This past fall, our school principal, Mrs. Karen Rawlyk and approximately 20 teachers attended a two day Olweus Bullying Prevention conference held at Deep Run Parks and Recreation Center. The goal was to learn about bullying and its negative effects on students, faculty and staff in the school and surrounding community. Following this informative conference, the participants formed a "Bully Busters" Committee co-chaired by Meg Zehmer and Kelly Dyer. The committee was responsible for planning, organizing and training the faculty in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program during a Professional Development Teacher In-service day in February. The committee came up with the name Project PEACE which stands for People Encouraging Acceptance, Compassion and Equality. We are excited that this will be our 2009-2010 school wide theme!!!

Project PEACE will be introduced to the students in the fall upon their return to school. The committee is currently hard at work planning an exciting and interactive kick-off celebration for students and parents which is scheduled for mid October. In preparation for the implementation of this anti-bullying program , faculty and students in grades 3-5 have participated in an on-line survey asking various questions about their perceptions of bullying as well as its existence in different locations at Crestview Elementary School.

Project PEACE is a research based bullying and violence prevention program which involves the total effort of ALL school staff (including teachers, principals, school counselors, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, etc...) as well as students , parents and other members of the community to recognize and reduce bullying as well as other forms of violence.

The school's anti-bullying efforts will include:

 Educating the students in what bullying is as well as its long term negative effects.

 Identifying bullies and targets of bullying in order to address their individual needs.

 Holding weekly classroom meetings to discuss problems of bullying and violence as well as to educate students in how to deal with bullying situations.

 Recognizing students whom are acting as positive role models for other students.

 Using a variety of interactive resources to implement Project PEACE.

What is Bullying?  Bullying is when one person or a group of people, repeatedly, over time hurt one another through words and/or actions. Bullying may involve physical aggression such as fighting, shoving , kicking, verbal aggression such as name calling or a more subtle act such as socially isolating another student. In order to be considered "bullying," there has to be an imbalance of power or strength between the bully and his or her victim.

Warning signs of being bullied include but are not limited to:

 Coming home from school with torn clothing, damaged books, etc...

 Having cuts , bruises and scratches.

 Having few, if any, friends to play with...

 Appears not to want to go to school all of the sudden.

 Frequent complaints of headaches and stomach pains.

 Not sleeping well at night and having bad dreams.

 Losing interest in school work.

 Appearing sad, depressed and moody.

 Overly quiet, sensitive and withdrawn.

Warning Signs of Bullying Others:

 Teases , threatens and physically hurts other students.

 Is quick to anger, impulsive and has a hard time respecting and following rules .

 Is aggressive and often disrespectful towards adults.

 Is overly tough and shows no sympathy for other's feelings.

Crestview's school-wide rules against bullying will be posted on all buses, as well as in hallways and all classrooms, and include:

 We will NOT bully others.

 We will TRY to help students who are bullied.

 We will include students who are often left out of class /school activities.

 When we suspect and/or know somebody who is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school as well as an adult at home.

Project PEACE is committed to ensuring the entire Crestview school community treats one another with kindness and mutual respect . We look forward to our kick -off celebration with great anticipation knowing that if our students have a safe and comfortable environment in which to learn and grow, they will be able to demonstrate ALL that they know ...

Meg Zehmer
LD Resource Teacher
Project Peace Co-Chair