BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH
At Collins, we want all of our Coyotes to feel safe and supported! This month we will be recognizing bullying prevention school wide. On Friday we kicked off the theme at our CHAMPS assembly. We appreciate support as we continue to partner with families. There are many reasons why working together is important.
*Children who bully are five times more likely to become adult criminals than those who don’t bully.
*Continual emotional distress can create deficits in a child’s intellectual abilities, hurting the capacity to learn.
*Targets of bullying are more likely to be depressed as adults.
*Preventing bullying lowers rates of vandalism, fighting, theft and truancy.
* Preventing bullying behaviors improves school climate.
We can help change patterns of aggression by developing programs in school and by building homes that are characterized by warmth, positive interest, and adult involvement. Together we can support pro-social behaviors when we set firm limits to unacceptable behavior in non-hostile, consistently teachable ways.
Our Coyote pups will be learning the difference between normal peer conflict and bullying. They will learn how to report and how to get help if they see bullying occur or if they are the target of bullying. We define bullying as one-sided, intentional and repeated behavior. Bullying happens when there is an imbalance of power and someone purposefully hurts, frightens, or threatens someone else. Bullying can also be leaving someone out, teasing, spreading rumors or making offensive comments to someone else. We know that sometimes normal peer conflict and bad behavior occur. When the problem is two-sided, the target is not afraid, the isn’t an imbalance of power and behavior is not repeated, mediation might be the solution.
Our school rules against bullying are:
1. We will not bully others.
2. We will help students who are bullied.
3. We will include students who are left out.
4. If bullying is happening, we will tell an adult at home and at school.
If you would like more information about bullying prevention and how to help your child, please feel free to call the school counselor, Bobbi Northcott at 253- 298-3410. Thank you for your partnership to make Collins a place everyone can learn and build positive relationships!
