One of the last things we did before going into our second lockdown this year, was to visit our ELC buddies and participate in the Four-Leaf Clover Program. This was only the second time we met but the excitement in the air was palpable.

The aim for the Four-Leaf Clover Program is to teach students the values of caring for others, friendliness, respect, valuing difference, including others and responsibility. It also aims to create positive behaviour, as well as build students’ self-esteem, connectedness, social skills, trust and sense of community.

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Here are some thoughts from the 4I students:

Imogen with Bella and Miya

“I am always looking forward to seeing our Four-Leaf Clovers because they are always glad to see us and they are cheerful anytime I see them. I love my buddies called Miya and Bella. Miya is the most bouncy and enthusiastic girl I have ever met and is happy to see anyone. Bella is one of a kind! She is always in a good mood and is the sweetest little girl ever. When I am there it makes me feel at home and when I’m leaving, it’s like I’ve left my whole world and gone to space. My favourite part is coming in and seeing Miya and Bella waiting with a gorgeous smile and as happy as ever. I love the Four-Leaf Clover Program.” Imogen Herron

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“I was really excited to work with my buddy Manda. I enjoyed meeting her and writing a story together. I like meeting children younger than me as they look up to me like I look up to the older girls. They are all very adorable. I enjoyed playing and chatting with her a lot.” Alicia Lai

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“I get excited about going to see our buddies because I like to play and do activities with children who are younger than me. They are always really cute and I also have a lot of fun. They can be really funny and quite silly.” Anna Roosenburg

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“I am always happy when we participate in the Four-Leaf Clover program because they are so kind and cute!! They always have smiles on their face and are always excited to see us! Also, they always have things to say to us! My favourite thing to do with them is colour and make stories.” Sophia McKinnon

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Alexandra Pitt with Charlotte

“I enjoy being with my buddy because she is very amusing and smart. She also is a bit shy but I like that about her because she loves being with me. I think it is a very amazing program because all the girls get to make friends with students from the ELC.” Alexandra Pitt

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“I always look forward to walking into the Four-Leaf Clover kinder room and seeing all the little smiles on the children’s faces. I love seeing the buddies. Whenever I hear our teacher say that we are going to see the buddies I have the biggest smile on my face. I also love making up all these amazing stories with them.” Isabella Wilkins

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“I really like the Four-Leaf Clover program because it is like having a little sister. My buddy is Bianca and she thinks of me as an older sister, which is very kind. I mostly like the Four-Leaf Clover program because I like helping younger children and I have had practice with my younger brother Alistair. I heard from my mum that I helped him as soon as he was born.” Tania Hay

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Georgie Ayres with Aary

“I enjoy the Four-Leaf Clover program because I get to spend time with my buddy and we tell each other facts about ourselves. Also showing my buddy my work and him showing me his work. I also like coming up with ideas together for stories. I like making up stories together because we combine our ideas and have a great story in the end.” Georgina (Georgie) Ayres

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“Whenever I see my Four-Leaf Clover buddy, I feel so excited because it makes me remember when I had a Year Four buddy in kindergarten. Ever since I was in kindergarten I’ve always wanted to be in Year Four so I could have a Four-Leaf clover buddy.” Teegan Gobel

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“I really enjoy our special Four-Leaf Clover program. It makes me so excited when the buddy day arrives. My buddy is Abby. She loves listening to me read and adores drawing. She is amazing and I love being her special buddy.” Zara Barr

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“I thoroughly enjoy the Four-Leaf Clover program because you get to meet our cute four- years’ old buddies! My buddy’s name is Giselle. She is shy, cute and doesn’t talk much. She has a Chinese background like me. She has black hair and her favourite colour is pink and is very adorable! I always look forward to going to ELC!” Margaret Shao

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“I thoroughly enjoy the Four-Leaf Clover program because we get to meet little children who are only four years old. We worked on a fairy tale that the toddlers made and the year fours are supposed to type it. My buddy was Vivian. I got to know her a lot through this program. I knew that she liked to talk and she was friends with Giselle (my friend’s buddy).  It was a lot of fun having to meet them. I loved this program!” Xin Yan (Vita) Wei

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Camilla with Atticus and Evie

“I always look forward to the Four-Leaf Clover program because it is fun to spend time with the kindergarten children. I also love making stories with them because it lets their imaginations run wild and it lets them have some fun as well. I think it also helps them to play and draw with someone a bit older than their own age. I also love doing it because they get to express their feelings properly.” Camilla Thomas

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“I enjoy our Four-Leaf Clover program because it is nice to be able to spend time in the Early Learning Centre and help the buddies learn. I like making stories with the buddies because it’s nice to hear their ideas and imagination. I enjoy sharing things about myself with my buddy and talking to them. I like seeing my buddies’ drawings because their imagination comes to life. I like helping them with their work so they are happy.” Joy Lovegrove