Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day – Bullying Awareness Week Reflection

Thanks to the large portion of our school that formed a sea of pink and went all out in PINK on Friday 21^st to show our whole school approach about standing together and speaking up to stop bullying.  This was a nationwide awareness day and it was wonderful to see and feel the support of mental health and celebrate diversity, acceptance and inclusion.

It was wonderful to see so many students at “pink Zumba” during lunchtime in the courtyard. Thanks to our awesome instructor, Gabby Cardey who got us all moving and shaking our groove thing. We raised $600 for the mental health foundation through the day’s pink mufti fundraiser!

We all have a shared responsibility for making our school a respectful and inclusive environment.  No one deserves or asks to be bullied and bullying is harmful with short or long-term physical or psychological harm to the target.

We had conversations in mentoring time and assembly about the difference between rude, mean or bullying.  This is a great poster (left) that we have displayed around the College to help us understand what the different behaviours are.

When someone is being rude or mean by making a thoughtless comment, this is not bullying.  In this instance we need to call on our resilience to withstand the disrespect and use our voice to stand up for ourselves where we can.

However, an interaction can become a form of bullying if:

• the hassling only goes one way
• there are one or more students who are the aggressor and leave the target in distress.
• the hassling is consistently repeated
• there is a power imbalance

However, the most common type of bullying that occurs is: the deliberate excluding of others. (You don’t have to be friends with everyone but we do expect you to be respectful of others).

If you see these type of bullying behaviours happening then doing nothing is not ok, if a bystander does nothing, that’s an action.

Most importantly the Guidance Counsellors would like to acknowledge that bullying prevention is more than just a 1week focus.  Together we all need to play a part in making Aquinas College a respectful and inclusive environment.

– Mrs Kristen Gilbert