Giraffe Spots to Show Anti-Bullying Efforts

The new anti-bullying program is rolling at Buker, where the focus is on giraffes.

A large giraffe painted on the wall at the entrance to Buker Elementary School will show the school's progress to combat bullying - and focus on helpful and respectful behavior when students "stick out their neck." On Wednesday, students at the Wenham school were encouraged to "stick out their neck" like a giraffe. "We're going to try to fill our giraffe with your names on spots for sticking out your neck to help others," Kathy Hughes, the school's adjustment counselor told all of the school's students that sat on the gym floor. Students will be encouraged to "spot" behavior that shows students "sticking their neck out." Teachers also acted out some common schooltime scenarios, showing students what it means to stick out their neck. In one…

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Students Act Like Giraffes to Combat Bullying

The Olweus anti-bullying program is underway in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District, encouraging students to stick out their necks to fight bullying.

The new Olweus Bullying Prevention Program being used in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District got going last week at Winthrop Elementary School, where a giraffe is being used as a symbol in the program. The giraffe has been adopted to symbolize “sticking your neck out” to help stop unkind behavior, the school said in an announcement. Principal Christopher Health reviewed the four anti-bullying rules and talked to the students about the importance of sticking up for each other if they witness unkind or bullying behavior at a recent school assembly. "The students were very engaged in the assembly especially when our VIP Giraffe visited and took a picture with each of the classes," said Jan Lee, a teacher at the school. “Stick your …

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Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Jan. 14: Free Bruins Tickets

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Monday, Jan. 14. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Warm: Monday’s weather forecast serves up a mix of all sorts – above all it will be warm, with a high temperature close to 50 degrees. The day will start out with fog and clouds and the sun is expected to come out in the afternoon. It will also be gusty. 2. Bullying: Elementary parents on Monday night will get a look at the new anti-bullying program that is being adopted in the schools, called Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. The evening session, which starts at 7 p.m. at Buker Elementary School, will introduce the program and go over baseline data collected in October. 3. Bruins: The return of professional hockey has some people excited, while …

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Anti-Bullying Program to Kick Off in Schools

The Regional School District has adopted a new anti-bullying program that will get started in the next few weeks.

A new anti-bullying program - Olweus Bullying Prevention Program - gets started in the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District in the next few weeks. The Olweus program is a proactive approach that focuses on awareness, identification, and prevention of bullying, according to a notice sent to parents last week. The program started in the district back in August, when school teams were trained and then, in turn, trained teachers in each school, said Celeste Bowler, assistant superintendent for learning. Now, in he next few weeks each school will take part in various “kickoff” events and there will be evening programs for  parents. In October, the district also conducted a survey to establish a baseline mark to measure the success of the …

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