November 17th to 23rd is Bullying Awareness Week in Ontario. Bowmore has a strong tradition of utilizing weeks such as this to build capacity and community for all. Students, educators and parents will work together to create a safe and welcoming school community and Bullying Awareness Week allows us to pause and focus on the supports our children might need to be successful in school and in life.
This year students in grades K-3 will continue their understanding of SMART strategies to reduce incidents of bullying behaviour while students in grade 4-8 will be focusing on Cyber Bullying. Students will explore ways to interact as good digital citizens in online communities. Classroom lessons and school-wide programing will focus on this particular type of bullying behavior.
Week highlights include:
- Daily Announcements
- Bulletin Board for students, staff and community members
- Soran Production presentations on Wednesday, November 20th
- Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, November 20th
- Kids Have Stress Too Workshop (registration required) on Wednesday, November 20th
- Classroom lessons and discussions
- Caught You Caring Cards
Talk to your child about how you use the internet and listen to what they feel might be challenges as they navigate this electronic world.
As always, Bowmore asks that you report any incidents of harmful behavior to your child’s homeroom teacher. When it comes to negative electronic communication please encourage your child to copy the post, block the sender, delete the post, choose not to respond and report it to a caring adult.
Below are some helpful PDF resources for you to build your own understanding of digital citizenship and helpful strategies to use when you feel that something might not be right.
- Protecting Your Kids Online
- Parenting in the Digital World
- Cyberbullying Safety Sheet
- Smartphone Safety Tips
- Social Networking Tips for Parents
- T.H.I.N.K.
- NetSmartz Tips for Teens
- NetSmartz Tips for Tweens
Helpful Websites:
bowmoresc.com 