Dear Families,

The safety and success of each student is our ultimate focus. The ELC and PC are PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) schools. This program clearly aligns with the district’s student behavior standards and is designed to provide students with a clear set of positive expectations for their behavior in every school setting. (PBIS) is a proactive system that provides behavioral support for all students to achieve social, emotional, and academic success. We will use three “R’s” as the backbone to our student behavior expectations; Respectful, Responsible and Ready.  As a school and within each individual classroom we will be constantly reviewing the meaning of these words and how these character traits look and sound in each school setting. All school staff will use the three “R’s” as the base for student expectations in all areas of the school.

We have spent significant time during these past couple of weeks establishing and practicing expected choices in all school areas. When students demonstrate an unexpected behavior, we are reteaching and sharing replacement behavior ideas. We know that some students need additional practice and we shouldn't expect all 5-7 year olds to know all of the rules from the moment they walk in our door.

Each week, the Dean of Students and myself share a Monday video with all students and staff.  Last week's message was about behavior and bullying. Please view our Monday Message to see one way we are supporting a safe and successful school year for each K-2 Viking.

Bullying, harassment, or intimidation in any fashion is unacceptable behavior and is prohibited at school. The ELC and PC strive to create a school community where all people are welcome and students learn to be respectful, responsible, and ready when working with others. To learn more about our proactive efforts, please visit our Social Emotional Learning page.

Despite our best efforts, peer conflict will happen. When it does, it is important to know when it reaches the level of bullying.

According to stopbullying.gov, “Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Individuals who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or social status—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.

• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.”

Bullying is not perceptions of rudeness, criticism, “not getting your way,” healthy peer conflict, isolated and unintentional physical contact, or lack of consideration. These are examples of conduct that is unlikely to constitute bullying, harassment, and/or intimidation.

Regardless if the problem is bullying or not, we want to know about it so we can address it.  Please notify the Dean of Students, Katie Hardyman, if your student is struggling with a peer conflict.
If you believe the concern does constitute bullying, we need you to document your concern by completing this form and submit it to the Dean of Students or the Principal, Rachael Johnson.  When this form is submitted, an investigation into the issue will begin and will be completed within 10 school days.

To learn more about our Anti-Bullying/Harassment/Intimidation Procedures, read administrative regulations here to learn more.

See something? Say something!

One of the best ways to improve school safety is for students, families, and staff to share concerning behavior with school administrators when they see it. If you have traveled by airplane, you are familiar with the regular announcements to report any suspicious activity to the Department of Homeland Security. “If you see something, say something” also applies at school.

When students hear of situations where someone might get hurt or they see someone harming another person, they are taught to report the issue to the supervising adult. This could be the classroom teacher or the supervising adult at lunch or recess. If students hear something outside of school or on the bus, they can still come to the office to report the issue directly to Mrs. Johnson, the ELC/PC principal, or share what they heard or saw to office staff.

Parents or community members can also report issues of safety or concern to the school. This could be via phone at 437-7506 or 437-7606, via email to Mrs. Johnson or another staff person, or stopping into the office in person.

With Viking Pride,
Rachael Johnson, Principal