PERSONAL BEST PARENT UPDATE
...FROM DONALD F. GATELY ED.D.
OCTOBER 18, 2019 VOLUME VII NO. 4
Bully Prevention Kickoff TOMORROW!
We can be heroes
Tomorrow is our annual Bully Prevention Kickoff! Every year we designate a day to mark our commitment to fulfill the promise that is on our bright yellow T-shirts, We Don’t Stand by, We Stand up! This is the core of our bully prevention program. The person who is least likely to be able to stop bullying is the victim. Our approach to bully prevention is predicated on the idea that we need to stand up for each other. We teach kids how to do it too. The LEADER strategies are a set of specific strategies that can be used when we are aware a bullying situation is occurring.
It’s not easy for a middle school student to stand up in the face of bullying. As adults we think it’s uncomplicated but it’s not. To stand up in the face of bullying means to put yourself out there, to stand out from the crowd. And, if there’s one thing middle school students don’t like to do, it’s to appear different. Each year, we take a different theme for our bully prevention efforts. Our theme this year is: “We can be heroes”. The intent of this focus is for students to contemplate how they can be a hero to someone else, simply by standing up for them. Heroes don’t always wear tights and a cape. We can be heroes simply by including someone who is always left out, distracting a bully by making a joke, empowering a bully victim by making a bucket-filler comment, telling an adult or getting help when someone is being bullied.
As adults we can do our part by constantly reinforcing these themes with kids, recognizing when students don’t stand by, help them discover all those qualities that make them heroes!
So why don’t you stop by tomorrow and join us at some point during the day. You’re welcome to come to the assembly or join us at the track during one of the periods that your child is walking. Some parents have even done their daily run with us. We’ll be happy to give you a necklace and some feet.
Rohan Murphy
Schedule for the Kickoff
Weather and clothes
Lunch
Sponsors
JERICHO MIDDLE SCHOOL
Email: dgately@jerichoschools.org
Website: jerichoschools.org
Location: 99 Old Cedar Swamp Road, Jericho, NY, USA
Phone: 516-203-3600
Twitter: @JERICHOMS