Bullying is a Serious Issue
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time.
School bullying takes on many forms, and it is done by both girls and boys. A recent U.S. study shows that 17 percent of all students reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more often. This amounts to almost one in five students.
At ASU Preparatory we are committed to reducing bullying on our campus and more importantly creating a welcoming culture for ALL of our students. The Olweus program is committed to creating a climate of acceptance by:
1) Having all staff members understand the importance of intervening when they see a bullying a situation
2) Holding weekly classroom meetings to promote community within the classroom and campus
3) Providing clear and consistent consequences when there is a bullying incident.
For more information on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program please feel free to go to
http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/index.page
You will also be able to see weekly classroom meeting ideas for students in grades K-12. Please feel free to ask your student(s) at the end of the week regarding the week's topic. It is a wonderful way to see how your student(s) is feeling about the culture of your school.
Session 1 - Week 1 (August 1-5)
This week classroom teachers can focus on the definition of bullying as defined by Dan Olweus:
Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.
This is also a time to start discussing the 4 bullying prevention rules that are instituted on campus:
1. We will not bully others.
2. We will try to help students who are bullied.
3. We will try to include students who are left out.
4. If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
Make sure to talk about the suggestion boxes in your rooms where students can anonymously report bullying as well as where they can provide input to teachers about our school and classrooms. You can refer to document 11 on the Teacher Guide CD ROM to help guide you in this discussion as well as to how to start a classroom meeting and how to create an environment of inclusiveness specifically during these classroom meeting times.
This is a good link about the importance of bystander activity. (Click to see the video.)
Session 2 - Week 2 (August 8-12)
This should be the week you go into rule #1 in detail. Again, refer to document number 12 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #1 - We will not bully others.
Session 3 - Week 3 (August 15-19)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #2 in detail. Please refer to document number 13 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #2 - We will try to help students who are bullied.
Session 4 - Week 4 (August 22-26)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #3 in detail. Please refer to document number 14 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #3 - We will try to include students who are left out.
Session 5 - Week 5 (August 29 - September 2)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #4 in detail. Please refer to document number 15 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #4 - If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
Session 6 - Tips for Dealing with Meanness and Bullying (September 6 - September 9)
This is an opportunity to work with students to discuss what they should do when/if they encounter bullying. Often times we want to give them the answers but let them brainstorm and then have them role play in small groups what they would actually say and do. Please make sure you intentionally divide up the groups randomly but also make sure the students do not choose who will play the the child who is bullying someone or who is being bullied as this may be too "real" for some students if they have experienced bulling issues first hand in the past. Some tips for dealing with meanness and bullying can be found at this link.
School bullying takes on many forms, and it is done by both girls and boys. A recent U.S. study shows that 17 percent of all students reported having been bullied "sometimes" or more often. This amounts to almost one in five students.
At ASU Preparatory we are committed to reducing bullying on our campus and more importantly creating a welcoming culture for ALL of our students. The Olweus program is committed to creating a climate of acceptance by:
1) Having all staff members understand the importance of intervening when they see a bullying a situation
2) Holding weekly classroom meetings to promote community within the classroom and campus
3) Providing clear and consistent consequences when there is a bullying incident.
For more information on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program please feel free to go to
http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/index.page
You will also be able to see weekly classroom meeting ideas for students in grades K-12. Please feel free to ask your student(s) at the end of the week regarding the week's topic. It is a wonderful way to see how your student(s) is feeling about the culture of your school.
Session 1 - Week 1 (August 1-5)
This week classroom teachers can focus on the definition of bullying as defined by Dan Olweus:
Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.
This is also a time to start discussing the 4 bullying prevention rules that are instituted on campus:
1. We will not bully others.
2. We will try to help students who are bullied.
3. We will try to include students who are left out.
4. If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
Make sure to talk about the suggestion boxes in your rooms where students can anonymously report bullying as well as where they can provide input to teachers about our school and classrooms. You can refer to document 11 on the Teacher Guide CD ROM to help guide you in this discussion as well as to how to start a classroom meeting and how to create an environment of inclusiveness specifically during these classroom meeting times.
This is a good link about the importance of bystander activity. (Click to see the video.)
Session 2 - Week 2 (August 8-12)
This should be the week you go into rule #1 in detail. Again, refer to document number 12 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #1 - We will not bully others.
Session 3 - Week 3 (August 15-19)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #2 in detail. Please refer to document number 13 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #2 - We will try to help students who are bullied.
Session 4 - Week 4 (August 22-26)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #3 in detail. Please refer to document number 14 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #3 - We will try to include students who are left out.
Session 5 - Week 5 (August 29 - September 2)
This week classroom meetings should focus on rule #4 in detail. Please refer to document number 15 in chapter 6 of the Teacher Guide CD-Rom. It will go into detail the areas you should be speaking to on Rule #4 - If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
Session 6 - Tips for Dealing with Meanness and Bullying (September 6 - September 9)
This is an opportunity to work with students to discuss what they should do when/if they encounter bullying. Often times we want to give them the answers but let them brainstorm and then have them role play in small groups what they would actually say and do. Please make sure you intentionally divide up the groups randomly but also make sure the students do not choose who will play the the child who is bullying someone or who is being bullied as this may be too "real" for some students if they have experienced bulling issues first hand in the past. Some tips for dealing with meanness and bullying can be found at this link.
Classroom meetings should start with showing the video link below and discussing the article below the video. It details a Utah football coach who suspended his entire team for poor grades, cyber bullying, skipping classes and general disrespect towards teachers and adults on campus. Discussions should be focused on what classroom/school expectations for behavior are and what consequences students think are appropriate for inappropriate behaviors such as poor grades, bullying, not only for sports teams, but those involved in other school activities, and/or for those students who may not be involved in those types of group activities. I would like all classrooms to send me a list of consequences that students felt would be appropriate. Also, make sure to discuss what consequences are appropriate if there are reoccurring issues.
http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/23873858/life-lessons-humble-suspended-players-on-high-school-football-team
http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/23873858/life-lessons-humble-suspended-players-on-high-school-football-team
Session 7 (September 12-16)
Often times individuals are labeled for the way the act. Or a "double standard" is created for men and women. Use this week's classroom session to talk about labels and how they are created for individuals. Talk about how labels can be positive and negative and how they can be interpreted or perceived differently for people based on gender, socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Use the video below to help facilitate the discussion.
http://www.upworthy.com/nailed-it-this-ad-calls-out-5-ridiculous-double-standards-women-face-in-less-than-60-seconds-2?c=ufb1
Session 8 (September 19-23)
In a society where everyone is under scrutiny online, what are your thoughts regarding the public shaming of people? Have the students read the article below and discuss if there are different standards for "famous" people. Also have them discuss the potential negative effects of public shaming for individuals and how others who are reading or witnessing such things are effected by these behaviors. You can go into specifics about this particular article and how public shaming others in regards to their weight or appearance has an effect on individuals.
https://www.yahoo.com/style/fat-shaming-kendall-jenner-fashion-week-98159052228.html
Session 9 Leadership Discussions(September 26-30)
This week classroom meetings should pick at least 1 but no more than 3 of the following 9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People. Depending on grade level you will need to be conscientious of what beliefs you choose. For instance, grades K-5 might want to focus on belief number 2, "the people around me are the people I choose." Take this time to discuss what makes a good friend, how to choose a good friend, what to do if your friends are making you unhappy, etc. Middle school/high school might want to focus on belief number 8, "people who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do." You can use this belief to speak about the importance of students listening to parents as they are essentially "paid" by parents to do school work, etc. by housing them, clothing them, paying for their cell phones, etc.
9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People
1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time.
Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks. Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take. Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your "free" time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively.
2. The people around me are the people I chose.
Some of your employees drive you nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your friends are selfish, all-about-me jerks. You chose them. If the people around you make you unhappy it's not their fault. It's your fault. They're in your professional or personal life because you drew them to you - and you let them remain. Think about the type of people you want to work with. Think about the types of customers you would enjoy serving. Think about the friends you want to have. Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Hardworking people want to work with hardworking people. Kind people like to associate with kind people. Remarkable employees want to work for remarkable bosses. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people.
3. I have never paid my dues.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the tangible contribution you make on a daily basis. No matter what you've done or accomplished in the past, you're never too good to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and do the grunt work. No job is ever too menial, no task ever too unskilled or boring. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled - except to the fruits of their labor.
4. Experience is irrelevant. Accomplishments are everything.
You have "10 years in the Web design business." Whoopee. I don't care how long you've been doing what you do. Years of service indicate nothing; you could be the worst 10-year programmer in the world. I care about what you've done: how many sites you've created, how many back-end systems you've installed, how many customer-specific applications you've developed (and what kind)...all that matters is what you've done. Successful people don't need to describe themselves using hyperbolic adjectives like passionate, innovative, driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they've done.
5. Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me.
Ask people why they have been successful. Their answers will be filled with personal pronouns: I, me, and the sometimes too occasional we. Ask them why they failed. Most will revert to childhood and instinctively distance themselves, like the kid who says "My toy got broken..." instead of, "I broke my toy." They'll say the economy tanked. They'll say the market wasn't ready. They'll say their suppliers couldn't keep up. They'll say it was someone or something else. And by distancing themselves, they don't learn from their failures. Occasionally something completely outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time, though, it's you. And that's okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. That's why they're successful now. Embrace every failure: own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently.
6. Volunteers always win.
Whenever you raise your hand you wind up being asked to do more. That's great. Doing more is an opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new relationships - to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do. Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities. Remarkably successful people sprint forward.
7. As long as I'm paid well, it's all good.
Specialization is good. Focus is good. Finding a niche is good. Generating revenue is great. Anything a customer will pay you a reasonable price to do - as long as it isn't unethical, immoral, or illegal - is something you should do. Your customers want you to deliver outside your normal territory? If they'll pay you for it, fine. They want you to add services you don't normally include? If they'll pay you for it, fine. The customer wants you to perform some relatively manual labor and you're a high-tech shop? Shut up, roll 'em up, do the work, and get paid. Only do what you want to do and you might build and okay business. Be willing to do what customers want you to do and you can build a successful business. Be willing to do even more and you can build a remarkable business. And speaking of customers...
8. People who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do.
Get over your cocky, pretentious, I-must-be-free-to-express-my-individuality self. Be that way on your own time. The people who pay you, whether customers or employers, earn the right to dictate what you do and how you do it - sometimes down to the last detail. Instead of complaining, work to align what you like to do with what the people who pay you want you to do. Then you turn issues like control and micro-management into non-issues.
9. The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland.
Everyone says they go the extra mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who go their think, "Wait...no one else is here...why am I doing this?" and leave, never to return. That's why the extra mile is such a lonely place. That's also why the extra mile is a place filled with opportunities. Be early. Stay late. Make the extra phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload or unpack a shipment. Don't wait to be asked; offer. Don't just tell employees what do to - show them what to do and work beside them. Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do - especially if other people aren't doing that one thing. Sure, it's hard. But that's what will make you different.
And over time, that's what will make you incredibly successful.
(source: Yahoo Small Business Advisor, INC.com, by Jeff Haden, 2013)
October 3-4, 2016
Now that we are entering the last week of our first quarter it is a good time to ask students how we are doing as a school. Show this video and ask what they see. Ask if they see our school in one light or the other? What can we do better as parents or adults on campus? How would they feel if someone treated them in each of the two ways? Use this video to spark discussion and then make sure to share with parent/guardian during ILP.
Future Session (January 18th-22nd)
Monday, January 18th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it's a good week to talk about values and what legacy our students want to leave behind. Below is a link to eight values we would like to see all individuals have. Share the article with students and talk about how they instill these values in their daily lives and if they aren't or don't as often as they would like what they can do in the future to instill those values. This would be a great opportunity to use this as a writing prompt to integrate into the curriculum of Language Arts or Social Studies. And potentially it could turn into a group project where students can work together to make some of their ideas come to life. Using the quotes provided in the article alone could lead to some great writing prompts, particularly as we are set to enter black history month.
http://fun.familyeducation.com/martin-luther-king-jr/african-american-leaders/74635.html
Often times individuals are labeled for the way the act. Or a "double standard" is created for men and women. Use this week's classroom session to talk about labels and how they are created for individuals. Talk about how labels can be positive and negative and how they can be interpreted or perceived differently for people based on gender, socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Use the video below to help facilitate the discussion.
http://www.upworthy.com/nailed-it-this-ad-calls-out-5-ridiculous-double-standards-women-face-in-less-than-60-seconds-2?c=ufb1
Session 8 (September 19-23)
In a society where everyone is under scrutiny online, what are your thoughts regarding the public shaming of people? Have the students read the article below and discuss if there are different standards for "famous" people. Also have them discuss the potential negative effects of public shaming for individuals and how others who are reading or witnessing such things are effected by these behaviors. You can go into specifics about this particular article and how public shaming others in regards to their weight or appearance has an effect on individuals.
https://www.yahoo.com/style/fat-shaming-kendall-jenner-fashion-week-98159052228.html
Session 9 Leadership Discussions(September 26-30)
This week classroom meetings should pick at least 1 but no more than 3 of the following 9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People. Depending on grade level you will need to be conscientious of what beliefs you choose. For instance, grades K-5 might want to focus on belief number 2, "the people around me are the people I choose." Take this time to discuss what makes a good friend, how to choose a good friend, what to do if your friends are making you unhappy, etc. Middle school/high school might want to focus on belief number 8, "people who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do." You can use this belief to speak about the importance of students listening to parents as they are essentially "paid" by parents to do school work, etc. by housing them, clothing them, paying for their cell phones, etc.
9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People
1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time.
Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks. Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take. Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your "free" time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively.
2. The people around me are the people I chose.
Some of your employees drive you nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your friends are selfish, all-about-me jerks. You chose them. If the people around you make you unhappy it's not their fault. It's your fault. They're in your professional or personal life because you drew them to you - and you let them remain. Think about the type of people you want to work with. Think about the types of customers you would enjoy serving. Think about the friends you want to have. Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Hardworking people want to work with hardworking people. Kind people like to associate with kind people. Remarkable employees want to work for remarkable bosses. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people.
3. I have never paid my dues.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the tangible contribution you make on a daily basis. No matter what you've done or accomplished in the past, you're never too good to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and do the grunt work. No job is ever too menial, no task ever too unskilled or boring. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled - except to the fruits of their labor.
4. Experience is irrelevant. Accomplishments are everything.
You have "10 years in the Web design business." Whoopee. I don't care how long you've been doing what you do. Years of service indicate nothing; you could be the worst 10-year programmer in the world. I care about what you've done: how many sites you've created, how many back-end systems you've installed, how many customer-specific applications you've developed (and what kind)...all that matters is what you've done. Successful people don't need to describe themselves using hyperbolic adjectives like passionate, innovative, driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they've done.
5. Failure is something I accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me.
Ask people why they have been successful. Their answers will be filled with personal pronouns: I, me, and the sometimes too occasional we. Ask them why they failed. Most will revert to childhood and instinctively distance themselves, like the kid who says "My toy got broken..." instead of, "I broke my toy." They'll say the economy tanked. They'll say the market wasn't ready. They'll say their suppliers couldn't keep up. They'll say it was someone or something else. And by distancing themselves, they don't learn from their failures. Occasionally something completely outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time, though, it's you. And that's okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. That's why they're successful now. Embrace every failure: own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things will turn out differently.
6. Volunteers always win.
Whenever you raise your hand you wind up being asked to do more. That's great. Doing more is an opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new relationships - to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do. Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities. Remarkably successful people sprint forward.
7. As long as I'm paid well, it's all good.
Specialization is good. Focus is good. Finding a niche is good. Generating revenue is great. Anything a customer will pay you a reasonable price to do - as long as it isn't unethical, immoral, or illegal - is something you should do. Your customers want you to deliver outside your normal territory? If they'll pay you for it, fine. They want you to add services you don't normally include? If they'll pay you for it, fine. The customer wants you to perform some relatively manual labor and you're a high-tech shop? Shut up, roll 'em up, do the work, and get paid. Only do what you want to do and you might build and okay business. Be willing to do what customers want you to do and you can build a successful business. Be willing to do even more and you can build a remarkable business. And speaking of customers...
8. People who pay me always have the right to tell me what to do.
Get over your cocky, pretentious, I-must-be-free-to-express-my-individuality self. Be that way on your own time. The people who pay you, whether customers or employers, earn the right to dictate what you do and how you do it - sometimes down to the last detail. Instead of complaining, work to align what you like to do with what the people who pay you want you to do. Then you turn issues like control and micro-management into non-issues.
9. The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland.
Everyone says they go the extra mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who go their think, "Wait...no one else is here...why am I doing this?" and leave, never to return. That's why the extra mile is such a lonely place. That's also why the extra mile is a place filled with opportunities. Be early. Stay late. Make the extra phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload or unpack a shipment. Don't wait to be asked; offer. Don't just tell employees what do to - show them what to do and work beside them. Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do - especially if other people aren't doing that one thing. Sure, it's hard. But that's what will make you different.
And over time, that's what will make you incredibly successful.
(source: Yahoo Small Business Advisor, INC.com, by Jeff Haden, 2013)
October 3-4, 2016
Now that we are entering the last week of our first quarter it is a good time to ask students how we are doing as a school. Show this video and ask what they see. Ask if they see our school in one light or the other? What can we do better as parents or adults on campus? How would they feel if someone treated them in each of the two ways? Use this video to spark discussion and then make sure to share with parent/guardian during ILP.
Future Session (January 18th-22nd)
Monday, January 18th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it's a good week to talk about values and what legacy our students want to leave behind. Below is a link to eight values we would like to see all individuals have. Share the article with students and talk about how they instill these values in their daily lives and if they aren't or don't as often as they would like what they can do in the future to instill those values. This would be a great opportunity to use this as a writing prompt to integrate into the curriculum of Language Arts or Social Studies. And potentially it could turn into a group project where students can work together to make some of their ideas come to life. Using the quotes provided in the article alone could lead to some great writing prompts, particularly as we are set to enter black history month.
http://fun.familyeducation.com/martin-luther-king-jr/african-american-leaders/74635.html