What is school about? It is about being safe
St Matthew’s has an Anti- Bullying programme STAND with Restorative practices.
STAND
The objective of the programme is not to PUNISH, it is to Call Out abusive behaviour and REPAIR harm. Consultation has occurred with staff, students, and our community. It will be repeated as part of new people induction.
Our school is about teaching and learning – but schools offer so much more. Our flock avail themselves of the myriads of opportunities: sportingly, culturally, theatrically, musically, chorally, spiritually, environmentally, and socially.
What we want to avoid, and in fact arrest at all costs is our flock making occasion for moments of: exclusion, meanness, and even a little social media nastiness to ice what could be a foul-tasting cake. These are unacceptable.
What we to daily celebrate are all those things that make us the individuals we are and to live our values 100% of the time every day. Our VALUES ask us:
To be Compassionate- we care about the person next to us. It matters that we can see someone is hurting and we want to help but we do not know how, or we are scared because we might be the next target.
To be people of INTEGRITY- we do the right thing no matter what
To be Respectful- we respect our school, we respect each other, we respect the rights of others to be themselves, we have self-respect.
To be Inclusive- we leave no one out, but more we allow others to be who they are and we accept them.
And
To be Committed- we do what we signed up for, we are loyal to our classes, we are loyal to our teams and our coaches, and we show up.
We are not meant to be perfect – no one is. The walls of a school are rubber; this is a metaphor to remind us that in school we will make errors. But in a school, you can bounce back off those walls- that is what learning is all about. Boundaries are there not to stop you but to keep you safe and learn.
However, there will be some who fail to learn because of a moment of silly choices and then that rubber of the wall will lose its bounce for a period time if that is necessary through the disciplinary consequences.
We need to take care of each other and take care of ourselves by pausing before we act and using our values as prompts for good decision-making.
STAND operates on the principles of supporting each other, Teaching the actions we need to take to keep our school a safe place, advocating for ourselves and each other when times are tough, nurturing a safe school, and defending ourselves and each other.
Every student has been guided through the process of STAND and what to do in the face of bullying.
First, they S – Stand up and speak up assertively. Students are expected to stand up and speak up that bullying is happening or has occurred. This is not acceptable.
Secondly, they T– Tell Someone and Take Action. Students are expected to promptly inform a trusted adult, such as a teacher, parent, or school counsellor, about the bullying incident.
Third they A–Assert & Assist– Students are expected to assert boundaries and assist others. They should encourage the victim to assert their boundaries with the bully and firmly communicate that the behaviour is unacceptable. Bystanders and witnesses are encouraged to assist the victim and stand up against the bullying behaviour. This can involve offering support, intervening safely, or reporting the incident.
Fourth they N – Never Alone. Students are encouraged to seek support for the victim from friends, peers, or adults who can help them navigate the situation and provide emotional support.
And Fifth they D – Document & Discipline: Witnesses/victim are encouraged to document ( STAND form at office) the incident, including details such as what happened, where and when it occurred, and who was involved. Documentation can be important for reporting and addressing the bullying effectively. It is about consequences and calling the bully out.
They have all been taken through the types of bullying that exist:
Every student knows that they can seek help immediately and go to the office to document an incident.
St Matthew’s is a safe school and we have taken a STAND against Bullyish behaviours.
