Ballantyne Elementary School
15425 Scholastic Lane
Charlotte, NC 28277
BULLY AWARENESS - PREVENTION WEEK
GET The Facts and Take Action!
(January 14-18, 2013)
Including Acknowledgment of…
No Name Calling Week  – Words Can Hurt!
At BES we strive to create a caring, compassionate and cooperative environment for our students. In line with those
efforts as a school community, we celebrate one week each year to highlight the ongoing prevention of bullying.
What is Bullying Awareness Week? Bullying Awareness Week is an annual campaign initiated in 2003 by Family Channel
and Bullying.org Canada to show and tell kids that they have the power to act against bullying. The focus of the week is directed
at the bystander – kids who witness bullying but may not do anything about it. The decision to focus on the bystander was made
in consultation with two of Canada’s leading experts in the field of bullying, Drs. Debra Pepler and Wendy Craig, whose research
has shown that bullying, stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time when peer bystanders intervene on behalf of children who are
bullied. The main message for the week is, “When you see someone being bullied, let them know they’re not alone.”
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/parents/Pages/BullyingPrevention.aspx
www.pacer.org/bullying/
www.stopbullying.gov/
www.stopbullyingnow.com/
What is No Name-Calling Week? No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending
name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to
eliminate bullying in their communities. The week was launched in March 2004.
Nonamecallingweek.org-Words Can Hurt
www.nonamecallingweek.org/
Help students end bullying. Get resources and lesson plans here.
We will be having the following activities for the week:
Monday
January 14th
KICKOFF…The beginnings of Bully Prevention Week & week long activities on WBES by student volunteers.
Announce Contest: Students (individual or in a group) write an original poem about bully prevention. The best
poem will win a surprise for their class. The winning poem printed in the Bear Bulletin for everyone to read 
Class Meetings:
 Review of the four part bullying definition (Bullying=PAIN) as explained by Mrs. Wright, BES counselor at
the beginning of the year on WBES.
 If not already completed, the students in each class are to sign the new Bully Free Zone yellow signs to
post in each classroom listing the definition and commitment to a bully free campus.
 Discuss any new student concerns regarding bullying in your classroom.
Web blast to parents to include: explanation, parent tips, additional website resources
Today’s Message…Bullying is WRONG! Treat everyone with respect and compassion.
Tuesday
January 15th
No Name Calling Day
Classroom Activity – It’s All In A Name (Attached)
Today’s Message… The Power of Words... You are special and unique - let others see your strengths!
Make a commitment to only positive interactions! What you say can hurt others  It is better to choose words
to build someone up and encourage them.
Wednesday
January 16th
Cyber Bullying = “Cowards at the Keyboard”
Class Meeting:
Discuss Cyber Bullying Explanation (Attached)
Today’s Message…Learn cyber etiquette rules. Remember…think first and always click with caution!
Thursday
January 17th
Wear Blue – Peace and Safety Day (Resource Officer Dodd to Address Students on WBES)
Today’s Message…Always make good choices to be safe and keep the peace  If you see someone in law
enforcement today (including our own BES safety patrol)…say thank you!
Friday
January 18th
Stand Up for your Friends Day. Song “Who’s Got a Friend? on WBES”
Classroom Activity - Review Kids Bill of Rights and Bystander Checklist & discuss as group.
Today’s Message…Be a true and loyal friend willing to speak up for one another in times of need.
FRIENDSHIP & RESPECT vs. Bullying
Respect and “The Golden Rule”…
Value all people. Accept those that are different from you. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Surround yourself with positive people. We are able to choose our friends and still show respect for everyone.
1.) What is a true friend? kind, considerate, empathetic, compliments others, makes someone feel welcome, forgives others,
fair, open-minded, flexible, sets good examples, goal-oriented, listens, understanding, admits to mistakes
2.) We want to avoid people that…tease or ridicule, embarrassing others, put down or insult, insensitive, mean or cruel, makes
excuses, blames others unfairly
3.) What is bullying? For bullying to occur, there must be four things present…
Power Imbalance …one person has power
Aggressive…physical or words
Intentional…act done on purpose
Numerous…over and over and over
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Bullies appear big, tough and mean. They push kids around to deal with their own feelings of fear, hurt or anger. They think
intimidating others will make them feel better about themselves. They are weak inside with low self esteem.
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Bullies take pleasure in someone else’s pain and that is wrong! They look for easy, passive targets.
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How to avoid a bully and not be a passive target…
 Stay calm and try not to show you are bothered or upset.
 Look confident and tell the other person to back off and bullying is not cool or just walk away.
 Don’t go off alone.
 Stay in places with supervision or adults.
 Hang out in large groups.
 Take a different route to school, class, etc…
 Positive self-talk equips you better to defend yourself. Don’t blame yourself…no one deserves to be bullied.
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It is okay to ask for help…Who?
 Parents and family
 Teacher
 Counselor
 Administrator
 Friends
 Coaches, religious leaders, activity leaders
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“Bystander” – stands up for a friend in distress. Bystanders are powerful. In fact, more than half of bullying situations will
end if bystanders step in.
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Excluding someone from a group, although it is not nice, it is NOT bullying.
Cyber Bullying…
Cyber bullying, also known as electronic bullying or online social cruelty
 through email
 through instant messaging
 in a chat room
 on a website or gaming site
 through digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone
Cyber bullying …the bully can’t be seen, cowards behind the keyboard
Although sharing certain features in common with traditional bullying, cyber bullying represents a unique phenomenon that has
only recently begun to receive attention in both the popular press and in academic circles. Cyber bullying not only looks and
feels a bit different than traditional bullying, but presents some unique challenges in dealing with it.
Who Cyber Bullies?
Both boys and girls cyber bully, although it appears that girls are more likely to engage in cyber bullying and be targeted by cyber
bullying than their male counterparts. This is a difference from traditional bullying, where we find boys engaging in bullying
behaviors or being targeted in higher numbers than girls.
How can parents help prevent Cyber Bullying?
Communicate with your children about their online experiences. Parents need to discuss cyber bullying with their children as
part of their regular discussions about Internet Safety and appropriate use of technologies. Parents can make it clear that using
the Internet or cellular phones to embarrass or hurt others’ feelings is not part of their family values. Discussing the golden rule
as it applies to internet and technology use can be very helpful. Parents should discuss bystander behavior as well, encouraging
children to speak out against cyber bullying they witness and to report it to the appropriate person. In addition, parents need to
set up guidelines for appropriate use for each new piece of technology that is brought into the home.
How can educators help prevent Cyber Bullying?
Teach Students Online “Netiquette”, Safe Blogging, and How to Monitor Their Online Reputation. Online netiquette skills are
becoming vital as technology is increasingly being incorporated into most career paths. Many schools encourage teachers to
keep blogs where class/homework assignments are posted for students. Students are asked to post assignments online.
Providing tips on appropriate posting and online etiquette as part of incorporating more technology in the classroom is
critical. Schools need clear policies against bullying (bully prevention plans).
The etiquette guidelines that govern behavior when communicating on the Internet have become known as
netiquette. Netiquette covers not only rules of behavior during discussions but also guidelines that reflect the
unique electronic nature of the medium. Netiquette usually is enforced by fellow users who are quick to point
out infractions of netiquette rules. The summary of email rules in the information below is based on published
sources such as Shea's (2004) online book, Netiquette.
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Identify yourself:
o Begin messages with a salutation and end them with your name.
o Use a signature (a footer with your identifying information) at the end of a message
Include a subject line. Give a descriptive phrase in the subject line of the message header that tells the
topic of the message (not just "Hi, there!").
Avoid sarcasm. People who don't know you may misinterpret its meaning.
Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal email without the original author's permission.
Acknowledge and return messages promptly.
Copy with caution. Don't copy everyone you know on each message.
No spam (a.k.a. junk mail). Don't contribute to worthless information on the Internet by sending or
responding to mass postings of chain letters, rumors, etc.
Be concise. Keep messages concise—about one screen, as a rule of thumb.
Use appropriate language:
o Avoid coarse, rough, or rude language.
o Observe good grammar and spelling.
Use appropriate emoticons (emotion icons) to help convey meaning. Use "smiley's" or punctuation
such as :-) to convey emotions. See website list of emoticons at http://netlingo.com/smiley.cfm and
http://www.robelle.com/smugbook/smiley.html.
Use appropriate intensifiers to help convey meaning.
o Avoid "flaming" (online "screaming") or sentences typed in all caps.
o Use asterisks surrounding words to indicate italics used for emphasis (*at last*).
o Use words in brackets, such as (grin), to show a state of mind.
o Use common acronyms (e.g., LOL for "laugh out loud").