Bullying
has become a major topic in education over the last few years. The definition
of bullying, as given by the website http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying.page,
is:
"Bullying is aggressive
behavior that is intentional and that involves an
imbalance of power. Most often, it
is repeated over time."
Bullying,
whether it is physical, verbal, or cyber bullying, has no place at LCHS. We have been working to not only educate students
about bullying, but to also ensure that these behaviors do not occur at our
school. We will maintain a safe and positive learning environment for all of
our students.
One
of the programs that we are using to continue to ensure a safe and positive
learning environment is the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program. This program is
designed to educate everyone in the school community -students, teachers, staff
members, and parents - about what bullying is and what can be done to prevent
bullying. In addition to faculty and staff training, a major component of the
Olweus Program are class meetings. During these class meetings, teachers and
students talk about various topics including what constitutes bullying, why
some people bully others, and what can be done to prevent bullying. One idea
behind the Olweus Program is that open and honest communication can help reduce
bullying in a school.
LCHS
will begin holding our Olweus class meetings during the second semester. Our plan
is to make Thursdays "Activity/Class Meeting Days". Starting when
ROAR Block does next semester, we will have Activity Days on the first and
third Thursdays of the month and Olweus Class Meetings on the second and fourth
Thursdays of the month. On Thursdays, all students will be expected to report
to school by 8:07. The class meetings and club meetings will take place during
the last 30 minutes of 1st period.
As
always, thank you for your support of LCHS. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I
can be reached smithte@lcps.k12.va.us
or at 540-894-5436.
