During the month of October, in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, all Narragansett students will receive targeted instruction on bullying prevention skills, including guidance on the role of the “bystander.”
Narragansett’s teaching guidance counselor, Rachel Dunbar, teaches these lessons to K-2 students, and classroom teachers teach these lessons to the students in grades 3-5.
Students in grades K-2 receive social skills instruction for 45 minutes each week throughout the year. Lessons focus on the development of pro-social interactions, problem solving within social contexts, resolving peer-conflict, and much more.
Photo credit Cynthia RemickCarter Sprague, a student at Narragansett Elementary School, is practicing using his voice to stop behaviors that may lead to bullying in a role-playing exercise.
Classroom teachers then conduct brief follow-up lessons throughout the week to reinforce these lessons and allow students time to practice these new skills in various educational contexts.
Specific information regarding the curriculum for these lessons will be shared with families on a regular basis, so skills can be reinforced at home, if families so choose.
Narragansett develops activities to reinforce their Code of Conduct, fostering kindness throughout the year. The school celebrated “National Do Something Nice Day” on Oct. 4. They have also begun to assemble a paper “Kindness Chain” in the main lobby; with each link celebrating a specific act of kindness completed by a student.
Over the year, students and teachers will watch the chain of Kindness grow. The school is also participating in Socktober, collecting new socks for local shelters.
This is just a small sampling of the things all three K-5 schools do, here in Gorham, to foster kindness, compassion and respect.