Principal's Desk

Our focus on being a positive Upstander

Anti-social behaviour usually happens in front of an audience. This might mean a crowd gathered in the schoolyard or just two other friends in a group chat. These onlookers – or ‘bystanders’ – can have a massive impact on how things pan out for the person being bullied.

As a bystander, you can choose to take on a few different personas:

A) the Sidekick, who joins in on the anti-social behaviour and makes it worse 

B) the Reinforcer, who eggs on the anti-social by watching it or laughing at it 

C) the Outsider, who ignores the anti-social, but doesn’t do anything to stop it

OR

D) the Upstander, who tries to help or support the person being bullied.

Here is some information we have been discussing in our class meetings this week to support a positive school culture.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SEE BULLYING:

TAKE ACTION!

REFUSE TO BE A BYSTANDER. If you see friends or classmates laughing along with the bullying, tell them that they are contributing to the problem. Never join in.

LEND A HAND. Ask the person who is being left out or picked on to join you and fellow Upstanders in an activity.

ALERT AN ADULT. Always notify a teacher or Principal whenever you see someone being bullied.

STOP THE SPREAD OF HURTFUL MESSAGES. If someone sends you a message or tells you a rumour that is untrue, speak out. Let them know that this behaviour is not funny or cool.

BE A FRIEND. Welcome new students. Make friends outside of your circle. Eat lunch with someone who is eating alone.

RESPECT DIFFERENCES. Remind others that differences are something to be celebrated, not used to hurt others or make others feel inferior.Here are some ways that you can be an UPSTANDER

To continue this conversation at home around the dinner table, I have included a parent handout for families to use.

Consent and Payment - School Events

You may have seen over the last few weeks in the newsletter and via Compass earlier this week, information relating to the changes regarding consent and payments for events on Compass.

Starting in Term 3, we will no longer be accepting late consent forms or payments for all events.

All consent and payments must be completed by the due date listed on Compass.

Once the deadline has passed, we will no longer accept any late submissions via Compass, in person at the office, or over the phone. Consequently, your child will not be able to participate in the event and will be sent to another class during this time.

We kindly ask that you ensure all forms and payments are submitted on time.

This allows us to fulfill our duty of care and ensures that our staff have sufficient time to finalise resources for incursions and excursions, including the Department of Education requirements.

I recognise that life can be busy and things may get missed however we will be continuing to send out reminders for your child's upcoming events via Compass to support their involvement. Once the event is made 'live' via Compass you will receive an email to your nominated email address. Our goal is to have children attend the wonderful events our teachers have organised, however without consent and payment, we cannot legally do so.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

Park Ridge Primary is a leading government school in the field of Positive Education. The Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) is now embedded in all facets of our students’ schooling. We want our students to develop a growth mindset regarding their learning potential. With EFFORT, we want our students to realise that they can achieve. It is important for parents to support this concept. Learn to praise the effort. This doesn’t mean praising mediocre effort. Students are quick to see through non genuine praise. When students say that they are not good at something, we, as adults need to repeat their sentence with the word yet at the end. This statement provides hope and potential growth. Are you a growth or fixed mindset individual? 

Term 2 Finish time (repeat)

As the term draws to a close, just a reminder that on Friday, 28 June, our school term will conclude at 2:15pm. As per normal, we will hold a Friday morning assembly before a brief announcement over the PA before the students are dismissed from their classrooms at 2:15pm. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please feel free to pop in for a chat with either Carrie, Brendan or I, should you wish to discuss anything. 

Our doors are always open! 

Take care,

Mr. Dale Blythman