Uniforms
Are Available From the School
__________________________________________
Anti-Bullying Policy
December
2011
Regina
Coeli Primary School is committed to providing a safe and caring environment
which fosters respect for others and does not tolerate bullying.
Bullying
is when someone, or a group of people, who have more power at the time,
deliberately upset or hurt another person on more than one occasion.
Bullying
is not:
a situation where there is mutual conflict i.e. a balance of power where
students are both upset and usually want a resolution to the problem.
social rejection or dislike
single
episodes of nastiness or meanness or random acts of aggression or intimidation.
Regina
Coeli school does not tolerate any form of bullying be it:
Physical (hitting, kicking, punching, pushing, shoving, spitting, taking
or damaging something that belongs to someone else, forcing others
to hand over food, money or something that belongs to them, make someone
do something they dont want to, sexual abuse)
Emotional (being left out, ignored, rumour spreading, putdowns)
Verbal (name calling, putdowns, swearing, teasing, threatening, making
fun of someone because of their appearance, physical characteristics or
cultural background, making fun of someones actions)
Psychological (excluding others from the game or group, spreading untrue
stories about others, making someone do something they dont want to do,
dirty looks, staring, whispers, stalking, standover tactics, making rude
gestures)
Cyber (sending bullying or inappropriate comments about another person
via email, websites, blogs, text messages, messaging, chat room discussions,
discussion boards)
Strategies
to deal with bullying
At
Regina Coeli we will:
Openly talk about bullying what it is, how it affects us - what we can
do about it.
Teach our children the skills that will build their self-esteem and empower
them to take responsibility for themselves and give them the opportunity
to practise these skills. Children are taught anti-bullying responses during
Personal Development classes.
Formulate a policy that clearly states what actions we will take to deal
with bullying behaviour.
Encourage the child to tell a staff member or his/her parent.
Record and track incidences of bullying.
Commit to following-up the incident with those involved.
Assist those involved to negotiate a solution that is mutually agreeable.
Once a solution is established invite the parents to be part of the solution.
Review and enforce rules of behaviour (in Discipline Policy).
Responsibilities
of staff:
To model appropriate behaviour at all times;
To take bullying seriously and deal with all reported and observed incidences
of
bullying as set out in this policy;
To teach students ways of dealing with bullies and how not to be a bully;
To ensure that children are supervised at all times;
To report incidences of bullying to the Principal or Assistant Principal;
To raise aware awareness through the Curriculum.
Responsibilities
of students:
To tell if they are being bullied or if they see someone else being bullied
both at school and on the way to and from school;
To help someone who is being bullied;
To not bully others;
To demonstrate self discipline and self control;
To show respect and care for others;
To be tolerant of personal differences.
Responsibility
of parents:
To model appropriate behaviour at all times.
To be informed about bullying. Parents may locate further information
at:
www.kidscape.org.uk/parents/signsof.shtml
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/stuman/wellbeing/SS_Parents-factsheet_ENGLISH.pdf
http://www.bullyingnoway.com.au/talkout/spotlight/cyberBullyingParents.shtml
To watch out for the signs that their child may be being bullied.
To firstly speak to their childs class teacher if their child is being
bullied, or if they
suspect that this is happening.
To encourage their children to tell if they are being bullied.
At
Regina Coeli:-
Children
are taught anti-bullying responses during Personal Development classes.
Any
form of bullying is referred immediately to the Assistant Principal or
Principal and the following action taken:
Parents of both the victim and the bully will be notified.
The school will monitor the situation closely to ensure that repeat episodes
do not occur.
If necessary outside agencies will be contacted to work with the offending
child.
Continued bullying or physical violence may result in:
1.
Suspension from all playground activities for a period to be determined
by the Principal;
2.
Suspension from both the classroom and playground for a period determined
by the Principal; or
3.
In accordance with CEO policy, suspension from the school for a period
to be determined by the Principal.
In
extreme circumstances the Principal of Regina Coeli may transfer a student
from the school to another Catholic school, or may make a submission to
the Executive Director of Schools recommending the expulsion of a student
from the Archdiocesan System of Schools.
Strategies
to prevent bullying will fall within the following broad categories:
Moral education in the context of religious education, liturgies and
assemblies where the value of the individual is affirmed and the importance
of qualities such as compassion, kindness, reconciliation, tolerance, respect
and justice are encouraged.
All in the school community are involved in promoting peace and respect
through the Religious Education Program and Discipline policy.
Children developing positive relationships through the Buddy system.
Teaching specifically related to bullying in the PDHPE curriculum.
Teaching more positive ways of resolving conflict, such as working cooperatively
within the classroom and playground; social skills program; Restorative
Justice strategies.
Staff and students as role models, particularly those in leadership roles
such as buddy support, Student Representative Council (SRC), School and
Sports captains etc.
Provision of activities which develop a culture of caring for one another
and acknowledging the worth and contribution of others and which help to
develop compassion.
Appropriate provision of counselling or other support services.
Provision of support for parents through information evenings, inservices,
support networks etc.
