JAGUARS COUNSELING DEN
October 2020 Volume 2 Issue 2
WELCOME FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP SCHOOL FAMILY!
RESPECT WEEK... OCTOBER 5-9, 2020
A Month of Awareness, a Week of RESPECT, a Day of Unity & a Week for Red Ribbon
Typically RESPECT week, the annual week of awareness, education and action around harassment, intimidation and bullying, takes place the first week of October. We will also be rallying around a central theme of unity as distributed by PACER’s Nationally Bulling Prevention Center. Everything is set to culminate with Unity Day on Friday, October 9th!
During the week of October 23-31, FTS will commemorate Red Ribbon Week with various activities denouncing drug & alcohol abuse.
Unity Day – Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Wear and share orange to show that we are together against bullying, and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Make it ORANGE and make it end! What are your true colors when it comes to showing that you believe that all youth should be safe from bullying? Come together in one giant ORANGE message of hope and support, WEAR AND SHARE ORANGE to color our nation, and even the world, visibly showing that our society believes that no child should ever experience bullying.
“ORANGE provides a powerful, visually compelling expression of solidarity,” said Paula Goldberg, Executive Director of PACER Center. “Whether it’s hundreds of individuals at a school wearing ORANGE, store owners offering ORANGE products, or a community changing a landmark to ORANGE, the vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, sending the supportive, universal message that bullying is never acceptable behavior.”
A Day of Unity
On Wednesday, October 21, the entire school will be wearing orange, the official color of Unity Day. Overall the collaborative involvement of staff and students throughout the month will reinforce our commitment to helping our students cultivate a sense of self which leads to an understanding of what is important to them and encourage within them feelings of being worthy, deserving, and entitled to be happy.
Established in 2010, the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (P.L. 2010, c.122) ensures that schools are prepared to recognize, report and prevent bullying. It also takes steps to ensure that schools are creating a positive environment for students.
For more information about New Jersey anti-bullying legislation, visit http://www.njea.org/issues-and-political-action/anti-bullying.
RED RIBBON WEEK... OCTOBER 23-31, 2020
WHAT is RED RIBBON WEEK and WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, reaching millions of young people each year. This year’s event will take place October 23-31.
According to the Red Ribbon Week website, this event is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.
Red Ribbon Week was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying red ribbons as a symbol of intolerance toward the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a Drug-Free America.
National Family Partnership is the sponsor of this annual celebration. They are helping citizens across the country come together to keep children, families and communities safe, healthy and drug-free, through parent training, networking and sponsoring events.
With over thirty annual events having taken place, you might ask, “Is Red Ribbon Week effective?” According to Peggy Sapp, President of National Family Partnership, consider the following:
- Red Ribbon Week is an environmental strategy, which means it doesn’t just affect a small group but usually goes beyond schools, churches and other groups into the broader community.
- Red Ribbon Week is designed to be an awareness campaign that gets information to the general public about the dangers of drug use.
- Red Ribbon Week is designed to get people talking to other people and working on activities that will help rebuild a sense of community and common purpose.
- Red Ribbon Week is designed to help parents and schools deliver an effective drug prevention curriculum.
- Red Ribbon Week is designed to create critical mass, which is necessary to reduce destructive social norms/behaviors and promote positive social norms/behaviors.
- Red Ribbon Week is designed to be positive and fun, two things necessary to maintain good mental health.