities the students and staff of Kennedy experienced the amazing effects of practising gratitude.
