McCollom Pledges to White Out Bullying

McCollom takes bullying very seriously. During professional development time every Wednesday afternoon, our specials teachers spend an hour with all students talking about bullying. Students recently decorated white t-shirts that say “White Out Bullying”, “Be an upstander, not a bystander” and “It’s the right thing to do.”  The shirts will be kept at school and students will wear them over their standardized dress shirt on designated Wednesdays throughout the school year.

IF YOUR CHILD IS THE TARGET OF A BULLY…

· Listen to your child

· Validate your child’s feelings

· Reassure your child that he/she is not to blame

· Help your child regain a sense of dignity and self-esteem

· Help teach your child strategies that show confidence:

· Voice

· Posture

· Eye Contact

· Encourage your child to join activities to develop more friends with similar interests.

· Teach your child to report bullying

IF YOUR CHILD IS THE BULLY…

· Be active and present in your child’s life

· Be a positive role model

· Emphasize that bullying is a serious problem and will not be tolerated

· Teach your child to treat people who are different with respect and kindness

· Know your child’s friends

· Set limits—stop any show of aggression immediately

· Avoid physical forms of discipline

· Observe your child interacting with others and acknowledge appropriate behaviors

· Set realistic goals and do not expect an immediate change

· Encourage your child to be involved in positive extracurricular activities

· Monitor exposure to media such as music, television, computer, movies, video games, etc.

· Contact the school for information on community resources for your child as needed

McCOLLOM STUDENTS NEED TO “GET AROUND ON TIME”

Students may enter the building between 8:30-8:50 a.m. They should go directly to the gym. Breakfast is available at 8:30 a.m. if your student wants it. All children should be in their classroom and ready to learn at 9:00 a.m.

McCollom students had a large number of unexcused tardies the first nine weeks of school. It is extremely important for your child to be at school and in their classroom on time. Being late will result in missed instruction and may put them behind in their class work. Please try to have your child at school on time. Our goal is to have 97% of our students here on time for the second nine weeks. If we reach that goal, we will have a hot cocoa party on Wednesday, November 30 for all students. A tardy due to an appointment is considered an excused tardy and will not count toward the total.

In addition, each nine weeks, the primary and intermediate class with the fewest number of unexcused tardies will receive a pizza party and the “We Get Around on Time” sign outside their classroom door. The first nine weeks “We Get Around On Time” award went to Mrs. West and Mrs. Sweat’s classes.