- October 1, 2014
- Posted by: Cristina
- Category: Community Blog
October is National Bullying Prevention Month! Unite with the community to stand up to and prevent bullying. The following is information on what Key Biscayne schools are doing to create workshops focusing on the awareness and prevention of bullying as well as promoting a culture of kindness and respect to all:
Key Biscayne K-8 Center is hosting a variety of workshops and events in the month of October focusing on the awareness and prevention of bullying.
STARTING OCTOBER 1: Parent Study Group on Parent Success Skills. Guidance Counselor Dr. Josefina Estrella will be facilitating an elementary Parent Study Group on Parent Success Skills starting on October 1 and every Wednesday in October, November and December. These groups run 5 weeks in English and 5 weeks in Spanish. The topics addressed relate to child rearing, including fostering children’s self-regulation, self-confidence and friendship skills. For more information please email: jestrella@dadeschools.net
“If our goal is to deter bullying, the entire community must be involved. It is indeed a community affair! Significant people in the lives of children (parents, other family members and school personnel) need to model, teach, and reinforce core values such as respect, kindness and empathy. We also need to foster the development of self-protective skills in our children, teaching them to screen messages they receive from others, and only keep in their heart those messages intended to help and not to hurt. We also must model and teach peaceful conflict resolution strategies, cooperation, and self-management skills,” says Dr. Josefina Estrella, Guidance Counselor, Key Biscayne K-8 Center.
STARTING OCTOBER 3 for 8 weeks: S.T.E.P. Systemic Training for Effective Parenting (middle school parents). The workshops will be conducted by Mrs. Pont, LCSW, TRUST Specialist. The meetings will be held in the MS Cafeteria. Trainings will focus on learning to parent a middle school (tween) child and emphasis is always on positive interactions between parents and children. Bullying situations will be discussed throughout.
“You are unique, nothing can replace you,” says Mirta Pont, TRUST Specialist, Key Biscayne K-8 Center.
OCTOBER 14: Student Services Advisory Council(formerly known as the Anti-bully committee-ABC) meeting on Tuesday at 3:05 pm. This is an Advisory Council comprised of selected students from 5th-8th grade, counselors, teachers, parents, DARE Officer and administrators. The committee meets once per month to discuss current issues impacting the school. Focus is on bullying prevention.
“In order to tackle the grave issue that is bullying we must teach, model, and live acceptance and love of one another,” says Cristi Santi, Middle School Counselor, Key Biscayne K-8 Center.
OCTOBER 22: Celebrating Unity Day. The Key Biscayne K-8 will be celebrating Unity Day and asking the students to wear orange in support of being “United against Bullying”. Students will also hang orange ribbons in their classrooms and connect orange paper links with messages of peace, friendship, acceptance, unity, and kindness.
St. Agnes Academyhas implemented the Cloud 9 World Program which is an ongoing program that creates a culture of kindness, care and respect throughout the school and extends to the home. The school teaches these virtues which are inherent in the Catholic faith and integrates the teachings throughout the curriculum.
“We believe the most effective bullying interventions acknowledge that students benefit when schools empower students and create a culture of kindness, care and respect that permeates throughout the school community,” says Lourdes Krause, Guidance Counselor, St. Agnes Academy.
Key Biscayne Police Officer Vicki Hernandez has the following advice for bullying prevention: “The most important thing you can do is teach your children to treat other people the way they would want to be treated – in person and online.”
Please feel free to write your thoughts on bullying prevention. Together we can make a united difference in our Key Biscayne Community. For more important tips for Key Biscayners regarding preventing Cyber Bullying, please click here.
You can also visit the following website for more information www.stopcyberbullying.org