By Victoria Stone-Meadows
HAMPTON Park Primary School honoured the memory of murdered Queensland boy Daniel Morcombe by raising money for the Morcombe Foundation.
On Friday 28 October, the school was a sea of red as students wore red wigs, sprayed their hair red, and wore red ribbons or bandanas and provided a gold coin donation for the foundation.
Hampton Park Primary School assistant principal Liz Davey said the Day for Daniel was also about teaching children to be safe and cautious and how to look after themselves.
“Under our KidsMatter umbrella and part of our Social and Emotional Learning Program, our children have been focusing on Protective Behaviours in conjunction with recognising and honouring the Day for Daniel,” she said.
“The school implements the KidsMatter framework and part of this is ensure the mental health and wellbeing of students is utmost in our decision making and is being nurtured in a positive way all the time.
“By participating in Day for Daniel we are allowing the students to transfer their knowledge and skill of keeping safe in a positive and hands-on significant way.”
The students at Hampton Park Primary gathered together and painted red balloon plaques they made both in memory of Danial Morcombe and to signify their learning of safe behaviours.
“The children have been involved in activities guided by the Day for Daniel Foundation,” Ms Davey said.
“They have been learning about safety rules for staying safe in the environment and on the internet, when visiting places remember your personal safety, to Recognise, Report and React and how to get help.”
Hampton Park Primary School has been implementing the KidsMatter framework for almost three years, and Ms Davey said it was a great program as it taught the children valuable skills.
“The students are our number one priority, and it is so important that students know how to keep themselves safe and have strategies to use if they find themselves in an unsafe situation.
“Children are our most precious resource and our role as educators is to ensure they become safe and healthy global citizens of mind and body.”
The Day for Daniel is a national initiative headed by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation that encourages parents, teachers, carers and guardians to start a conversation about safety with the children in their lives.
For the month of October, schools from across the county have been implementing lessons from the Day for Daniel Resource Kit and teaching children how to keep safe and why it is important.
