Asp Families,
Good afternoon! We talk a lot about the weather around here, and for good reason, but this week it doesn’t look like we’ll have to because it’s going to be glorious for the last week in January! Dress warmly because we’ll be outside a lot!
Weekly Focus: We have a double dose of weekly focus notes today because we realized we forgot to include last week’s focus in our email! Hard to believe, but like we always say, mistakes are awesome because they are proof we’re trying. First, last week’s focus was Kindness, one of our favorite BEs. We talked a lot about what kindness looks and sounds like to each of us, how we can show it to others, and why it’s important. No matter how stressful or difficult life can get, we’re still working to be kind. Remember, find our morning principal videos online if you want to hear us talk about it to guide your conversations at home. This week we’re focusing on inclusion and acceptance, why it’s important, and how we can practice both!
Bullying: So the opposite of kindness, inclusion, and acceptance is bullying. We hear that word used often, both in school and throughout society in general. Frequently, though, it is misused when describing an act/event that is just unkind or mean. We thought it might be helpful to clarify what is, and isn’t, bullying.
Bullying is:
Something said or done that is mean and on purpose.
The incident is repeated over time and the person cannot make it stop.
The incident is unfair where there is an imbalance of power and it is one-sided.
*All three of these components are present when bullying happens. If one component is missing, it isn’t considered bullying.
Bullying is not:
When someone says something mean to you once (not repeated over time)
People calling each other names (2-sided, not one-sided)
An argument (two participants, not one-sided)
A fight (two participants, not one-sided)
*All of these incidents are very hurtful and wrong, but because they don’t involve all three components of bullying (mean/on purpose, repeated over time, unfair imbalance of power/one sided) the incidents are NOT considered bullying.
Connect w/ Teacher: If you ever have any questions or wonderings about something going on at school, please reach out to your child’s teacher first. Your child spends most of their time with them and they are incredibly amazing at knowing the whole picture, rather than just the one side you might hear at home. A quick email usually can answer whatever questions you have!
It has been an amazing school year so far, and we see ALL of our students performing far more acts & words of kindness than not, which is awesome! We’ll continue to teach and guide students because the more that we practice it, the more it becomes a habit and a way of life. Have another awesome week!
Mr. St. Louis and Mrs. Knutson, principals