Building Confidence and Connections at Hong Kong Academy

Friendship gives us a sense of belonging and purpose and studies are beginning to indicate there are health benefits too. Hong Kong Academy (HKA) is renowned for its strong community and one of the ways they achieve this is through their student buddy program. Every primary school child is matched up with a buddy that they meet with for weekly buddy sessions and stay paired with for the whole school year.

Join the HKA Exploration Day to gain first-hand insight into HKA’s buddy program, teaching, facilities and more on October 14 from 9:15 am-1:15 pm. Register to join here!

Through the student buddy program, early childhood students are paired with an older student who acts as a role model. This helps them both to learn how to communicate and collaborate with others of different ages and builds connections across the school, nurturing a sense of belonging as part of a bigger community.

Stephanie McArdle, Pre-Kindergarten teacher, adds, “It helps children feel part of the school community, the young students are very proud to have an older buddy and the older buddy really enjoys taking care of their younger buddy. It’s lovely to see relationships forming as students get to know other children in the school outside of their own year group.”

Grade 3 student Charlotte says, “When I had a bigger buddy they looked after me and now it’s my turn to look after my little buddy. I take care of her, she chooses what she’d like me to read and then we read it together. We sometimes hang out at snack time, too.”

Her classmate Eloane adds, “I like buddying because it’s fun to know different kids. We play blocks and in the treehouse together. We also play a maths game and compete against each other. My little buddy sometimes beats me at the maths game!”

In addition to their buddies, HKA students receive excellent support from staff. Grade 3 teacher Birgitta Carter shares, “Children are mentored by their class teachers, specialist teachers, sports coaches and co-curricular teachers throughout their years at HKA. This provides them with a broad network of adult advisors who support their all-round development, encourage them to pursue their interests and build their confidence.”