Dear All Saints Catholic Academy Families:
As an organization dedicated to the formation of children, we strive to stay current in the best practices within the field of education. This includes comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff, in-service days dedicated to curricular work, and weekly meetings focused on the school and its identified initiatives.
Starting this year, the school has implemented an anti-bullying program called The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). OBPP is among the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available. Developed by Dr. Dan Olweus of Norway, OBPP has over thirty-five years of research behind it and has been implemented throughout the world in countries such as the United States, Canada, England, Mexico, Iceland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Croatia. It is recognized by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence as one of only eleven Blueprint Model Programs and by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a Model Program – two of the highest honors a prevention program can attain.
The school regards bullying as a very serious occurrence. In an effort to maintain a positive and enriching school climate, it is vital for all constituencies to fully understand what bullying is and how it must be addressed. The faculty engaged in a training session during our annual in-service this summer and has since been implementing this program school-wide. During the initial training, the faculty learned how to reduce bullying problems among students, strategies to assist in the prevention of new bullying problems, and strategies to achieve better peer relations at school.
In an effort to better educate our parent community, the school includes information on bullying in its annual Parent/Student Handbook publication. I encourage parents and students to review the section dedicated to Rules of Conduct on page 16. It is important for our entire community to fully understand the definitions and procedures outlined in the handbook so that we may achieve the school climate we seek.
Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you in advance for your support of our students by encouraging their social, spiritual, and academic education at All Saints Catholic Academy.
Sincerely,
Carrie Wilson, Head of School