Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School is bringing joy to classrooms and nurturing wellbeing through the implementation of The Resilience Project — a nationally recognised initiative supporting students, staff and families alike.Since Term 1 this year, the Sunnybank school has woven the program into everyday school life, positively shifting their culture.
Building a brighter future
Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School Principal Phillip Manitta said through the pillars—Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness, and Emotional Literacy, “we are equipping our students with the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges and build a brighter future”.
"I know we will see a real shift in our school culture,” he said.
“Students are beginning their days with gratitude reflections, practicing mindfulness to help regulate emotions, and developing the language to express how they feel.
“There's also a growing sense of empathy, with students showing greater care and understanding toward one another.
“It's been incredible to watch these pillars come to life across our classrooms, playgrounds and even at home.”
Gratitude Morning
Our Lady of Lourdes Guidance Counsellor Deanne Abernethy said one of the standout events of the year to date has been our Gratitude Morning.
“This event brought our school community together to celebrate the power of gratitude,” she said.
“The morning was filled with activities that encouraged our students, staff, and families to reflect on the things they are grateful for and to express their appreciation to others.
“Our students painted gratitude rocks that were placed in our Gratitude Garden and created gratitude jars to use at home.”
Overcoming challenges and achieving success
Deanne said resilience was also highlighted by past NRL Broncos players in a recent visit.
“The players delivered a whole school presentation, inspiring our students with their stories of overcoming challenges and achieving success,” she said.
“We also implemented a whole school gratitude mail initiative, which saw students and families write letters in gratitude of one another.
“The sharing of the letters had been a beautiful way to strengthen community bonds, build human connection, and spread kindness.”
Gratitude prompts
“To further support the practice of gratitude and build connections within families, we have developed gratitude signs to display around the school,” Deanne said.
“These signs will serve as prompts for parents when speaking with their children at the start or end of the school day.
“The prompts include questions like, what are you proud of today?
“What are you looking forward to tomorrow?”
The big picture
Brisbane Catholic Education Senior Manager Research, Innovation & Impact Kimberley Nicholls said The Resilience Project has been proven to support mental health and resilience through Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness.
“It provides evidence-based strategies and resources for curriculum planning, community engagement events, and creative projects,” she said.
“The Resilience Project also offers training for all school-based staff to manage their wellbeing and support students, fostering a supportive school environment for all."
The schools that were part of the Cohort 1 pilots and focused on the Resilience Project as part of their project included St Peter Claver College, Riverview, and St Thomas’ School, Camphill.
For further information please see our SPIRE page.Resilience in actionIn 2025, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School also collaborated with local artist Katie McErlean creating a mural that embodies the school community’s commitment to building a resilient community.For more information about Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Sunnybank or to enrol click here. ©Brisbane Catholic Education, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Sunnybank (2025).