Ol-we- WHAT? Information about our new Olweus Bullying Prevention Program!

This fall, we are joining the rest of the District One and becoming an official Olweus school! 

So...what exactly IS Olweus? So glad you asked!

Olweus is a school wide program that has been proven to prevent or reduce bullying throughout a school setting. 

Olweus definition of bullying: "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."


This definition includes three important components:

 1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions.

 2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time.
 3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Students at IES are only K-3...why do we need this?

By the time bullying escalates to a harmful level, student attitudes and behaviors are already defined in many cases. A lot of times, students can't properly differentiate on what actually constitutes as bullying and that's when things can get really out of control. So, why K-3? So that we can handle bullying from the ground up: teach students what bullying is, what it's not, and teach them essential life skills to provide them with the skills to be better students, people, and later, adults!

P.S. Bullying is Not Teasing

It might be hard to tell the difference between playful teasing and bullying. Teasing usually involves two or more friends who act together in a way that seems fun to all the people involved. Often they tease each other equally, but it never involves physical or emotional abuse.

Why Students Bully

Information about bullying suggests that there are three interrelated reasons why students bully.

1. Students who bully have strong needs for power and (negative) dominance.

2. Students who bully find satisfaction in causing injury and suffering to other students.
3. Students who bully are often rewarded in some way for their behavior with material or psychological rewards. 

So, what does the program accomplish school wide?

• Reduces existing bullying problems among students

• Prevents the development of new bullying problems

• Achieves better peer relations at school

Great! So what will actually happen when our school implements the program?

We will be having our school wide kick off the morning of Thursday, October 30th. That same day, all classes will hold their first class meetings during explore time. We will have Olweus Notebooks  with lesson ideas, as well as places for us to document our efforts in changing our school climate. Meetings will take place weekly.

As our students become well versed in the actual Olweus definition and practices through class meetings, what can we expect to see?

• 50% or more reductions in student reports of being bullied and bullying others

• Significant reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior, such as bullying, vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy

• Significant improvements in the classroom social climate, reflected in student reports of improved order and discipline, more positive social relationships and more positive attitudes towards school work and school

• Greater support for students who are bullied, and stronger, more effective interventions for students who bully

            It's coming! October 30th, 2014