On the Primary Campus of Santa Sabina, building a strong sense of community begins the moment our youngest learners walk through the school gates. One of the ways we intentionally nurture this sense of belonging is through our Prep Buddies Program – a meaningful initiative designed to support connection, confidence and continuity across year levels.
What is the Prep Buddies Program?
The Prep Buddies Program pairs our Prep students with older peers, primarily from Year 3, to help them feel safe, supported and connected within the school environment. Each Prep student is matched with two Year 3 buddies, ensuring consistency across the year and providing extra support if a buddy is away. Our program is unique to Santa Sabina.
These buddy relationships are maintained throughout the school year, allowing genuine connections to develop organically rather than feeling forced. The aim is to create trusted relationships with familiar faces that help students feel at home from their very first year of school.
Why Buddy Programs Matter
At the heart of the Prep Buddies Program is our commitment to community building. One of our biggest goals as a school is to foster a strong sense of belonging – not only among staff and families, but also between students of all ages.
The program helps:
- build positive relationships across year levels
- develop a sense of belonging and connection
- support smooth transitions into school life
- provide positive role models for younger students
- encourage leadership and responsibility in older students.
By learning alongside older peers, Prep students gain confidence and begin to see themselves as part of a wider school community. At the same time, Year 3 students develop leadership skills, empathy and pride in being role models for younger children.
Preparing Students for Transitions
The Prep Buddies Program also plays an important role in preparing students for their future transition from the Prep learning space and playground into the larger Primary Campus Rosary Garden, Rotunda and other play areas. By forming relationships early, younger students enter new spaces with familiar faces around them.
This structure continues as students move through the school. For example:
- Kindergarten students and Year 4 students are also paired.
- In many cases, students retain the same buddies as they move to the next stage.
This continuity strengthens relationships and builds confidence at each transition point, ensuring students never feel alone as they progress through the school.
How Often do Buddy Sessions Take Place?
Buddy interactions are intentionally woven into school life rather than occurring as one-off events. Sessions take place regularly throughout the year and vary in format and length.
Some sessions may be short, focused interactions – as little as 15 minutes – while others are part of larger community events. Buddy opportunities include:
- community celebrations such as Harmony Day and Book Week parades
- shared reading sessions
- story sharing and learning activities
- playing together at lunchtime
- bringing Prep students to the larger playground to explore new spaces.
An Intentional Approach
Our Prep Buddies Program is carefully planned and intentional. While we allow time at the beginning of the year for Prep students to settle into school routines, buddy interactions are gradually introduced and consistently maintained. Buddy relationships are meaningful, developmentally appropriate and genuinely beneficial for all students involved.
Growing a Community, Together
By fostering connection, encouraging leadership and building familiarity across Year levels, the Prep Buddies Program helps ensure that every child feels known, supported and proud to be part of the Santa Sabina College community.