Bully Awareness Month

Happy October!
It is hard to believe that we have entered our second month of the school year.  Did you know that October is Bully Awareness month?  This month we plan to conduct a school-wide survey to determine how often bullying is occurring at PES and where.  We have a bully committee that will use this data to implement policies to better eliminate bullying.

During the last week in October we plan to have a bully-free assembly where students will learn about the different types of bullying, ways they can prevent bullying, and what to do if they are bullied.  Additionally, each classroom will have a bully-free pledge for students to sign and each child will get a bully-free wrist band to wear.

Here are some ideas for what to do if you are bullied:
Tell an adult immediately.  You can fill out a bully slip, tell your teacher, tell Mrs. Bazemore, Mrs. Jefferson, Miss Smith, etc.  No one will allow bullying to continue once we know about it but it is hard to help if we don't know what is going on.

Tell a friend what is happening.
Ask him or her to help you. It will be harder for the bully to pick on you if you have a friend with you for support.

Try to ignore the bullying or say "That's not cool," then turn and walk away.
You aren't running away, you're picking the peaceful way to handle the problem.  Remember, it is very hard for the bully to go on bullying someone who won't stand still to listen.

Try not to show that you are upset or angry.
Bullies love to get a reaction - it's 'fun'. If you can keep calm and hide your emotions, they might get bored and leave you alone. As one wise Pemberton Penguin said, "they can't bully you if you don't care."

Don't fight back if you can help it.
If you fight back you could make the situation worse, get hurt or be blamed for starting the trouble.

Try to think up funny or clever replies in advance.
Make a joke of it. Replies don't have to be wonderfully brilliant or clever but it helps to have an answer ready. Practice saying them in the mirror at home. Using prepared replies works best if the bully is not too threatening and just needs to be put off. The bully might just decide that you are too clever to pick on.

Try to avoid being alone in the places where you know the bully is likely to pick on you.
It's not fair that you have to do this, but it might put the bully off.  Avoiding may work for a little while but tell an adult if the bullying continues.

Sometimes asking the bully to repeat what they said can put them off.
Say, "I'm sorry, can you say that again?"  Often bullies are not brave enought to repeat the remark exactly so they tone it down. If they repeat it, you will have made them do something they hadn't planned on and this gives you some control of the situation.

Keep a diary of what is happening.
Write down what details of the incidents and your feelings. When you do decide to tell someone, a written record of the bullying makes it easier to prove what has been going on.

Remember:  Telling an adult about bullying is NOT tattling.   If you report bullying your identity is kept confidential.

 Visit the Bully-Free tab to view our pledge!

:o)  Mrs. Bazemore