Day 5 ~ Anti-Bully Week at ECS ~ Let's Run the Race..together!

On day 5 of Anti-bully week at Evergreen Christian School, students showed their unity by wearing GREEN.

 This week, COURAGE IN ACTION was the challenge and students committed themselves to it.  It will be exciting to see and hear the fruits of the anti-bullying education.  If anything, students and parents know that ECS is a safe place to grow, learn, share and discover.

After school, staff, alumni and parents participated in the Bruce Newman Memorial Run. The life and legacy of track coach and teacher, Bruce Newman, was celebrated with a race.  It was a beautiful and HOT evening that was filled with smiles, healthy competition and fellowship.  As I stood and cheered the runners on, a beautiful verse came to mind....

“…. since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-3

The hope of our children and their education is that they are able to "run the race together"  filled with support, love and without fear of bullying.

Day 4 ~ Let's Read about Anti-Bullying ~

On Day 4, at the Evergreen Christian School campus, Chaplain Chrissy Najarro visited classrooms to read the book, My Secret Bully.

My Secret Bully

Foreword by Susan Wellman, founder, The Ophelia Project

The Secret's Out On Bullying

A touching, inspirational story targeted for 5- to 11-year-olds, My Secret Bullyinstantly draws young readers into Monica's world where she is bullied by a friend and learns how to cope and thrive. Relational aggression is an act of emotional bullying hidden among tightly knit networks of friends. Instead of using knives and fists to bully others, emotional bullies employ relationships, words, and gestures as their weapons of attack. Emotional bullying is often dismissed as a normal rite of passage, but research shows it is as harmful as physical aggression, with devastating, long-term effects.

Name-calling, humiliation, exclusion, and manipulation are some bullying tactics Monica's friend Katie employs. Monica learns to face her fears of betrayal and social isolation and reclaims her power from the bully with the help of a supportive adult - her mother. Included in this wonderful resource for children, parents, teachers, and counselors are helpful tips, discussion questions, and additional information.

Listed below are more books to help children learn about what to do in cases of bullying:  

• Arthur's April Fool by Marc Brown
• Blubber by Judy Blume
• Dealing with Bullying by Marianne Johnston
• Nobody Knew What To Do by Becky R. McCain
• Stop Picking On Me by Pat Thomas
• The Berenstain Bears and the Bully by Stan Berenstain
• Why Is Everybody Always Picking on Me? A Guide to Understanding Bullies for Young People by Terrence Webster-Doyle

• Amelia Takes Command by Marisa Moss
• Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain by Trevor Romain
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• Cockroach Cooties by Laurence Yep
• Mean, Mean Maureen Green by Judy Cox
• Pinky and Rex and the Bully by James Howe
• Talking About Bullying by Jillian Powell
• Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
• The Hundred Dresses by E. Estes
• The Rat and the Tiger by Keiko Kasza

Anti-Bullying Resource Information

More than half of all kids are

directly involved in bullying

1. Talk with and listen to your kids - everyday. If your children feel comfortable talking to

you before they’re involved in a bullying event, they’re more likely to talk to you after.

2. Spend time at school and recess. Sixty-seven percent of bullying happens when adults

are not present. You can make a real difference by volunteering on campus.

3. Be a good example of kindness and leadership. Any time you speak to another person

in a mean or abusive way, you’re teaching your child that bullying is ok.

4. Learn the signs. Learn to recognize possible signs of being victimized and if you

suspect that a child might be bullied, talk directly to your child about the situation.

5. Create healthy anti-bullying habits early. As early as kindergarten it will help to role

play what to do (and what not to do) in bullying situations with your child.

6. Help your child’s school address bullying effectively. Whether your children have been

bullied or not, you should learn about what their school is doing to address bullying.

Here are 10 things you can do to help.

7. Establish household rules about bullying. Your children need to know your

expectations of how they treat others and how others treat them.

8. Teach your child how to be a good witness. Although it’s never a child’s responsibility

to put himself or herself in danger, kids can often effectively diffuse a bullying situation.

9. Teach your child about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is as harmful as physical violence

and must not be tolerated.

10. Spread the word that bullying should NOT be a “normal part of childhood”. All forms

of bullying are harmful to the perpetrator, the victim, and to witnesses.

Bullying is a big problem but if we all work together,

it’s one we can impact.

For more information about bullying and additional detail about the actions on

this list, please visit www.education.com.

Day 3 ~ Chapel Day ~ What does God say about Bullying

~ Day 3 ~ Evergreen Christian School Anti-Bully Week ~

Wednesday was ECS Chapel day and the students gathered in the church for an all-school chapel.

Pastor Landers ROCKED the house with his kids. He led the students in worship to the Lord. My daughter was enthralled with the BONGOS and how you can lift your voice to God even with the beat of a drum!

The focus of the chapel was education on Anti-Bullying.  ECS Chaplain, Chrissy Najarro, answered "what a bully IS" and 'what a Bully IS NOT."

A bully is NOT someone that you argue with once....in the classroom...out at recess.

A bully is someone that you have never done something to, but are REPEATEDLY attacked over and over.

________________________________________

What does God's Word say that we should do??

Joshua 1:9

New International Version (NIV)

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

This verse helps us to be courageous to do the right thing....even when you are afraid.
_____________________________________

Chaplain Najarro explained that her prayer for the campus at ECS is, "That everyone at this school have a good friend and that all students LIVE OUT courage in ACTION."

Conflict or Bullying??? THAT is the question! Day 2 ~ Anti-Bully Week at ECS

It is Day 2 of Anti-Bully week at Evergreen Christian School.  I have LOVED seeing kids around campus proudly wearing their green COURAGE IN ACTION AT ECS bracelets.

I decided to be a roving reporter, (something I have always wanted to do) and hit the pavement.....recess pavement.  I wanted to talk with kids in action to find out what they thought about this week and the topic of bullying.  

When asked the question, "Have you ever been bullied?" I heard a resounding "YES!!!" from many in the groups.  When bullied, the kids said that they felt....

threatened

mad

sad  

"So.....what has worked?" I asked the kids....

"Telling the bully to stop"      "Teaching them a lesson about not bullying"      "Telling a teacher or adult" 

As the day went on and I talked to more and more children, an interesting pattern revealed itself.  While I heard hurtful stories about bullying, I also was hearing stories about conflict.  This brought up an interesting question......

What is bullying and what is conflict???

What is Bullying?

Childhood Bullying

Bullying is unfair and one-sided. 

It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.

Some examples of bullying during childhood include: 

physical attacks, 

verbal attacks,

name calling,

ignoring, 

ganging up on one child, 

leaving someone out of a game or activity, 

making fun of a child for their differences, 

and more.

Children who bully may be former or current victims of bullying themselves. Both boys and girls use face-to-face and behind-the-back bullying behaviors. Boys tend to use more face-to-face behaviors, while girls tend to use more behind-the-back behaviors. Both are equally harmful to the victim of bullying. 

Bullying commonly increases between the third and seventh grades.

What is Conflict?

It's important to distinguish between bullying and conflict.

Conflict is a disagreement that happens when people want different things. It is a normal part of human interaction. The people involved in a conflict have equal power to solve the problem. They can work it out together. They are not purposely trying to hurt each other. 

Conflict may be uncomfortable but it does not hurt.

As a parent/teacher/student it is important to recognize the difference between conflict and bullying.

_________________________________________________________________

Evergreen Christian School's principal, Cyndi Pollard states that, 

"ECS’s anti-bullying policy gives our students the courage to tell someone that they are being bullied with the confidence that they will get help and equipping to be the help to someone being bullied.

Come to our chapel on Wednesday and learn the difference in conflict and bullying."

I am so glad that the conversation has been started on our campus! Day 2 has brought a confidence to students that they have the courage to stand up against bullying.  When asked what their green COURAGE IN ACTION AT ECS bracelets meant to them, one boy stated, "If I wear it, I know that I am reminded that I won't be bullied."

My hope is that as day 3 moves to day 333, that each child on campus will realize that the COURAGE comes from within.  

My favorite question of the day was, "Are you glad that it is anti-bully week?"  The response was a LOUD and ENTHUSIASTIC YES!

_______________________________________

                                                                         Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;

   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Courage In Action at ECS ~ Anti-Bully Week 2011 ~ Day 1

Today is DAY ONE of anti-bully education week at Evergreen Christian School. 

I have been looking forward to this week and to learn about the difference we can ALL make to be courageous in preventing and stopping bullying.

Chrissy Najarro, our school's chaplain, has organized a week of educating and is inspiring students to have COURAGE IN ACTION AT ECS. 

Students are taking a stand against bullying and proudly wearing their green bracelets.

While talking with students in the classrooms, Chrissy Najarro said, “The students are honest about their experiences with bullies and ready to take a stand against them.”

What I have found interesting is, while I feel that most people have heard of the word "BULLY", there are many misunderstandings about it.

I started out my day taking a "Quick Quiz" from the anti-bullying ministry, "The Protectors."

 The quiz asked some of the most common questions about bullying.....I have to admit, I got more than a few wrong!!

1.  Bullying is just something kids do at a young age.  They outgrow it and it doesn't influence the quality of their lives later in life.  FALSE

2.  The results of bullying upon the Target are short lived. Targets go on to live normal lives. FALSE

3.  Bullying hits its peak in high school.  FALSE

4.  Bullies suffer from low self-esteem, are insecure and have few if any friends. FALSE

5.  Bullies have anger management problems and can't help themselves from lashing out at whomever is near them at the time.  FALSE

6.  Bullies usually attack when no one is watching.  FALSE

7.  Most bullying is verbal, not physical, in nature.  TRUE

8.  Boys tend to be involved in physical bullying as girls tend to be involved in isolating and rejecting other girls--or what is called relational aggression.  TRUE

9.  The most bullied group of children in school are physically and mentally challenged children.  TRUE

10.  An effective way to get a Target to befriend a Bully is to help the Target tell the Bully how he or she feels, and to get the two to shake hands. FALSE

11.  Studies show that more than half of middle school students bully.  FALSE

___________________________________________________

Other interesting facts about bullying:

-In the “Theatre” of bullying there are 4 characters

            1. The Bully

            2. The Bystanders

            3. The Target

            4. The Authority

Where do YOU fit in? Where can you be courageous?

_________________________________

-Bully definition: the use of greater power with the intent to harm a person of lesser power for a period of time.

-85% of bullying takes place in front of other kids. 

Bullies often like to attack in front of others.

-Less than 13% of kids intervene on behalf of the Target.

-Up to 80% of bystanders actually cheer on the Bully.

-Every school shooter has been male except for one.

-School shooters do not “snap’, they planned the Columbine attacks for years.

-Male athletes control the moral direction of a school.

-Bullying is not about anger or conflict, it’s about disdain and contempt for those the Bully thinks are less important than they are.

-The Target doesn’t usually do anything to deserve the bullying.

-A Bully picks on someone they know that they can dominate.

-Most of bullying (appx. 80%) is verbal, not physical.

-Bullies “shop” for kids who are isolated.  If you see students alone a lot at lunch or at recess, encourage other students to be their friends.

-Tattletale: bullies came up with this term! Tattling is designed to get someone in trouble, reporting is designed to get someone out of trouble.

-6 out of 10 times the bullying will stop if just 1 person tells them to, the percentage goes up if more than one person tells them to stop.

___________________________________

I am ready to show courage in action at ECS! Who will join me???

Letter to Kody and Maddie ~ the first week of school

Dear Kody and Maddie,

I have been blessed for the past 10 years to share an extra special school experience with you.  I am a teacher AND a mom AND work at the same school you attend.  It has been the JOY of my life and will always be one of the best choices that I have ever made!

It has been fun making adjustments, especially when you were in my own class.  I remember that you, Kody, would get embarrassed if I addressed you in a "mom way" so we had to come up with a signal.  I would say, "Kody, the clouds are getting VERY dark outside, wouldn't you say?" That was all that you needed to get the hint!   Even though it was a beautiful, sunny day on the first day of your high school journey (a few days ago), watching you leave my van, walk into high school...I felt some dark clouds in my mommy heart. I felt like a Kindergarten mom all over again, except that I wouldn't be just a building away or just across the playground.  Thank you, son, for always being happy when you saw me on campus....with the exception of the pranks I pulled on you every April Fools Day!  But, seriously, I am so proud of the foundation that your school gave you for the past ten years.  You walked into high school confident, academically strong, spiritually charged and an overall awesome kid.  Your love of reading, technology, music, friends and most importantly, God, was allowed to flourish in a way that I prayed for when you were born. So even though I am not just a hop, skip and jump away from you AND hear about things before you even know, I will always partner with you in your education.  It is a bond that I will treasure forever. Have fun and remember WHO you are and WHOSE path you are set upon.

Miss Maddie, school has been your second home (even first home some years!) You started to come to school with me when you were 2 1/2.  Cute as a button, full of curiosity and boundaries??? WHAT BOUNDARIES?  You take on the world in huge grasps and I am amazed at the zest for life that you have.  That hasn't changed since you were 2 and taking naps under my desk. This year, you are a BIG Junior Higher and it STILL cracks me up that you got LOST going to class! REALLY!! This transition year is so important for you to learn to manage your academic workload, sports, social life and chores.  It is the year that YOU handle school and the responsibilities that each class requires.  I know you can do it, with organization, focus and responsibility.  I think the key is "balance"....with the guidance of your teachers, be open to suggestions.  With the direction of your father and I, be open to some limitations if we see an area that needs less focus. Junior High is an interesting few years of social development.  Be strong and confident in TRUTH...ready to stand when you need to make a stand, walk away when you need to walk away and be a LIGHT in your world.

This year is off to a great start. My first preschool class was today and I wrote down some of my kid's responses to "How did they feel on the first day of preschool?" The responses were, EXCITED, happy, rainbow explosion happy, really really really really really happy and HAAA-PPY.  As a teacher and mom, what more can I hope for!!

The "S"'s of School Success

As a teacher and director of a preschool in Olympia Washington, I am excited to share some of the “S”s for School Success.  The partnership between home and school is the foundation for “building” success in school.  Equipping kids with tools before entering school enables them to be confident, well-adjusted and ready to learn.

 These “S” skills would be the things that as a teacher, I wish my parents would reinforce with their children at home:

·        Self-Care:

Being able to properly care for oneself is an important skill to have before entering a classroom setting.  A child should be properly potty trained and confident in their bathrooms skills depending on the program.  Some programs require potty training, while others don’t.  To help encourage confidence and success, at home parents can practice a bathroom routine from start to finish.  Ask yourself the questions, can your child pull up their pants, button a snap, undo a belt? These are all fun activities that kids can “play” dress-up with parents and gain confidence.  Accidents in the classroom are inevitable and every teacher is prepared for this just in case.  To help your child prevent accidents, practice with your child how to tell your teacher when they need to “go potty”.  Also, turning on the faucet, washing hands with soap and water and drying ones hands independently is important to know by your child.  Children wash hands numerous times during a class day: first entering the class, after the restroom, before snack, after recess, or if their hands touch their noses, cough or sneeze.

One of the number one self-help skill a teacher would say would be teaching your child to put on their own coat.  Imagine the time it takes to put on a classroom’s pile of coats in the winter!  In our preschool, we teach the kids to do a coat “flip-a-roo”.  The kids lay their coats down on the floor, put their toes at the hood, reach down to put their arms in the holes and flip the coat over their heads and onto their shoulders.  The children are SO proud of themselves and love to play this “game” of getting their coats on.  Encouragement is the key to making self-care successful and fun.  

·       Sitting Still:

Many activities during the classroom day involve being able to sit still.  Teachers use circle time for lesson time, stories, calendar, special helper sharing, and music.  Teachers try to build their circle time with gross motor movement first before they expect their class to sit still in order to get the “wiggles” out.  Parents can help their children gain success in this skill by setting up time at home to sit still while reading, singing or snack time.  Parents can teach their children to sit “criss-cross applesauce”  (the term many teachers use to sit down with legs folded) to get ready for school.  Practice sitting still while coloring and use an egg timer or other fun timers.  Starting off with short time periods and building to longer time periods while keeping your child engaged and positive is the key.  Having a daily reading time is a great way to reinforce being still while learning.  It is suggested to read to your child 15 minutes each day.  Important tips for reading with your child are:  1.  Have your child pick a story/topic that they are interested in.  They will be more engaged in subjects that they like.  2.  Make sure that the book is age appropriate and the length fits in the time goal.  If you have a toddler, chose a book that has bright colored pictures and few sentences on each page.  3.  Sit down in a comfortable place with your child on your lap.  Snuggle time while reading is an added bonus.  This close proximity helps encourage your child to know how to sit still.  4.  Hold the book in front of you both while reading.  This will help to encourage focus.  5.  Reading the book to your child with voice changes and inflection makes the book come alive.  Children love to hear different characters and variety.  These tools will help in encouraging the skill of sitting still.

·       Separation:

Giving your child tools that they need to be separated from parents as they are dropped off at school is important.  Start practicing one hour at a time leaving your child in the care of grandma and grandpa, aunts or uncles, or close friends that are trusted and qualified.  Extend the time by one hour increments until you have reached the same time as the classtime.  If you are not able to handle it, rest assured that this is the most common issue that teachers handle each year.  I encourage parents to make practice “runs” to preschool, looking in the class, talk with your “soon to be teacher” and ask for a photo to put on your frig to start practicing her/his name.  A great book to read to your child is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  This is a wonderful story about a little raccoon ready to start school. He talks about his fears to his mother, fears that most children have before beginning school. His mother comes up with a wonderful solution to help her little raccoon remember that she loves him and is thinking about him, even when she isn't with him.  Another tool that I love using is asking the parent to draw a “heart” on their child’s hand so they can look at during class and think of their parent.  Finally, my general advice to parents when they are apprehensive about their child separating is, don’t “sneak” out of the classroom, calmly say goodbye and the teacher will help the child.  The longer the parent stays in the class and extends the “goodbye” the longer it takes for the child to “adjust” to the separation.  I tell parents to leave the classroom and walk to the end of the building.  If the child does not “calm down” and is in extreme distress, I will get the parents.  99% of the time, the child will quiet down and adjust to the classroom.

·       Straightening Up:

Most teachers have a “clean up” song….once the kids hear this song in their classroom, they know just what to do!  Parents are amazed when I tell them that the children in my classroom clean and organize the whole room.  At the beginning of the class year, we take a tour of the class and I explain the rules of the toys and the proper bins that each toy call its home.  After a few “clean-up” songs, the children are experts on where the toys go!  They are even bothered when they find toys out of place.  We encourage kids who are cleaning without being reminded with “clean-up” stickers.  Practicing “clean-up” time at home is a great way to get your child ready for school.  Reminding them to put a toy away before taking another toy out is an important rule as well. 

Another great way to encourage straightening up skills is practicing throwing trash away during craft time at home, putting caps on markers to prevent them from drying out and closing glue bottles.  These are all great skills to learn that will be reinforced at school.

·       Social Skills:

Most children’s #1 question in entering a new program is “Who will be there?”  Talk to your child about friends and role play making friends.  Providing your child with the opportunity to play with peers will help in this area.  Expose your child to new social areas..parks, play dates, library, community events and set small goals for your child to accomplish.  Goals such as smiling, saying “hi” and starting conversations about what the child likes to play and do are simple ways to learn.  It is also important to remember that children learn crucial skills through play with other children, but children also learn positive social skills through play with their parents. Little ones whose parents frequently play with them have more advanced social skills and get along better with peers.  Have fun and expose your child with new social situations and role play.

·       Seeking:

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, spoke to the 2011 MOM CONGRESS in Washington D.C.  He relayed to us that the best investment that we can make in our child’s education foundation is in early education.  Giving our children more opportunities to share and seek in new experiences helps build the groundwork for learning.  A critical time in brain development occurs in the early years.  The more exploring and seeking that a child accomplishes strengthens the brain and the stimulation that results in greater development.  Research shows that between birth and age 3, the brain creates more synapses than it needs. The synapses that are used frequently become a permanent part of the brain. The synapses that are not used frequently are eliminated. Because of this, it is critical that experiences that children are exposed to plays an important role in wiring a young child's brain. The bottom line is, parents and teachers want children to succeed.  To do this, we need to provide many multiple social and learning opportunities so that the synapses associated with these experiences become permanent. Seeking new experiences through nature, social settings, culture, music, and learning experiences will help develop the learning child’s brain.

·       Snack Time:

Snack time is a highlight for kids during school.  Practicing good manners at the table prepares your child for happy and polite snack time.  Practicing opening cheese sticks, cracker bags, fruit wraps, yogurts and juice boxes is a fun table time activity at home.  Modeling good table manners is important…saying please and thank you, no thank you, can I have more and may I be excused.  In school, teachers walk through the snack time process and demonstrate snack time clean up expectations such as what garbage the napkins go in, where the plastic goes, how to put the remaining juice down the sink before the cup goes into the garbage and how to leave your spot clean.  It is refreshing to watch the children feel accomplished and successful during snack time.

It is such an exciting time for young children and their parents.  Teachers are getting ready and are anticipating the little pitter-pats of feet in their classrooms.

These "S"'s of School Success goals will help teachers and children have the BEST year filled with memories, laughter and most importantly.....SUCCESS!