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Congratulations OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Plan

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The Lewis Peace Prize was established in 1977 that recognizes an individual or a group that is making significant contributions toward a safe and peaceful school or community.

 

Onslow Home and School decided to nominate the OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Plan that is lead and organized by Madame Nathalie Swanson.  

 

"The OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Plan was introduced to us by the Western Quebec School Board and our French teacher, Nathalie Swanson accepted to lead the initiative at the school.  It is a comprehensive anti-bullying program that is backed by results.  Its approach is one that requires all members of the school community to take part in training, assemblies and in-class activities.  Students learn about bullying – What is it?  What it’s not?  What is involved in a bullying incident?  How can it be prevented? What impact it has on others and on us when we see it happening etc…

 

Nathalie has focused on preparing one of the most important pieces: creating a positive school climate.  She arranges groupings of students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 once a month and gives them a task to work on.  She re-arranges all of the groups every month in order to ensure all of the students in the school have had an opportunity to work with every other students in the school at least once.  It is harder to tease, bully or pick on someone you know and have worked with than to pick on someone who is nameless or someone you simply see in the halls from another classroom. 

 

In March, the group activity was to come up with a plan and make a snowman.  Due to weather conditions, they ran out of time to build their snowmen outside, so they took a different approach – they put their plan in action, but on paper!

 

This programme and especially Nathalie’s leadership on the monthly activities has led to an improved school climate.  She is extremely well organized and passionate about this programme and has been asked by other schools to help them implement the OLWEUS program with members of their staff.  Her leadership on staff with this initiative and with others makes her an invaluable asset to the team. "

 

We received a letter from the QFHSA confirming that we won this award.  Stacy and Hollie decided they would travel to Montreal to attend the AGM so that they could present a speech and accept the award on behalf of Madame Swanson.  We are extremely proud of this.  

 

"Bullying exists in large part because of a lack of empathy and dehumanization of the victim by the bully and bystanders.  We believe that it is harder for witnesses / bystanders to ignore an act of violence or bullying toward someone they have had as a member of their OLWEUS teams from the monthly activities.  We believe that the approaches and common expectations shared by staff as a result of this programme have resulted in an improvement in the climate at Onslow.  Students are also reporting behaviours before they become bullying and access help in dealing with problems because of the OLWEUS approach."

Thank you!

Eldon Keon, Principal