Bullying

Dear Fifth Grade Parents,

It has been brought to my attention and to the attention of the administration, that students in our class are experiencing bullying.  The act itself may only be between the perpetrator(s) and the victim(s), but the experience affects us all: the bully, the victim, those who see it happen, and those who hear about what happened.  

As a Catholic school we have a responsibility to address and correct this behavior. We have addressed this issue in multiple ways. As a class, we have communicated about this topic through reading, discussion, writing and peer recognition for students, “Caught doing what is right.” 

The administration and teachers at St. Jerome take this situation very seriously. We would like to draw parents’ attention to the excerpt from the St. Jerome Policy manual, “Reasons for expulsion” which states, “Reasons for expulsion are, but are not limited to, the following offenses committed by students:

1. Actions gravely detrimental to the moral and spiritual welfare of other students.

2. Habitual profanity or vulgarity…

4. Bullying or harassing school personnel or other students.”

After our recent holiday dedicated to the civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am reminded of his words, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”  To break that silence, I would like us all to take a minute to talk to our sons and daughters about this situation and how we can contribute to a solution.  The situation, as we have become aware, is this:

Some fifth grade students are

·         Using bad language/swear words on the playground

·         Displaying poor sportsmanship (both in winning and in losing)/not playing fair on the playground… Using the derogative, “You suck.”

·         Picking on others for not having money or for being “poor”

·         Teasing students about not having possessions (i.e. video games, shoes, watching certain cable T.V. shows, etc)

·         Afraid to “stick up” for their friends and classmates, for fear of being teased or made fun of themselves

Thank you very much for your attention to this important and sensitive matter. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lennon                                        

5^th grade Teacher    


Sr. Judith Peters                                                              
Principal                                              


Mrs. Wendy McLaughlin  
Vice Principal

P.S. More information to come regarding updates to this situation.  Already, there has been a vast improvement in the way the students behave towards each other.  Thank you very much!

Link to a bullying "video" (Voice Thread... free registration)  for help talking to your child about bullying.

- Click Here for Bullying Video