October is National Bullying Prevention Month
The month of October is National Bullying Prevention month and we are using this month as a teachable moment. Here are some statistics on bullying:
- More than 1 in 5 students report being bullied
- 57% of bullying situations STOP when a peer intervenes on behalf of the bullied student
- The top reasons for being bullied are: looks 55%, body shape 37%, and race 16%
Source: www.pacer.org/bullying
Each Monday students are taught a "cool tool" lesson over a variety of topics. This month all cool tools are devoted to the topic of bullying prevention. Throughout the month of October we will be teaching students about recognizing bullying, how to handle bullying situations, and what adults students can go to when faced with bullying. In addition to cool tool lessons our student counsel is sponsoring a series of activities that are designed to bring awareness to this important topic. On Friday, October 20 Officer Jeff Bean from the "Act on Bullying" group will be at GMS to talk to students about bullying. Not only will we be engaging students about the topic of bullying but we would also like to engage with Parents about this important topic as well. A representative from the Center For Prevention of Abuse will be coming to GMS to talk with Parents about this important topic. I will be passing along more information about this coming up very soon.
Recently, GMS students were asked to take a school climate survey that was sponsored by PBIS. The purpose of the survey was to provide us with information regarding our school climate from the perspective of students. We were able to use this information to gauge students feelings about the climate of GMS. With four being the top score, overall students rated GMS at a three. This information tells us that students have a pretty good feeling about the climate at GMS. Although it is good to hear this news from students we understand that school climate is always something we are looking to improve upon. Below are some useful resources on the topic of bullying.
Act On Bullying - Bullying Prevention
Act On Bullying - Monitoring Software
Act On Bullying - Social Media