Category Archives: ontario school assemblies

Cyber-Bullying, Respect and Responsibility Assembly in Toronto area Catholic School

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St Julia Billiart Catholic SchoolCyber-bullying programs at St. Julia Billiart Catholic School in Toronto’s Markham area Tuesday May 6, 2014 made an impact on staff and students. The message was about Responsibility and Respect and how Cyber-bullying would not exist if we all took the responsibility for our own actions and made up our minds to live with complete respect. Of course we’re all human, but I like to look at the positive side.

St. Julia students and staff proved to me they are already incredibly respectful and responsible. That’s probably why our cyber-bullying prevention message was so well received. They were interactive and totally tuned into the songs about respect and cyber-safety. They were wide-eyed as they watched the videos. Discussion about bullying and cyber-bullying revealed that Continue reading →

Anti-bullying assemblies have no value in schools

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Another anti-bullying assembly? Are kids raising their eyebrows? After these assemblies, does bullying seem to increase?

Another anti-bullying assembly?

Another anti-bullying assembly?

Have you heard the above statements about anti-bullying assemblies? Are you one of the people who believes they have no value?

Actually, they can have incredible value if done right. They must present the information in the right way. Not a good idea to lecture students or have Continue reading →

Multi-media school assemblies on bullying and respect

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How To Plan a Respect AssemblyAnti-bullying multi-media school assemblies are a way to create a buzz in your school about bullying prevention. Children want to go to school and feel safe. They want to believe they are cared about by the school and that teachers and principals will help them out if they need support. Through a school assembly, a strong message can be conveyed to children that school safety is a top priority.

Many children have fear that they will be picked on or bullied. The result is that students can be tense and worried during class and not learn as well as could be expected. Children must be relaxed and happy to perform at their optimum.

In order for children to feel safe and protected from bullying, teachers can play a major role.

S.A.F.E. is my acronym for the day.

4 Points for teachers:

S ee what’s going on – Keep an eye on the Continue reading →

3 Key Ways to Stand Up Against Bullying in Newmarket Ontario

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Stand Up Against Bullying presentations by Bruce Langford of Stand Up Now Productions were featured at clearmeadowClearmeadow Public School in Newmarket Ontario.

We presented three assemblies including a Jk-3, grade 4-6 and grade 7-8 assembly. An overall anti-bullying message was shared with the students as well as three sub-messages emphasized throughout the shows.

The overall message was to show Respect. If you truly live your life with respect and truly show respect to others no matter who they are, I firmly believe bullying will decrease.  Show respect to family members, community, and at school. Show respect to teachers, staff and other students. Offer to help others as much as you can. I believe that is part of being a respectful person.

Ignore – It is important to understand that ignoring bullying behavior can take the power away from the person doing the bullying. Ignoring bullying  does not always work effectively, but it is important to understand it is one effective way to remove power associated with bullying.

Empathy – If everyone truly had empathy, then bullying would be reduced. Empathy is simply having the ability to feel what another person is going through. Being able to imagine the feelings of others helps us all to connect with each other.

Confidence – If you walk with confidence and show confidence in your mannerisms, in my opinion bullying will clearmeadow1be diminished. You will find yourself starting to do something about bullying behaviours. You might talk to a teacher, you may find yourself speaking to the person later who was being bullied. You might intervene and say something which will cause the bullying to stop.

Students at Clearmeadow School were very responsive during the assemblies and enjoyed the music, drama and videos. They reacted enthusiastically to the different dynamics of the three assemblies. Mr. Arnis Pukitis, principal at Clearmeadow School had Stand Up Now Productions visit his previous school, Whitchurch Highlands, and wanted to feature them at Clearmeadow.

Stand Up Now Productions helps children and adults learn effective strategies to deal with bullying.

www.standupnow.ca

 

Student Survey Initiates Anti-Bullying Assemblies in YRDSB

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Richmond Rose Public School was our destination yesterday as we set out to present three bullying prevention assemblies.

Principal, Mr. Rick Rosemin and Vice-Principal Ms. Heather Levitt have obviously worked hard to set the tone for their continuing anti-bullying initiative. They both appeared before the students in each of the three assemblies and talked about the importance of bullying prevention. They played a game with the students as part of identifying the difference between bullying situations and non-bullying situations. They made it clear to the students that respect comes first at Richmond Rose School.

The mission of Richmond Rose P.S. is “Learning and Growing Together”.  In 2005, students and staff created the Richmond Rose Touchstone to support everything we do. The following is the Richmond Rose Touchstone:

At Richmond Rose, we take responsibility for our work, words and actions.
We put in our best efforts, enjoy our successes, and learn from our mistakes.
We embrace each other’s differences and care for each other’s feelings.
We think before we speak and use words that are appropriate for school.
Our community is a safe community; a place where we treat people with kindness, respect and dignity
No one is afraid at our school.
At Richmond Rose, we are free to succeed!

 

Students were very engaged by the messages delivered in our assemblies. It was obvious that Mr. Rosemin and Ms. Levitt as well as the rest of the staff have made an impression on the students regarding acceptable behaviours and what constitutes bullying.

Students approached me after the junior and intermediate assemblies and asked questions how they could learn even more about bullying prevention and growing respect levels.

Children in the primary assembly were heard singing Bruce Langford’s bullying prevention theme song “Stand Up” as they played at recess.

Richmond Rose Public School sets a fine example of how schools can help students in a meaningful way to learn how to respect each other more.  We extend a sincere thanks to Mr. Rosemin and Ms. Levitt and all the staff and students for allowing us to be part of their student survey driven Anti-Bullying assemblies.

Stand Up Now Productions presents their ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ Assemblies to students of all ages.
www.standupnow.ca

Children come first at Quinte Mohawk School in Belleville Ontario

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Bullying prevention and child safety is of top importance at Quinte Mohawk School in Belleville Ontario. Principal, Kathleen Vanderville makes sure children are the first priority at her school and that was obvious during our visit yesterday. Quinte Mohawk is brimming with beautiful murals, paintings, artwork and displays to proudly celebrate their culture.
Just look at this awesome painted door with the following script:

Children are…

Amazing – acknowledge them.
Believable – trust them.
Childlike – allow them.
Divine – honour them.
Energetic – nourish them.
Fallible – embrace them.
Gifts – treasure them.
Here Now – be with them.
Innocent – delight with them.
Joyful – appreciate them.
Kindhearted – learn from them.
Lovable – cherish them.
Magical – fly with them.
Noble – esteem them.
Open minded – respect them.
Precious – value them.
Questioners – encourage them.
Resourceful – support them.
Spontaneous – enjoy them.
Talented – believe in them.
Unique – affirm them.
Vulnerable – protect them
Whole – recognize them.
Xtraspecial – celebrate them.
Yearning – notice them.
Zany – laugh with them.

We thank Quinte Mohawk
School for the wonderful
hospitality and warm welcome!

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Bruce Langford presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ student assemblies at Quinte Mohawk school yesterday. See his website at: http://www.standupagainstbullying.com

Parent Reaching Out Grants for Bullying Prevention Programs

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Government subsidies can help with bullying  prevention. Parent Reaching Out (PRO) Grants for Ontario School Councils are available for 2012 to help increase parent involvement in support of student achievement and well-being. Be sure to apply for 2013 funding once the applications are released, so that you can use your funds for a good cause within your school. Many school councils choose to fund bullying prevention programs as well as purchase anti-bullying books and resources for their school libraries. We have delivered many bullying prevention programs in schools, made possible with the funding from the Ontario Government’s Parent Reaching Out grants.

Great feedback has been received from parents, teachers, principals and students. Here are some comments:

“Bruce Langford’s Stand Up Now programs were excellent, filled with valuable content of benefit to our students. I would gladly endorse this program.”
Ms. Marika Boshyk, Principal St. Demetrius Catholic School Toronto  Toronto Catholic District School Board

“I was impressed with how each presentation was tailored to the needs and interest level of each division. The presentations were creative and interactive and they certainly captured the attention of the students. Thank you again for addressing such an important topic in such an engaging manner.”
Ms. Kim Moses, Teacher Trillium Woods Public School, Richmond Hill  York Region District School Board

“Bruce, we loved your interactive approach with the audience during your presentations, giving our students an opportunity to voice their concerns around bullying through the question and answer portion of the assembly. Your presentation fostered a comfort level with the students that encourage them to be open and honest during the assembly, qualities that tend to be lost when dealing with issues of bullying.”
Claudio Moschella (Acting VP) Earnscliffe Senior Public School, Bramption Peel District School Board

Bruce Langford offers bullying prevention presentations for schools and parent groups
www.standupagainstbullying.com  Phone 905-233-2102

Simcoe County District School Board School Welcomes Anti-Bullying Speaker, Bruce Langford

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Simcoe County School in Barrie OntarioWest Bayfield Elementary School in Barrie was our destination today, where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies to all students from JK to grade 8. Students were passionate about the topic. They were eager to learn as much as Stand Up at West Bayfield Elementarythey could about the internet and the dangers of cyberspace. They told stories and acted out scenarios. The Simcoe County District School Board has raised awareness that dangers lurk in cyberspace. Students just wanted to learn the details.Honesty is a virtue

We talked about how GPS encoding is embedded in photographs taken on many cell phones and how it can reveal exactly when the photo was taken. One student told us a story about how his facebook account Caring Poster in Barrie Ontariohad been hacked into and the violator set up another facebook account which was an exact duplicate of his own. The student had good news about the outcome. He was actually able to have the offending site removed, because he was able to get into it himself and have it Stand Up Artworkdeleted.

We were impressed when we arrived at the school, because students had posted visual artwork on the topic of ‘Caring’ and ‘Stand Up’ and how we can all stand together to trump bullying. I’ve included some of the photos here along with a short video.

Students, teachers and administrators told us how pleased they were with the three contrasting assemblies.

“Presentations were entertaining, insightful, and age appropriate. They were thoroughly enjoyed by all of our students and they learned a great from them. I would highly recommend Bruce’s presentations for any school.”
Mike Geer, Principal, West Bayfield Elementary School, Barrie Ontario

Bruce Langford, Anti-bullying advocate and international speaker presenter: www.brucelangford.ca

 

How much bullying is in The Hunger Games according to typical teenagers?

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The Hunger Games SeriesThe Hunger Games is huge. Almost everyone has something to say about how appropriate the themes are or how much violence is involved. Recently I read a report that there were more than forty-one instances of violence … and that is in the first book alone. I would like to hear from you. How much bullying and violence did you notice as you read the series? Do you feel the story-line is appropriate for teens or pre-teens?
I am including a quick review by a teenager who has read the books:
“The Hunger Games was, in my opinion, a great book. There are many important issues and emotional stress that are dealt with in the book. I believe it is very beneficial to those who read it, however, the age group targeted (11-16 year olds) is generally too young to appreciate the important issues discussed in the book. Things like child cruelty, rebellion, and war go right over the heads of the younger kids who read it. Missed, too, are the important roles of love and inner turmoil. These books would gain greater appreciation if they were targeted to an older, more mature audience.”
Review by Tyson Longfield, Graduate of Lord Dorchester Secondary School, Dorchester Ontario (Thames Valley District School Board)

Stay tuned for more teen reviews of The Hunger Games in the next few days.
Let me know what you think? Please leave a comment.

Bruce Langford is a teacher, speaker and presenter of school bullying prevention programs.  www.standupnow.ca

 

 

 

Hastings, Prince Edward Counties – Verbal & Physical Bullying To End

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Belleville Ontario CanadaA 10-year old girl in Belleville Ontario is taking a stand against bullying at her school. She says verbal and physical attacks toward her have been ongoing and she has had enough. She wrote a letter explaining details about the bullying she has been experiencing. She says she spends recess in the kindergarten room because nobody will play with her, and explains that she feels alienated and dejected. Her mother believes that the school staff is not protecting her daughter.
These are certainly serious allegations. Although I don’t know all the details surrounding the situation, I have a few suggestions to hopefully calm the waters.
1. I encourage the girl’s parents to set up a meeting with the teacher. Have a list of concerns to address and suggested outcomes. Take notes. Insist on a specific plan of action.
2. After 5 days, re-evaluate the situation. Has the bullying stopped? Has the situation improved? If not, set up a meeting with the principal and make a written plan. Set a date for a follow-up meeting to talk about whether or not things have improved. No child should feel unsafe at school.
3.  Ask to see the bullying prevention action plan set out by the school. Ask what initiatives have been put into place to encourage respect and reduce bullying. Insist that you are looking out for the well-being of your child.

Do not give up. Continue to connect with the teacher or administrators to carry out the plan of action. If the plan of action is not working, insist on an alternative. Be aware of the Hasting and Prince Edward District School Board’s commitment to providing caring, safe, respectful and inclusive learning environments for all students.  Do your best to remain calm and professional, yet strong with your assertions that your child be provided with the caring, safe and respectful environment referred to by the school board.
I will be most interested in the outcome of this situation and am optimistic it will come to a positive conclusion for all involved.

Bruce Langford provides bullying prevention programs for schools. www.brucelangford.ca