Northern Round Up

As educators and parents, it’s important that we have a clear understanding of what bullying looks like so we can effectively support our students and create a safe, positive learning environment.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is repeated, intentional behaviour that causes harm, distress, or fear to another person. It can take many forms, including:

• Physical bullying: hitting, kicking, pushing, or other physical aggression.
• Verbal bullying: name-calling, teasing, threats, or hurtful comments.
• Social bullying: deliberately excluding someone, spreading rumours, or damaging someone’s social reputation.
• Cyberbullying: using digital devices or platforms to harass, threaten, or humiliate.

Key characteristics of bullying include:

• Repetition: the behaviour happens more than once or has the potential to be ongoing.
• Intent: the behaviour is deliberate, meant to hurt or intimidate.
• Power imbalance: the person bullying has more power in some way (physical strength, social status, or access to embarrassing information).

What is Not Bullying?

Not all unkind or hurtful behaviour is bullying. It’s important to differentiate between bullying and other types of conflict or social interactions:

• One-off incidents: a single argument or fight, while serious, is not bullying if it is not repeated.
• Accidental harm: if a child hurts another by accident or without intention, this is not bullying.
• Mutual conflict: disagreements or fights where both parties are equally involved and there is no ongoing power imbalance.
• Normal social challenges: children sometimes say or do things that are unkind or rude as part of learning social skills; this is not bullying but should still be addressed.

Why Understanding the Difference Matters

Recognising what is and isn’t bullying helps us respond appropriately. Bullying requires clear intervention to stop the behaviour and support those affected. Other conflicts or social mistakes often call for teaching and guidance to help children develop empathy, communication, and problem-solving skills.

As a school community, we are committed to fostering respect, kindness, and safety for all our students. If you have concerns about bullying or any other social issues, please reach out to our staff. Together, we can ensure every child feels valued and secure.

Friendships play a vital role in a child’s social and emotional development. As children grow, they begin to form and navigate friendship groups, which can sometimes be complex and challenging. As parents, your support and guidance are crucial in helping your child build positive relationships and develop important social skills.

Understanding Friendship Groups

Friendship groups in primary school often change over time as children explore different interests and personalities. It’s normal for children to experience ups and downs in friendships, including moments of inclusion, exclusion, or misunderstanding. These experiences help children learn about empathy, communication, and resilience.

How Parents Can Support Their Children

• Encourage Open Communication: Create a safe and supportive environment where your child feels comfortable sharing their feelings and experiences about friendships. Listen actively and without judgement, and validate their emotions.
• Teach Social Skills: Help your child practice important social skills such as sharing, taking turns, resolving conflicts, and expressing their feelings calmly and respectfully.
• Model Positive Relationships: Children learn a lot by observing adults. Show them how to maintain healthy relationships through kindness, respect, and effective communication in your own interactions.
• Discuss Diversity and Inclusion: Talk about the value of accepting differences and including others. Encourage your child to be open-minded and kind to classmates from all backgrounds.
• Support Problem-Solving: Guide your child in thinking through friendship challenges and brainstorming solutions. Ask questions like, “What do you think would make the situation better?” rather than immediately giving advice.
• Monitor Digital Interactions: Friendship dynamics often extend into online spaces. Help your child navigate social media and digital communication safely and respectfully.
• Collaborate with the School: Maintain open communication with your child’s teachers and school staff. They can provide insights and support if your child is experiencing difficulties with peers.

When to Seek Additional Support

While friendship challenges are a normal part of growing up, if your child is experiencing persistent distress, bullying, or social isolation, it’s important to seek further support. Our school is here to help, and we encourage you to reach out if you have concerns.

Respect is a fundamental value that shapes how children interact with others and contribute positively to their communities. Teaching and encouraging respect helps children build healthy relationships, develop empathy, and create a safe and welcoming environment both at school and outside of school.

How Parents Can Support Respectful Behaviour

• Model Respectful Behaviour: Children learn by example. Demonstrate respect in your daily interactions with family members, friends, and others. Use polite language, listen attentively, and show consideration for different perspectives.
• Set Clear Expectations: Talk with your child about what respect looks like — such as listening when others speak, using kind words, following rules, and treating others fairly. Consistent expectations at home reinforce what is taught at school.
• Encourage Empathy and Understanding: Help your child understand how their actions affect others. Encourage them to think about how someone else might feel before they speak or act.
• Recognise and Praise Respectful Behaviour: Positive reinforcement helps children understand the value of respectful behaviour. Praise your child when they show kindness, patience, or fairness.
• Teach Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution: Equip your child with strategies to handle disagreements calmly and respectfully. Role-playing scenarios can be a helpful way to practice these skills.
• Discuss Respect in Different Environments: Explain that respect applies everywhere — at school, at home, in the community, and online. Talk about respecting differences, including cultural diversity and individual opinions.
• Stay Connected with the School: Work in partnership with your child’s teachers and school staff. They can provide support and reinforce respectful behaviour in the school setting.

Our stationery outline will be updated shortly to reflect the addition of two whiteboard markers. These are used constantly in our learning environments. All students have access to mini whiteboards and the some classes have whiteboard top tables. From term 2, all students will require 2x Whiteboard Markers of any colour added to their personal stationery supply.

We do ask you to ensure that these are 'Whiteboard' markers and not 'Permanent' Markers. Permanent Markers are still not required in student personal supplies.   

We are so proud of our school and are keen to maintain our current momentum. We would like to refocus our attention back on the need for our students to wear our uniform each day. The Behaviour Code for Students outlines an expectation that all students will '...meet the school's agreed uniform policy or dress code'. 

Our focus will shift in 2025, with a renewed expectation for students to wear their uniform each day. The inclusion of the 'commemorative shirt' will continue in 2025. However the regular uniform that is now purchased from Lowes looks amazing. We want to ensure that the great school of North, is represented through the uniform that all students wear each day.

To assist with this focus, our new 2025, Reward System will be reflected with this focus in 2025. More details below.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, we are implementing a new policy regarding our school's social media presence. Beginning in Semester 2, our social media accounts will only feature images of students who are in full school uniform.

This decision reflects our dedication to promoting a positive school identity and reinforcing our school values. By showcasing our students in their school uniforms, we aim to foster a sense of pride and belonging within our school community.

We understand that sharing moments and achievements is important, and we will continue to celebrate the wonderful activities and events taking place at our school. However, we believe that this change will enhance the privacy and protection of our students while still allowing us to highlight their accomplishments.