National Day of Action against Bullying – Friday 18 August

This week, Meriden’s Applied Science Captains, Phoebe Strachan and Mariyah Siarakas, are highlighting the work being done nationally to combat bullying. This Friday marks the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. The girls have orchestrated several initiatives to emphasise this important matter and foster unity among Senior School students around the theme, “Creating Connections”. The most important protective factor against bullying is having strong connections with other staff and students.

In Assembly this week, I spoke to the girls about the importance of understanding what bullying is. Understanding the definition of bullying is the first step to discussing how to prevent and respond to bullying with your daughter.

“Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm.”

The word ‘bullying’ is sometimes used for behaviours that are not actually bullying. At times, girls may use the term bullying to express their concerns about a friendship breakdown, an unkind word or gesture from a peer or an unhelpful dynamic that has emerged in their friendship group. At other times, girls endure problematic bullying behaviours for much longer than they should because they are afraid to speak up.

At Meriden, we do not tolerate bullying. If you are concerned about bullying, please get in touch with your daughter’s Year Coordinator. Early intervention is very important in supporting those who are both the agents and targets of bullying.

I encourage you to look at the Bullying No Way website pages linked below, which provide valuable information on bullying and guidance on how to support your daughter, whether she is involved in bullying or has become a victim of it.

Well done to Phoebe and Mariyah for highlighting this challenging but important issue.

Understanding Bullying – https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/understanding-bullying

Fact Sheets for Families – https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/resources/fact-sheets/fact-sheets-for-families