More than 400 love hearts and gratitude posters line Rossmoyne Primary School’s grounds after students and staff found a safe way to thank the local community and essential workers for their efforts during the peak of the health crisis.
The mental health action team came up with the Happy Hearts Day initiative to splash the school in colour and allow students to dress up on the day and celebrate Western Australia’s fight against Covid-19.
Year six student councillors, who put on their leadership hat to help out on the day, told The Examiner they were happy to go back to school, see their friends and take part in the initiative.
“It took us about 20 minutes yesterday to wrap up the school in hearts and colourful posters,” they said.
“It has been a different year and it has brought up many firsts.
“We have a responsibility and we wanted to help and make the school look better. In our writings we thanked doctors and nurses for helping sick people and looking after them, scientists who are trying to look for a vaccine and our parents and teachers for helping us go through this pandemic and our overseas relatives who we worry about too.”
Year six teacher Monique Hill said it was also about the parents as they are not allowed in school grounds due to the restrictions, and this was a positive way to communicate to them what students and staff were thankful for.
“The initiative came about as we were thinking about the effects that this health crisis has posed for our students, the community, parents and teachers,” she said.
“The children then looked at the positives, the minuses and the interesting things that have come out from Covid-19.
“Some of the positives included that we are in an island, on an island, and that we are isolated from the rest of the world, making it safer for everybody.
“Some of the negatives included that with the pandemic people can’t travel and people have lost their jobs.
“And the interesting fact that vaccines were being put together and that people are
working together from different countries.
“So we thought that if we wrapped up the school with love hearts and writings, it would make us feel safer, make our school standout and feel happy.
“It has taken us six weeks to put this together and everybody at the school participated.”
Ms Hill said she was thankful to go back to face to face teaching as she believed many teachers and students struggled during remote learning.
“Online learning was tough, but for the children they were isolated, they couldn’t see each other, especially year six students.
“Year six students have a leadership role and they haven’t had much of that this year due to the health crisis and our assembly stopping.
“So, this was an opportunity for them to do something with leadership.
“Through this we hope all our students learn about resilience and that they should look out for the positives and what is really important in life.”
