Primary 6 Children in St Joseph’s Primary School in Faifley, West Dunbartonshire have taken on the role of Buddies to the New Entrant Primary 1 children who will start school in August 2016.  P6 Buddies are using the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which they learned about within their Pope Francis Faith Award (PFFA) to help the new entrants make the transition from Nursery to Primary school, with the support of a caring friend.  P6 pupils have used their experience as Buddies to help gather evidence for their PFFA Journals.  Buddies help to support new entrants within the school setting during visits and by visiting local nurseries for ‘play session’ with their ‘Wee Buddies’  They have also written letters to them and their parents to introduce themselves and are currently in the process of using their technology skills to create a DVD  which can be used during the summer to help new children remember people and places within the school.  Primary 6 children take their role very seriously in caring for young learners and ensuring that they are showing ‘signs of love’ in their daily lives and being active members of their local community, exactly what the Pope Francis Faith Award is designed to help children achieve.

In fact, St Joseph’s Parish Priest has just awarded Parish Commendations to all of our Primary 7 children who have just completed the award due to their commitment to the school, the parish and the local community.