Today marks the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence and groups throughout the School came together in Home Class and tutor group discussions to recognise the significance of upholding a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. Students in Years 3 to 6 also participated in live Virtual Classroom webinars ‘Be an eSafe Kid: take action’ provided by the eSafety Commissioner. These workshops explored how to identify cyberbullying, its impact and helped students to develop help seeking and reporting strategies.
Design Coordinator Tarek Taouk shared that Year 9 students have crafted a series of thought-provoking and impactful anti-bullying posters that will be placed strategically throughout the school. “Our collective aim is to raise awareness, encourage a sense of responsibility, and promote a culture where bullying has no place”.
Deputy Principal Wellbeing Mary Duma said, the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence presents a valuable opportunity to reinforce the principles of the IGS Way. It is a reminder of the collective responsibility we all bear – students, staff members, and parents alike – in cultivating a positive and thriving school atmosphere”.
Director of Counselling Services Joseph Degeling commented “Research (and our own lived experience) tells us that positive social connections have a very strong protective effect in the prevention of bullying. This means that positive human relationships reduce rates of bullying in communities. Research also shows that connections enable positive, help-seeking behaviours, particularly in school communities.
“Practicing kindness and empathy, working to solve problems in a structured and collaborative way, focussing on building each other’s strengths, being respectful and accepting of individual differences all go a very long way to creating a culture of positive connection.”
What to do if you have concerns about bullying
If you ever have any concerns about any form of bullying at IGS we encourage you to tell a member of staff as soon as possible – this might be class teachers, Head of House, or Head of Year. Parents can also report online bullying to the e-safety commissioner – you can find some more information on this here.
We also have two school counsellors (Joe and Natalie) who can help parents or and students who may be impacted by bullying in some way.
You can get in touch with the school counsellors by emailing: counsellors@igssyd.nsw.edu.au.
Finally, you can find some very helpful and detailed information on bullying in our IGS parent lounge here.
For more information on the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence click here.