Elmwood School District

Elmwood School District

Bullying prevention in our school

1What is bullying?Is it really differentthan fighting or arguing?

2LETS COMPAREFIGHTING/ARGUING IS...Exchange (verbal or physical) that is participated in equally by both parties.One time occurrenceBoth parties have equal verbal, mental, physical or emotional power to defend themselves.Meant to prove a point.BULLYING IS..Exchange (verbal or physical) that is unfriendly and is monopolized by one person or group of people.Happens repeatedly.One party has more verbal, mental or physical power than the other.Meant to cause harm to the other party.

3State Law requires that every school district have an anti-bullying policy actively in place. Elmwood has chosen to use the OLWEUS anti-bullying program.

OHIO REVISED CODE3316.666

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The OLWEUS program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors.

Designed, implemented and researched by Clemson University

Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Trained OLWEUS teams on-site at Elmwood.

One of few programs that involve parents at all levels.

5OLWEUS bullying questionnaires were done with random student sampling before the end of last school year. These results allowed us to develop a plan for the 2011-12 school year.

parent involvement.Peer relationship developmentOngoing adult intervention and monitoringOpen communication between students, parents and Elmwood staff.Results indicate a need for;

6You are a vital part of your childs success at school.To support our overall efforts to create a safe and healthy learning environment for all Elmwood students, you are being included as a key participant on your childs anti-bullying team.

7We will be following five basicanti-bullying rules

81. We know what bullying looks like.Bullying is.actions meant to hurt someones body or feelings, like hitting, spreading rumors or leaving someone out.

This has happened more than once.

Somebody in the situation seems to be stronger and somebody seems to be weaker.

92. We will not bully othersWe will keep our hands and feet to ourselves.We will choose our words with care.

103. We will try to help students who are bullied.We will help them walk away.We will help them find an adult.

.114. We will include students who are left out.The more, the merrier!Everyone needs friends

125. If we know that someone is being bullied; we will tell an adult at home or at school.

13Teachers will hold classroom meetings every week

14We will use class meetings to provide information through;

ConversationGamesVideosRole-playingBucket filling

15What is bucket-filling?

JohnnyEvery student gets to be the bucket person at least once during the schoolyear.

During their week, other students in the classroom write down the nice things they notice that person doingor saying, then put their note in the bucket. At then end of the week, itis read aloud for everyone to hear.

In this way, children learn to desire positive attention from their peers.

16Your student will learn which of the eight roles they play in bullying situations, including;Student who is bullied the one who receives the mistreatment.Student who bullies the one who starts the bullying and takes an active part.The follower student who takes an active part, but does not start it.Supporter supports the bullying behavior, but does not take an active part.

17Passive Supporter Likes the bullying, but does not display open support.Disengaged onlooker Watches what happens, but does not take a stand.Possible defender Dislikes the bullying and think they should help, but does not.Defender dislikes the bullying and tries to help the person being bullied.

18They will also learn to change their role by;Using Classroom meetings to better understand the feelings of their peers.

Practicing what they have learned on the playground, classroom, hallways, bus-rides and everywhere they interact with friends.

Practicing their new skills at home with family and in the community.

This will make the bullying stop immediately, right?

Actually, no.Research has proven that bullying reports will increase for a short time as students become more comfortable with telling. This is a good thing!It means that our children are taking bullying seriously and are not going to tolerate it at their school.

20What do I do if?My students reports bullying to me?Call the office. Report the incident. Call someone you trust at the school.Go over the five rules and eight roles with your student. Invite them to take an active role by telling.

21What if?My child is bullying others?Take a deep breath and call the office. Send a note to your childs teacher, or call someone else you trust at the school.We will make a plan that both helps to correct the bullying behavior and maintains your childs dignity.after all, these are children. They are bound to make mistakes.

22Will they still get in trouble?The school disciplinary policy will still be enforced. It is our intention that the need for discipline will be reduced and the consequences less considerable by intervening in situations before they become significant.

23This is a team effortYour child , like any other is an important person.We want to maintain your childs emotional and physical safety while at school.A child who feels safe and comfortable will learn better.We are working on this together. We all want the best for our students.

What can I do to help?Maintain an open line of communication with your childs teacher and others at the school.

Practice your childs new skills with them at home and in the community. Praise their efforts.

Contact informationElmwood Elementary School(419) 655-2583 extension 1Building Principal Mrs. Michelle TuiteE-mail tuitm@elmwoodschools.orgElementary Secretary Mrs. Amy HoilesE-mail hoila@elmwoodschools.orgA complete list of staff contact information is available on the Elmwood website at;www.elmwood.k12.oh.us