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what is bullying?
Bullying occurs when someone acts aggressively towards your child in order
to gain power over him or her.
Bullying is a deliberate attempt to make your child feel uncomfortable or
unhappy.
To help your school be a safe and happy place for your child, it is
important that you work with the school to solve any bullying problem.
Bullies can be anywhere…at school, at work, even neighbours. It is important
that your child learns to deal with bullies.
YCMHS High School has zero tolerance for bullying. =But remember, if we don’t know about it, we can’t solve it.
BULLYING CAN BE…
- Giving
nasty looks
- Making
rude gestures
- Calling
names
- Being
rude and impolite
-
Spreading stories and rumours
- Teasing
- Keeping
someone out of a group
- Acting
in an unpleasant way near someone
- Hurting
someone physically
- ‘Mucking
about’ that goes too far
-
Harassment
- Any form
of discrimination based on disability, gender, race or religion.
YOUR CHILD MAY BE BEING BULLIED IF HE/SHE…
- Suddenly
does not want to go to school
- Has
bruises but won’t talk about them
- Suddenly
unable to sleep
- Becomes
moody
-
Frequently feels sick with vague symptoms
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
- Assure
your child that the problem can be solved
- Let the
school know that your child is being bullied by contacting your child’s
Year Adviser, the School Counsellor or the Principal
-
Communicate and co-operate with the school until the problem is solved
- Explain
to your child that bullies are usually people with a problem themselves
and use bullying others as a way to make themselves feel good
- Bullies
are often victims themselves
- Bullies
often have poor social skills and do not know how to behave towards
others in a positive way
- Explain
that bullies know that what they are doing is wrong and the reason that
they pressure their victims not to tell is because they are afraid
- Develop
your child’s sense of humour and tolerance of others
-
Positively reinforce your child’s self esteem and sense of self worth
- Develop
your child’s social skills by teaching him or her to share and to
co-operate with others in group situations
NO ONE HAS
THE RIGHT TO BULLY ANYONE ELSE
Children who
are bullied feel frightened and powerless. They sometimes blame themselves.
Being bullied can seriously harm self-esteem and prevent successful
learning. It is
important that the victim take the appropriate action to stop the bullying.
Ignoring the
bullying behaviour is only a short-term strategy. If the bullying continues
more than a few days some other action needs to be taken. Avoiding the
situation by going to another school may not solve the problem as there are
bullies everywhere. Responding to
bullying by retaliation or with violence rarely solves the problem and often
gets the victim in more trouble with other students and with the school
discipline code. The school cannot tolerate violence no matter what the
reason.
The most
appropriate action is to tell someone at the school and work with the school
staff to solve the problem.
IF YOUR
CHILD IS BEING BULLIED…
Tell your
child that:
- It is
not his or her fault
- He or
she has the right to feel safe and happy
- He or
she has the right not to be bullied
- It is
all right to walk away
- It can
be stopped
- It is
all right to tell the school staff
- By
acting on the bullying you are also protecting other students from the
bully.
WHAT WILL
THE SCHOOL DO IF BULLYING IS REPORTED?
- Assure
him/her that the problem can be solved and then provide ongoing support
- Investigate the problems raised
- Treat
everyone involved with fairness
- Take
action that is appropriate to the particular circumstances – this may
be:
o Mediation
o Disciplinary action
o Warnings
o Social skills program
o Counselling
o Parental involvement
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