Tag Archives: Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board Cyberbullying

How to stop social media from stressing your children?

friendlistDid you know your children could be stressing out over their social media friends list? Some children become very concerned about the number of friends on their friends list or likes on their page.

Many parents do not realize the kinds of issues that sometimes concern their children. Social media is on the minds of more and more of our youth. Are your children active on social media? Have you given them permission to be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat? Friendster, Google Plus, Pinterest and Tumblr are some other social media sites where your children may be active. How much time are you children spending on social media?

Studies show that children from the ages of 13 to 17 are spending over two hours a day on social media sites on the Internet. It is estimated that over 8 million children below the age of 13 are active on Facebook. Facebook is intended for users aged 13 and older.

It’s true that social media is our new Continue reading

Iron Joan Police Foundations Students Stand Up Against Bullying

The students of Cardinal Newman Catholic School taught us today about bullying prevention.

The bullying prevention advice we learned at Cardinal Newman is:
Be yourself, let your energy spill out. Celebrate life, be kind and fill your life with respect.

You see, the students at Cardinal Newman live the advice you read above. They are filled with energy, they celebrate day-to-day life and they understand the concept of respect.
We will remember the Cardinal Newman spirit and energy we experienced today for a very long time.
It is our hope that the students of Cardinal Newman will remember the bullying prevention strategies we taught today for as long as we remember their energy.
Daytime presentations were ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Stand Up For Respect’.  The evening parent student bullying prevention presentation was called ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’. Seventy one families attended and enjoyed outstanding pre-show entertainment by the Cardinal Newman Iron Joan group mentored by students from the Sheridan College Police Foundations program. We were dazzled by the confidence shown by the Iron Joan team.  The Sheridan College Police Foundations students who mentored the children at Cardinal Newman were extremely proud of the confidence and skill exhibited by their students.
Cardinal Newman student council also did an amazing anti-bullying presentation. This anti-bullying parent/student program presented by Bruce Langford was made possible by the Ontario Government’s Parent Reaching Out Grant (PRO) available to school parent groups across Ontario.

Bruce Langford is a bullying prevention advocate who offers anti-bullying workshops in Toronto, Ontario. www.brucelangford.ca Telephone: 905-233-2102

Advice: Grow self-confidence and learn how to avoid bullying

confidence pictureBullying can often be prevented by having a well developed level of self-confidence. In fact, studies have led people to believe that confidence is the single most important quality to help you avoid being bullied. However, there is a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. People who are arrogant and cocky tend to be that way in one area of their lives and when they move into a different environment, they no longer have the ability to appear confident. Doubt yourself for a second, and people will be able to pick up on that momentary self-doubt.
Make up your mind to learn as much as you can about self-confidence and how to achieve it. You will learn that self-confidence comes from many sources such as personal experience, background and your ability to control your thought processes.
Let us know what you have learned about self-confidence. Share a comment and we’ll all learn a little more about this incredibly important topic.

We share tips about confidence in our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies designed specifically for school audiences. www.StandUpForRespect.com

Can facebook lead to depression, suicide, murder?

A study in the American Academy of Pediatrics says when teens spend hours on social networking sites they can start comparing themselves to others. That can lead to depression in certain

Girls comparing friends lists on Facebook

personalities. The study states: “The intensity of the online world may be a factor leading to depression in some adolescents.”

I recently visited a school where 25 of 27 students in a grade 5 class were active on facebook.

Children that young don’t have the skills to deal with complex relational issues which can arise on social networking sites like facebook.
Parents need to be aware of what children are doing on-line. If you are a parent and are allowing your young children to be active on social networking, at least be on their friend list so you can keep tabs on what is happening.
Some children become devastated as a result of social networking incidents. That can lead to depression, suicide, bullycide or even murder.

Monday, we presented our ‘Cyberbullying – Got To Go’ assemblies at St. Bernadette Catholic School in Toronto (Mississauga). Those children have learned how to stay safe on-line and have received practical tips and advice on cyber-safety.
For information about our programs, visit www.brucelangford.ca

Bullying Prevention Assemblies with Religious Faith Content in Dufferin Peel Catholic Schools

Virtues at St. Andrew School

Empathy, conscience, hope, respect, acceptance, kindness, self-control and fairness are all virtues honoured at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orangeville Ontario. We presented our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies at the school yesterday and were wowed by the amazing reception from students, staff and administration. It was our second visit, after presenting ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ during our last visit hosted by Mr. Gregory Krar.

This time, the students were just as respectful and showed even more excitement, since most of them

Mrs. Hageman's Display Case

remembered us from our last visit. We put a lot of effort into the rehearsal of the role-plays with pre-selected students from St. Andrew. The volunteer students who did the acting were just excellent at their parts and really made a strong statement with the audiences.

Mrs. Hageman is the teacher-librarian at the school. She arranged all the details of our visit

The Stand Up Against Bullying Vow

and was a very gracious hostess representing St. Andrew. She watched all three assemblies and was most appreciative of what she saw.

Principal, Mrs. Cindy Young, described the assemblies with great enthusiasm: “Each assembly was right on the mark! You hit on all the important aspects of what we want our St. Andrew students to live by. I really liked how you changed your assemblies for each age group!”

St. Andrew Banner

(Mrs. Cindy Young, Principal at St. Andrew Catholic School)

This school has left a very powerful impression! The students were genuine in their appreciation of the topic. They want to be positive role models and do their part to reduce bullying. The staff was supportive and on board with the topic. We will remember our day at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orangeville (Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board DPCDSB) for a long time!

St. Andrew School Painting on Ceramic

Cyberbullying Assemblies in Toronto (Brampton) Ontario

Bruce Langford as DJ Benny DL

Cyberbullying Assemblies to teach students about cyber-safety and the virtual world in Toronto. St. Jean Brebeuf hosted Bruce Langford and Stand Up Now Productions today with ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’.

Cyberbullying Tip: Always unplug your webcam when you are not using it or cover the lens if your webcam is built into your computer.

That was one of the tips we shared with Grade 7 and 8 students during the talk today.
Book Bruce Langford for a Keynote address, a teacher talk, or a parent meet and greet.
Contact Bruce at 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at www.standupnow.ca