M ‘N’ Ms is all the rage at Pakenham Hills Primary School – and although the results are sweet it has nothing to do with the chocolate variety.
The school this week launched a program called Making New Mates in a bid to make children feel safer in the playground.
Pakenham Hills primary’s social worker Alana Weekes said a school safety focus group found that bullying was the main reason some children felt unsafe at school.
“A lack of friends or having fights with friends leads to the bullying,” she said.
“A lot of the kids say ‘if you have a fight with a friend that you’re stumped – you have nowhere to go’.”
But Grade 6 student Jade, the brainchild behind M ‘N’ Ms, says there is an easy solution.
“We thought if you knew everyone you would have more friends,” she said.
As part of the program, students take part in a ‘speed friendship’ activity, which sees them talk to their peers for about 90 seconds each.
Ms Weekes said about 50 students of the same age were involved in each session but that may soon expand.
“We’re hoping to, down the track, mix the year levels around so the younger ones can talk to the older ones,” she said.
