week 1- We reviewed our safety lesson. I wanted to be sure they knew the 3Rs: Recognize, Refuse, Report, and understood how to use them to keep themselves safe. We talked about how to use those skills even in smaller situations.
For example, if a friend asks us to play tag on the playground. We can RECOGNIZE- that chasing games aren't allowed at Fairview, REFUSE- with our words by saying no in our assertive (strong, but respectful) voices and with our actions by not running away from the person or moving to an adult, and REPORT- to an adult if the person doesn't stop trying to play unsafe games.
week 2- We started talking about friendship. We made a friend out of big paper and brainstormed what a good friend does and says to other people. Some of the classes had time to read a story about friends.
1st-5th Grades- Bullying Prevention. Our district is doing a new bullying prevention curriculum in the elementary schools this year. We are using Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit.
Students have been learning about what bullying is: being mean, on purpose, over and over. It is unfair and one-sided and the person it is happening to hasn't been able to stop it.
We also use scenarios about kids in bullying situations to help us RECOGNIZE, REFUSE, and REPORT bullying behavior.
4th and 5th grades started also discussing bystanders--people who see or hear bullying happen--and what bystanders can do to be part of the solution and not the problem.