Riverhead Middle School Anti-Bullying Project Workshops
(January 24, 2011 – Riverhead, NY) “The faculty and staff at the Middle School are committed to creating a school culture in which everyone is treated with dignity,” states RMS Assistant Principal Patricia Nugent. “We recognize that in order to do this we need to sustain a safe environment for all of our students. As in any school, to achieve this goal we must acknowledge that bullying can occur within the school community.”
Bullying has consistently been addressed at the Middle School and the administration and teachers have enhanced the curriculum to include a specific Anti-Bullying unit in the seventh grade Home and Careers classes and the eighth grade Health classes.
Middle school students don’t always realize what “Bullying” means.
The first step is to help students realize what defines “Bullying” in a school setting. The RMS teachers have created units to help students with this realization, including:
- Participation in a student survey to generate conversations about bullying
- Clarification about the types and effects of bullying
- Discussion about the importance of reporting bullying situations
- Video clips depicting bullying situations
- Decision making and feeling empathy for peers in that situation
- Discussions about current events
- Posters and public service video announcements designed by students
- Reviewing school policies outlined in student agenda book
- Discussion about the importance of reporting bullying situations, the effects of bullying, decision making and feeling empathy for peers in that situation.
Bullying is a prevalent issue that is being addressed in the media and through the internet.
RMS is fortunate to have a licensed Clinical Social worker from the Pederson-Krag Center, Ms. Maria Spera, who provides support services for students at the Middle School. During January, Ms. Spera facilitated lessons about bullying with students in grades seven and eight and discussed with them very basic, real-life scenarios of bullying and provided them with problem solving strategies to address these possible situations.
The workshops and classroom discussions will be followed up in the Spring with an assembly and theatre production entitled Class Dismissed: The Bullying Project. This original musical will be presented by Theatre Three and addresses the issue of bullying in schools. The performance focuses on bullying in the classroom, cafeteria and the schoolyard, with strong emphasis on the rising incidents of bullying via the internet.
“We want all students to feel valued and respected in our school,” states RMS Principal Andrea Peakar. “As a school, we take any report of bullying seriously. Bullying will be responded to through a continuum of consequences, which will be reviewed with all students. Some situations that occur can be resolved through mediations, either by peers or support staff."
"We encourage you to discuss bullying with your child," writes Ms. Pekar in a letter to the parents and guardians of her middle school students. "If you feel your child is being bullied or is involved in bullying, support for your child is available at the Middle School."
Also view the following websites:
www.bullying.org
www.pta.org/bullying.asp
www.nobully.com
Source: Riverhead Central School District press release dated Jan. 24, 2011
Photo by Sandra Kolbo, courtey Riverhead Central School District