MT MARIA COLLEGE ANTI-BULLYING POLICY: INFORMATION, PREVENTION AND RESPONSES |
Mt Maria College aims to provide a safe, nurturing, respectful school community, in which all members have a role to play in building positive relationships.
Every adult at the College recognises that you are entitled to enjoy your education free from discrimination, harassment and abuse. When it occurs, we know that bullying affects everyone, not just the aggressors and their victims. It impacts those who may witness the targeted behaviour (the bystanders) and can negatively affect the atmosphere of a classroom or climate of a school.
Identifying bullying:
Types of bullying:
Bullying can be direct (happening to your face) or indirect (happening 'behind your back'), and overt (very obvious and observable) or covert (subtle and hard to prove). There are a few different types of bullying, including:
| Cyberbullying - stuff like mean texts, emails, posts, images or videos | Verbal bullying – using words to make you feel upset, angry, embarrassed, etc. E.g. teasing, name calling, yelling, etc. |
| Physical bullying – stuff that hurts or harms your body, e.g. kicking, tripping, hitting. Physical bullying can also include things like damaging your possessions | Social bullying – stuff done to hurt your reputation. It can be verbal, like spreading rumours or playing mean jokes, or non-verbal like pretending not to hear a person when they speak or leaving them out |
Our school community does not tolerate bullying behaviour of any form.
It is always unacceptable.
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I'm being bullied – what should I do?
If you find yourself in a conflict situation, either face to face or online, remember the 4 As:
- Avoidance: Try not to put yourself into stressful situations unnecessarily
- Awareness: Stay alert and pay attention. What are your options? Who is around that can help you?
- Assessment: Identify the threat level and your appropriate response.
- Application: Use the tools and techniques you've been taught and apply the right strategy to reduce the threat level.
These things can help stop bullying:
- Stay calm – try not to react (people who bully usually want you to get angry or upset);
- Report it - tell a trustworthy adult and keep talking to them about it until the bullying stops. You can make a report directly to a teacher or counsellor OR email them when the time is right.
- Get support - bullying can affect your mental health and self-worth - having the support of family, friends, teachers and/or professionals can make a big difference.
My friend is being bullied – what should I do?
Be an upstander. When you see bullying happening to someone else, you become a 'bystander'. You can help stop bulling from happening by:
- Showing you disapprove, e.g. frowning at a mean joke, shake your head to show you don't think it's right
- Interrupting the bullying by talking to the person being bullied, e.g. “Hey Jack, there you are!"
- Giving the person being bullied an excuse to leave the situation. e.g. “The teacher is looking for you" or, “Hey, can you come help me with something for a minute?"
- Letting the person being bullied know that you saw the bullying, you don't agree with it and offer support; do this in private/once the person is safe from the situation. e.g. “I saw what was happening at lunchtime. It is not okay for them to act that way! Are you ok? How can I help?"
- Reporting it to trustworthy adults, such as a teacher a parent or a counsellor. If possible, report it together - being bullied can be very lonely. Having a friend through a tough time can make a big difference to someone being bullied.
Stand up to the bullying
A great way to respectfully challenge bullying is to say, "We don't do that here." This is powerful as you're making it really clear that the behaviours that are happening are not ok - and you're doing it respectfully too (leading by example). |
Advice and information sourced via KidsHelpline.com.au
Mt Maria College Anti-Bullying Policy: Building a Positive School Community
Mt Maria College aims to provide a safe, nurturing, respectful school community, in which all members have a role to play in building positive relationships.
Every adult at the College recognises that you are entitled to enjoy your education free from discrimination, harassment and abuse. When it occurs, we know that bullying affects everyone, not just the aggressors and their victims. It impacts those who may witness the targeted behaviour (the bystanders) and can negatively affect the atmosphere of a classroom or climate of a school.
Understanding Bullying
Bullying is repeated negative behaviour that creates an imbalance of power. It can be direct or indirect, happening face-to-face or online. Bullying can be:
- Verbal: Teasing, name-calling, yelling, insults.
- Physical: Hitting, kicking, tripping, damaging belongings.
- Social: Excluding someone, spreading rumours, playing mean jokes.
- Cyber: Mean texts, emails, posts, images, or videos.
Bullying is Different From:
- One-time arguments or rudeness: These may not be intentional or repeated.
- Healthy conflict resolution: Disagreements can be resolved respectfully.
- Constructive feedback: Helping someone understand the impact of their actions.
- Setting boundaries: Everyone has the right to say no.
- Natural social consequences: Loss of trust due to broken promises.
Responding to Bullying:
I'm being bullied – what should I do?
If you find yourself in a conflict situation, either face to face or online, remember the 4 As:
- Avoidance: Try not to put yourself into stressful situations unnecessarily
- Awareness: Stay alert and pay attention. What are your options? Who is around that can help you?
- Assessment: Identify the threat level and your appropriate response.
- Application: Use the tools and techniques you've been taught or have access to and apply the right strategy to reduce the threat level.
Things you can do to be in control of the situation:
- Stay Calm: Don't react in a way that encourages the bully.
- Report It: Tell a trusted adult, like a teacher, counsellor, or parent.
- You can also report it directly through email or a dedicated bullying report box (if available at the College).
- Seek Support: Talk to friends, family, or a school counsellor. Bullying can impact your mental health and self-worth, but support can make a difference.
My friend is being bullied – what should I do?
Be an upstander. When you see bullying happening to someone else, you become a 'bystander'. You can help stop bulling from happening by:
- Show Disapproval: , e.g. frowning at a mean joke, shake your head to show you don't think it's right
- Interrupt: Talk to the person being targeted or offer them an excuse to leave.
- Offer Support: Let them know you saw what happened, don't condone it, and are there for them.
- Report It: Tell a trusted adult with the person being bullied, if possible.
Standing Up to Bullying:
A powerful way to stop bullying is to respectfully say, "We don't do that here." This sends a clear message that such behaviour isn't tolerated at Mt Maria College.