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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Free Workshop on
Bullying Prevention
To register click here.
Intro. to Teasing and Bullying for Parents,
Educators and Community
by the NJ Bar Association
8:00 am - 3:30 pm
at NJ Law Center
New Brunswick, NJ
THURS. DEC. 9
Health and Wellness
Partnership Meeting
9:30 - 10:30 am
at 22 Valley Road
2nd floor
Montclair. NJ
Major funding and support for the Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Parthership come from the Montclair Public Schools, the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services, Child & Adolescent Health Program and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network. Other past and present funders include The Healthcare Foundation of NJ Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, Mountainside Health Foundation, Mountainside Hospital Community Benefits, Rutgers University (grant from NJ Department of Education), United Way of North Essex, and from private donors.
This newsletter was made possible in part by grants from the Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, and the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction.
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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Welcome to our Thanksgiving issue of HEALTHWISE.
You are receiving this free E-newsletter in response to your interest, involvement and support of our programs in the Montclair public schools.
As we burrow deeper into fall and our warm jackets, taking us closer to the Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of a Partnership that honors health and its place in our lives. If we have physical and mental health, we can do anything.
Parents and caregivers are, first and foremost, educators and caretakers. Schools and community assist us in fulfilling our roles, and are the safety nets that support us. I am thankful that I have only to reach out an arm's length to find help when I need it.
Another thing that I am grateful for is the strong connection and caring which I feel in this community. I am thankful for the excellent staff in our schools who truly care for our youth, including teachers, health professionals, and also secretaries, custodians, and athletic coaches - indeed everyone who touches our children with a morning smile, a pat on the back, a kind word. We must also include the many volunteer mentoring programs that extend that caring after school, such as Sister-to-Sister, Brother- to-Brother, Union Congregational Church's Side Door, PAL, Salvation Army, YMCA, IMANI, among many others.
This issue celebrates connectedness and respect for others - even as it celebrates our diversity. Respect for diversity is a hallmark of bullying and harassment prevention. Our feature article echoes the district's curriculum, which was designed with support from the NJ State Bar Foundation. Over 150 staff, parents and community members have attended workshops to learn how to create a safe environment, in and outside of school. Safe environments and bullying prevention programs nurture social change, which is a slow and consistent process. The Montclair school district, with its focus on health, is engaged in making that change. Thank you for joining us and...Happy Thanksgiving!
Joanne Aidala,
Director
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| FEATURE ARTICLE | |
"BULLYING PREVENTION"
Building a Positive School Climate
by Karen Straim,
Associate Director,
Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership
Students learn best when they feel that they belong at school - when they feel safe, valued and surrounded by adults they trust. In a positive school environment that cultivates a culture of respect and caring, students can concentrate on their studies. If students feel safe, they are empowered to explore new ideas and concepts. If respect and empathy are the norm, bullying behavior is less likely.
What is bullying? Bullying happens whenever someone uses his or her power unfairly and repeatedly to hurt someone. Bullying is unfair and one-sided. It occurs when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening or leaving someone out intentionally. Bullying always involves an imbalance of power.
People bully others because they find it works for them, much like being kind works for others. Bullying can bring social rewards, like attention, more friends and power. Excluding someone brings the rest of the group together. The difference between bullying behavior and occasional teasing behavior is a pattern of repeated physical or psychological intimidation. At one time or another, most people have exhibited bullying behavior.
There is no single profile of a bully or victim. Middle school peer culture is complex and ever changing. Some kids are both bullies and targets. The best way to prevent bullying is to create a positive school climate where students respect each other and do not support bullying. Character education and social-emotional learning curricula lay the groundwork for a school culture where all students feel safe. Bullying prevention is part of social-emotional learning. Student codes of conduct that impose considered, stepped consequences for bullying behavior reinforce the message that bullying is not acceptable. Consequences for the child who bullies can and should also include counseling to help them change their behavior. It has been proven that zero tolerance policies do not work. Successful change is consistent and involves the entire school working in conjunction with students, parents/caregivers and community.
Bullying Prevention in the Montclair Public Schools
In accordance with New Jersey law, the Montclair Board of Education has a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying on school property, on school buses and at school-sponsored events. Cyberbullying is also prohibited even if the offending message was sent far from school grounds. Cyberbullying includes email messages, instant messages, text messages, and internet postings that constitute bullying behavior or have the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of school.
To read more click here.
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Bullying Prevention Resources are available here.
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