At St Mary’s, we believe that every child deserves to feel known, nurtured, and empowered—especially in their friendships. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that St Mary’s is now a URStrong School!
This term, we officially launch the URStrong Friendology Curriculum as part of our weekly Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) sessions. The program offers students an engaging and practical way to understand, build, and manage healthy friendships—an essential foundation for personal wellbeing and academic success.
What is URStrong?
URStrong is an internationally recognised friendship skills program that teaches students how to manage social dynamics with confidence and kindness. Developed by teacher and friendship expert Dana Kerford, URStrong is now used in schools around the world to create a shared language of friendship between students, teachers, and parents.
The program supports students to:
- Build strong, respectful relationships.
- Resolve conflict with empathy.
- Identify healthy vs. unhealthy friendships.
- Stand up for themselves and others.
- Become “Friendship Ninjas” with real-world skills for life.
Friendship Day: The Official Launch
We kicked things off on Friendship Day (Wednesday 7th May) with colourful clothes, big smiles, and the first round of Friendology lessons across all year levels. Students in Foundation to Year Two were even invited to bring a favourite soft toy to use in role-plays, sparking fun and meaningful discussions around emotions, trust, and empathy.
Throughout the morning, students explored the strengths that make them unique and began their journey towards becoming Friendship Ninjas. Leading into the afternoon, each class participated in their first Friendology session, followed by a whole-school celebration—complete with an iced donut treat!
What Will Students Learn?
The Friendology Curriculum is built around four key learning areas:
1. The Four Friendship Facts
Students learn that:
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- No friendship is perfect.
- Every friendship is different.
- Trust and respect are essential.
- Friendships change—and that’s okay.
2. Friend-O-Meter
A visual tool to help students recognise how friendships make them feel—identifying “green-zone” (healthy) friendships vs “red-zone” (unhealthy) ones.
3. Friend-O-Cycle
Based on the idea that conflict is normal, this tool teaches how to “Talk-it-Out” and resolve friendship issues respectfully.
4. Standing Up for Yourself
Students practise setting boundaries and using “Quick Comebacks” to respond to mean-on-purpose behaviour safely and confidently.
A Whole-School Approach: Involving Families
Becoming a URStrong School means our entire community is part of the conversation. Soon, families will gain access to the URStrong Parent Portal, which is filled with helpful resources like videos, posters, and conversation starters to use at home.
We’re also excited to invite parents and children to attend a Language of Friendship online workshop on Thursday, 5th June at 6:30 PM. This interactive session is an excellent way to learn the same skills and language taught in classrooms and continue the friendship conversations at home. For more information or to register, please contact the school office.
Why It Matters
Strong friendships are more than just “a nice to have.” They are among the most important predictors of a child’s happiness, confidence, and academic performance. By teaching our students how to build and maintain healthy relationships, we’re giving them the tools to thrive—now and into the future.
We’re proud to be a URStrong School and look forward to watching our students grow into confident, kind, and resilient Friendship Ninjas!