As Sydney Catholic Schools celebrate World Kindness Day, St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School Eastwood has marked the occasion in a joyful and moving fashion, becoming the first school in Australia to launch the My Acts of Kindness (MAOK) Schools Program.
Principal Maree Simpson, said the launch this week was the culmination of months of preparation, and a shared desire to nurture children to live out the Gospel message in their everyday lives.
“We hope our students come to know that simple acts of kindness can have an enormous impact,” Maree said.
“It’s about empowering children to lead with heart, act with courage and to show their families and communities what it looks like to live our faith in small, loving ways.”
On Monday, the school began its celebrations of the MAOK partnership with prayer, grounding the day in Scripture: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
This message shaped a series of activities across the school, from classroom reflections and outdoor kindness games, to student interviews and creative tasks. Students also performed the newly created Kindness Anthem and shared ‘kindness characters’, developed by Year 6 students earlier this year.
“This is a way for our young people to proclaim the Good News, not just by talking about kindness, but by embodying it,” Maree said.
Students also took part in a Zing Activ obstacle course allowing children to engage in teamwork and daily acts of kindness throughout the course, modelled so beautifully by the Zing Activ staff who bring kindness to our schools every year.
The Year 6 Mercy leaders launched the schools Christmas Appeal with a visit from the Vinnies Van whereby the community will be actively working to donate and fill the van, bringing joy at Christmas. Children and teachers also took the time to contribute to the school’s Kindness Wall.
“We want children to learn that kindness doesn’t have to be big,” Maree said. “It can be a smile, a word, a helping hand, but it always involves action.”
We are so fortunate that Kindness is embedded in the Sydney Catholic School Religious Education Curriculum and can come alive through the Liberal Arts. “The Liberal Arts remind us that education is about truth, beauty, and virtue, forming hearts and minds for wisdom and action. Through the MAOK Anthem, storytelling, art, and acts of kindness, students experience these ideals in tangible ways, connecting learning to life and faith,” Maree said.
The MAOK Schools Program is one pillar of My Acts of Kindness, a growing initiative led by philanthropist Bruno Maurel OAM, a St Charles Ryde parishioner and acolyte, whose decades of charity work include helping establish Tour de Cure, which has raised more than $150 million for cancer research.
Bruno said the MAOK program began taking shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the world was suddenly separated, I saw how much we longed for connection,” Bruno said.
“I began to ask: how do we help young people rediscover the joy of caring for others, not just receiving, but giving?”
This led him to develop the My Acts of Kindness app, helping young people reflect on their “why” and document simple acts of kindness in a personal journal.
While MAOK is growing nationwide, Bruno credits St Kevin’s Primary for helping bring the program to life.
“From the moment I first spoke with Maree, she just lit up,” he said. “The team at St Kevin’s took this small seed and helped it grow.”
For Bruno, the movement is deeply tied to his Catholic faith.
“Every time the journey felt really tough, God just kept saying: this is your mission, take it forward,” he said.
“Today I stand back and I see God in action. What started as a mustard seed, like in the Gospel, is growing before my eyes.”
For Maree, witnessing students engage with kindness so naturally by encouraging friends and welcoming visitors, is powerful.
“You can feel the Holy Spirit moving, in our classrooms, our playground, our families,” she said.
“Our hope is that children carry this message wherever they go.”
St Kevin’s Eastwood students and Maree will share their message across the nation with an appearance on the Channel 7 Sunrise sofa. The school hopes the broadcast will begin the ripple of kindness across Australian schools.
“We don’t need to wait for big moments,” Maree said. “One small act of love can change someone’s day, sometimes even their life.”