Words on Wednesday

Autumn 2026

Caring for Our Ourselves

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid"

Albert Einstein

Think about that for a moment. A fish might be brilliant at swimming, but it would struggle to climb a tree. Does that mean the fish isn't clever or talented? Of course not! It simply has different strengths.

The same is true of us. We shouldn't judge ourselves or others by the things we find difficult. Instead, we should recognise what makes each of us special, celebrate our differences and remember that everyone has something valuable to contribute.

Do we have to be good at everything?

4th November 2026

This week, we have been thinking about this question.

The answer is, of course, no!

We are all different, with our own strengths, talents and interests. Some of us are brilliant at maths, others are fantastic artists, musicians, sportspeople or storytellers. Some people are wonderful listeners, caring friends or creative problem-solvers.

Nobody is good at everything, and that's absolutely fine! What matters is that we recognise our strengths, celebrate the talents of others and are willing to have a go at things we find difficult.

Something to Think About

What is something you are really good at, and how does it make you feel?
What is something you find difficult but would like to get better at?
How could you encourage someone who is struggling with something?
Why is it important that we all have different strengths?

Leaving a Legacy

21st October 2026

How will people remember you?

This week, we are continuing to think about leaving a legacy and how our Social Signature is shaped by the choices we make and the way we treat others.

On Monday, we listened to You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban, a song that reminds us of the difference we can make when we encourage, support and believe in others.

When we think about leaving a legacy, we might imagine doing something amazing, becoming famous or achieving something that people will remember for years to come. But our legacy is not just about what we achieve. It is also about how we make other people feel.

Every day, through our words and actions, we leave a little piece of ourselves behind. A kind word, a helping hand, an invitation to join in or a moment of encouragement might seem like a small thing to us, but it could make a big difference to someone else.

At Kingsmead, we want our Social Signature to reflect our commitment to being Useful and Kind. We want people to remember us as individuals who made others feel valued, included, supported and happy.

Words to think about this Wednesday:

Legacy – the positive difference we leave behind through our actions.
Compassion – noticing when someone needs kindness or support.
Encouragement – helping others believe in themselves.
Inspiration – motivating others to do their best or make a difference.
Impact – the effect our words and actions have on others.
Generosity – giving our time, help or kindness without expecting anything in return.
Empathy – understanding and caring about how someone else feels.

Today, try to do something that will leave a positive mark on someone else's day. Perhaps you could encourage someone who is finding something difficult, include someone who is on their own, thank someone who has helped you or offer to do something useful without being asked.

At the end of the day, ask yourself:

"If someone remembered just one thing about me today, what would I want it to be?"

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Often attributed to Maya Angelou

Remember: Your legacy isn't something you only leave behind when you're older. You're creating it every single day, through every choice you make.

Living our Values

14th October 2026

This week, in recognition of World Values Day, we are thinking about our values: the things that matter to us and guide how we behave. As we explore ‘ME’ through Social Signature, understanding our values helps us discover who we are and the difference we want to make.

Values are more than words—we show them through our everyday choices. Kindness might mean inviting someone to join our game. Honesty might mean telling the truth when we have made a mistake. Courage might mean speaking up when something feels unfair. At Kingsmead, being useful, kind and ready to learn gives us opportunities to put our values into action every day.

Words to explore:
Kindness • Honesty • Respect • Fairness • Courage • Compassion • Friendship • Responsibility • Patience • Perseverance • Generosity • Gratitude

Our Wednesday challenge: Choose one value that matters to you. Tell someone why you have chosen it, then find a way to show it through your actions today.

Think about: If someone watched your actions today, which of your values would they see?

Don't spend your life wishing you were a mountain

7th October 2026

“You don’t need to become someone else to be something special.”

This week, we heard the story of The Pebble That Wanted to Be a Mountain. The little pebble spent so much time wishing it could be bigger and more impressive that it forgot to notice what was already special about being a pebble.

Sometimes we can do the same. We might look at someone else and wish we were as confident as them, as good at football as them, as creative as them or as clever as them. But developing our Social Signature isn’t about trying to become somebody else. It is about discovering ME – the skills, gifts and qualities that make each of us unique.

Perhaps your special quality is that you notice when someone is lonely. Maybe you make people laugh, persevere when things are difficult, ask brilliant questions, create amazing things, listen carefully or have the courage to try something new. Some of our greatest qualities might not be things we receive certificates or prizes for, but they are still an important part of who we are.

So this week, instead of asking, “Who do I want to be like?”, ask yourself:

“What is special about ME, and how can I use it to make a difference?”

You don’t have to be the mountain. Be proud of being the very best pebble you can be.

Share with a friend one thing that is special about you – and then tell them one thing that you think is special about them.

It could be a skill, a talent or simply a quality such as being kind, brave, helpful, curious or determined. Let's help each other notice and celebrate the things that make us us.

Honouring Our Communities

30th September 2026

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall

This week, as part of Black History Month, we are thinking about what it means to honour our communities. We have been learning about people who saw something that needed to change and decided to do something about it. Their actions may have started with just one person, but their courage, determination and kindness went on to make a difference to many others.

But making a difference doesn’t always mean doing something that becomes famous or changes the whole world. We can make a difference in our own community every single day. It might be standing up for someone, including somebody who feels left out, challenging something that isn’t fair, helping without being asked, or using our talents to make life a little better for someone else.

Our communities are shaped by the people within them — and that includes you. Every time you choose to Be Kind, Be Useful and Be Ready to Learn, you have an impact on the people around you.

So this week, think about:

What difference could you make to your community?

What could you do today that might inspire someone else tomorrow?

Believe in Yourself

22nd September 2026

The Power of Believing in Yourself

This week, as we continue exploring our Social Signature, we are thinking about the power of believing in ourselves.

Sometimes we might look at something new or difficult and think, "I can't do that!" But what happens if we change those words to "I can't do that YET"?

Believing in yourself doesn't mean thinking you are the best at everything or that you will never make mistakes. It means recognising your own strengths, having the courage to try, and trusting that you can learn and grow, even when things feel difficult.

Your Social Signature is what makes you uniquely YOU. Your talents, interests, values and the way you treat others all help to shape the mark you leave on the world. When you believe in yourself, you give yourself the opportunity to discover what you are truly capable of.

Our challenge this Wednesday: Think of one thing you find difficult or something you haven't been brave enough to try yet. What could you achieve if you believed in yourself just a little bit more?

Remember, your crew is there to believe in you too. Sometimes, when we struggle to see our own strengths, the people around us can help us recognise them.

Be brave. Be yourself. Believe in YOU!

My Legacy

16th September 2026

How will the world remember me?

This week, we have been thinking about legacy – the mark we leave behind and how other people remember us. In assembly, we looked at famous people whose actions have made a difference to the world. But you don’t have to be famous to leave a legacy. You are creating one every single day.

Think about your crew. At the end of each day, what have you left behind for the people in it? Perhaps you made someone laugh, helped somebody who was struggling, included someone who felt left out or encouraged a friend to keep going. Maybe you listened carefully, worked hard, shared an idea or quietly did something useful without being asked.

Our words and actions leave little footprints in other people’s days.

So today, think about this question:

How do I want my crew to remember me today?

Someone who was kind?
Someone who was useful?
Someone who was ready to learn?
Someone who made their crew a little bit better because they were part of it?

Your legacy isn’t only something you leave in the future. You are building it today, one small action at a time.

My Superpowers

9th September 2026

What’s Your Superpower?

When we think of a superpower, we might imagine flying through the sky, becoming invisible or having super strength. But you don’t need a cape to have a superpower!

As part of our Social Signature work, we are thinking about ME – the special combination of talents, interests, values and qualities that makes each of us unique.

Maybe your superpower is being a brilliant listener, making people laugh, showing courage when something is difficult or noticing when someone needs a friend. Perhaps you are creative, curious, determined, caring or great at solving problems. You might love music, sport, animals, art, reading, building things or discovering how the world works.

Our superpowers don’t have to be things we are the best at. They are the qualities that make us who we are and help us make a difference to the people and world around us.

When we recognise our own superpowers and use them to be kind, be useful and be ready to learn, we can leave a mark for good on the world.

So, what’s your superpower – and how will you use it today?