Dingley Primary School's Better Buddies Games Day a big winner

Students at Dingley Primary School have teamed up with their 'buddies' to participate in their Better Buddies Games Day.

As part of the Games Day, each pair of Buddies rotated through a series of activities that had been specifically designed to encourage them to work together - such as skipping, sack races and egg and spoon races.  The Buddies also had the opportunity to create their very own Buddy Bear with play dough using the images of Buddy Bear in their Activity Books, provided by NAB.

Dingley Primary School Principal, Gaye Peel, said the Games Day encouraged students to work together with their Buddies.

"It was fantastic to see our students embrace their buddies and work together with them to complete each activity.  Our senior Buddies were fantastic in helping their junior buddies and, most importantly, they had a lot of fun working together!"

Gaye also said Better Buddies played a very important part in promoting a caring and friendly environment in the school.

"The Better Buddies Framework is extremely popular in our school.  Our students love being involved and working together.  Our junior buddies really look up to their older buddies and the older buddies have really embraced the responsibility of looking out for their junior buddies."

After the Games Day activities, the students enjoyed a special lunch and had a photo taken of all buddies wearing a splash of purple.  All Buddy Leaders then took centre stage to interview their junior buddies at a school assembly.

"We had a great day! Better Buddies is a fantastic framework and it's great that The Alannah and Madeline Foundation and NAB have introduced it into so many schools. We are very lucky to be one of them," Gaye said.

Dingley Primary School is one of 800 NAB funded schools to have implemented the Better Buddies Framework since 2007.