Hawk Happenings

Building a school community where everyone feels safe, included, and valued

At Steen School, respect is more than a word—it is a choice we make every day through our words, actions, and the way we treat one another. During our Week of Respect, students participated in meaningful lessons and activities designed to strengthen kindness, empathy, inclusion, and responsibility.

From classroom discussions and an inspiring guest speaker to our schoolwide Respect Pledge, we are thankful to Mrs. Pedro for ensuring our Steen Hawks were reminded that every person deserves to feel accepted, appreciated, and respected.

One of our most important messages this week was the need to think carefully about the difference between teasing, joking, and bullying. Children may sometimes say, “I was only joking,” or “I didn’t mean it that way.” While a comment may seem funny to the person saying it, it can be hurtful, embarrassing, or upsetting to the person receiving it. What one child considers harmless teasing may leave another child feeling excluded, targeted, or unsafe. We encourage families to have open, age-appropriate conversations with their children about the impact of their words. Help them understand that intent matters, but impact matters, too. A joke is not automatically harmless simply because someone calls it a joke.

New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act establishes requirements for schools to address harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). Under the law, conduct may fall within the HIB definition when the required criteria are met. Depending on the circumstances, this can involve a single incident or a series of incidents, and it can include verbal, written, physical, or electronic communication.

Not every disagreement, unkind comment, or teasing incident automatically constitutes bullying under the law. However, a reported concern may need to be reviewed by school staff to determine whether it meets the legal definition and requires a formal investigation. This is why even a comment intended as a joke should be taken seriously when it hurts someone or targets a personal characteristic.

Please remind your children:

• If someone asks you to stop, stop.
• If a joke hurts someone, take responsibility and apologize.
• Never use another person's appearance, abilities, differences, or personal characteristics as the punchline.
• If you witness someone being hurt or excluded, speak up safely or tell a trusted adult.
• If you are unsure whether something is appropriate to say, choose kindness.

Our goal is not to make children afraid to speak. It is to help them develop the judgment, empathy, and self-awareness to communicate thoughtfully and repair harm when mistakes happen.

New Jersey's Week of Respect is an important opportunity to teach students about preventing harassment, intimidation, and bullying while building a positive school climate. These conversations and lessons are important throughout the entire school year, not just during one designated week.

Families are encouraged to visit the Bogota Public Schools Anti-Bullying webpage for district information, resources, and guidance:

Bogota Public Schools Anti-Bullying Information

https://www.bogotaboe.com/page/anti-bullying/Together, school staff and families can help students understand the importance of reporting concerns, treating others with dignity, and taking responsibility for their actions.

HIB is simply a legal label required by state law for specific tracking and reporting. Saying an incident is "not HIB" does not mean it is okay, and it does not mean the student gets off without consequences. A non-HIB infraction also does not always mean less severe consequences. It just means it falls under the Code of Conduct instead of state HIB reporting protocols. Consequences are based on the infraction, not how we categorize it.

In order for a HIB to be founded, it must meet the following requirements:

• Unfair power dynamic (one person targeting another).
• Based on protected traits (race, gender, appearance, etc.).
• Triggers mandatory state investigation, paperwork, and logging.

Before saying something, students are encouraged to pause and ask themselves:

TARGET — Who is my comment about?

• Am I directing my words at someone in a way that could embarrass, exclude, or hurt them?
• Would I be comfortable if someone said the same thing about me?

TONE — How am I saying it?

• Does my voice sound kind and respectful?
• Could my words or delivery come across as sarcastic, mean, threatening, or unkind?

TRUTH — Is what I am saying true and helpful?

• Is it accurate, or am I spreading a rumor?
• Does it need to be said?
• Can I express myself in a kinder, more constructive way?

We are grateful to Mrs. Pedro for helping our students build these important communication skills. Families can reinforce the same questions at home, helping children pause, reflect, and make thoughtful choices before speaking or posting online.

One of the highlights of our Week of Respect was a special assembly featuring guest speaker Kelsey Tanish.

Through her inspiring message about resilience, kindness, and overcoming obstacles, Kelsey shared her perspective as someone living with a physical disability resulting from a medical condition. She encouraged our students to look beyond differences, recognize the strengths in others, and understand that every person has value.

Her powerful message reminded our Steen Hawks that:

“Different does not equal less. Different is just different.”

Students were encouraged to approach others with empathy, challenge assumptions, and remember that a person's abilities or physical differences do not define their worth.

We thank Kelsey for sharing her story and reminding us that a kinder, more inclusive world begins with how we treat the people around us.

To bring our Week of Respect lessons together, every student created a Respect Pledge hand as a visual reminder of their commitment to treating others with respect.

Each hand represents our shared promise to choose kindness, use respectful words, include others, and help make Steen School a place where everyone belongs.

Our students demonstrated their understanding that Steen Hawks show respect—and speak with respect!

We are proud of our students for participating in this meaningful schoolwide activity and for helping us build a community rooted in compassion and responsibility.

We value the voices of our Steen families and want to hear about your experiences, perspectives, and suggestions for improving our school climate.

Please take a few moments to complete our School Climate Survey. Your feedback helps us better understand what is working well and where we can continue to grow.

Share Your Feedback Here: https://forms.gle/Ks78YnypWGTx1nAH7

Please participate even if you cannot answer every question! Partial responses are welcome. Every response and perspective can help us better understand our school community and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships, belonging, safety, and respect.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

Our Week of Respect was a wonderful reminder that creating a positive school climate takes all of us. Through thoughtful conversations, classroom lessons, meaningful role models, and student pledges, we are helping our Steen Hawks understand that their words and actions matter.

Let’s continue these conversations at home and at school. Encourage kindness, celebrate differences, model respectful communication, and remind children that they always have the power to make someone feel included.

At Steen School, we choose kindness. We celebrate differences. We speak with respect.

Thank you for partnering with us to make Steen School a welcoming, caring, and respectful place for every student.

With appreciation,

The Steen School Team
Go, Hawks!

Facebook: Lillian M Steen Elementary School Bogota NJ

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Location: 134 West Main Street, Bogota, NJ, USA
Phone: 201.342.6446