Volume 2, Issue 2 Winter 2010

Important Dates December 24th to January 2ndWinter Break January 13thMSPA Legislative Day in Annapolis January 17thNo School January 21stBCASP Happy Hour, Ryans Daughter in Belvedere Square January 24th & 25th City-Wide Professional Development February 22 to 26th NASP Annual Convention in San Francisco

Presidents Pen
From what I hear, it sounds like we are all very busy and in the hustle and bustle of assessments, ET notes, committees, and work related duties. Timelines have gotten a bit shorter with the new 5-day (15-day) timeline and this new hurdle has required us as school psychologists to reevaluate our game plan and adjust accordingly. The new Encounter Tracker program took some time to get used to, but from what I hear, we are all doing it and getting our responsibilities done. Something I have learned from all these new requirements that have popped up in the picture is that no matter what changes in the system or throughout our lives, if we can take a mini-step back to put things in perspective and make miniadjustments to our daily routine, we can make things happen. One of the aspects I appreciate the most about working in a school system with over 130 school psychologists is the idea that we can support each other and collaborate with one another. One example of this from this year alone is how fellow school psychologists have offered support to colleagues bombarded with heavy testing caseloads. Another example is how a group of Baltimore City school psychologists worked together to plan BCASPs 2nd Annual Charity event which raised $2,900 for Robertas House Grief and Loss Center. This would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of friends and colleagues, and for that I am thankful. In closing, I wish for you a happy and safe holiday season and I hope that you continue to reach out, network, and collaborate with other colleagues, as we all have many different areas of expertise and can benefit from the support of others. Kate Shoemaker Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Inside this issue:

Charity Event Summary 2-3

Bullying Prevention

4-5

Ingenious Intervention Ideas

Legislative Corner

Multicultural Corner

8-9

Talking FunctionFBA/B IP Column Bullying Resources

10-11

12-14

Page 2

BCASPs Fundraising Success!

Written By: Teresa Serkes
The Baltimore City Association of School Psychologists (BCASP) hosted its Second Annual Fundraiser on Monday, November 1, 2010. The first annual event was hosted at Gertrudes Restaurant located in the Baltimore Museum of Art. Last year, our dedicated organization raised $500 to benefit the Dyslexia Tutoring Project. This year, we organized our efforts to host an amazing event at Boordy Vineyards. Proceeds from this years event were donated to Robertas House, Family Grief Support Center. Robertas House was founded in June of 2007 by the children of and in the memory of the late Julia Roberta. Julia Roberta March was the matriarch and co-founder of the March Funeral Homes in Baltimore, MD. She and her husband, William C. March, were successful business owners since 1957. They were well-known in their community for their compassion and giving spirit. Thousands of families were served out of their small rowhouse funeral home because of their commitment to providing dignified, affordable services to low income families. Julia Roberta March was dedicated to providing comfort to families as they dealt with grief and loss. Her children felt that the best way to honor her legacy was to found a Bereavement Center to continue to support the families of the Baltimore City community. Baltimore City ranks the second highest in the country for homicide rates, and the city lacks the resources to effectively provide for the families of the community to help them deal with this loss. Unfortunately, it is often the children who have lost loved ones to unexpected deaths who go unnoticed and become secondary victims to these crimes. As the website states, Robertas House offers a comprehensive bereavement support program for healing the hearts and minds of children and their families emotionally, physically and spiritually. This organization is dedicated to supporting the families in Baltimore City, especially the children. The charity event hosted by BCASP to benefit Robertas House was held November 1, 2010 and attracted over 100 guests. Boordy Vineyards is a historic vineyard and winery that offered award-winning wines and beautiful scenery for the fundraiser event. Guests enjoyed delicious appetizers and dinner from Clementine Catering, and Java-Roo, located in Fells Point, donated delicious coffee and Fells Fudge for dessert. Guests were entertained by Paul Snyder Jazz Quartet. An evening of music and socializing allowed guests to browse a Silent Auction. Items had been generously donated by local businesses and BCASP members, with all proceeds benefiting Robertas House. Guests included BCASP members and their families and friends, as well as educators from the Baltimore City Public School System. Additionally, members of Maryland School Psychologists Association and psychologists from other school systems attended the event. As a result of our efforts, the dedicated donations of local businesses, and the amazing Silent Auction, we were able to raise $2,900 to donate to Robertas House! This money will be utilized to provide two 10-week sessions for 20 individuals dealing with grief and loss. Additionally, it will help fund two children to attend Camp Erin Baltimore in 2011, which is the largest bereavement camp in the country. Robertas House looks forward to continuing to develop a partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools and BCASP. In 2011, Robertas House plans to focus on establishing greater professional support, increasing volunteer opportunities, and organizing special projects within the communities and the schools. To learn more about this wonderful organization, please visit their website at http://www.robertashouse.org/. Thank you to all who attended, bought tickets, contributed a monetary donation, or secured donations from local organizations for the Silent Auction. We could not have done it without you!

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This years charity event would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors.
Clementine Catering Boordy Vineyards Paul Snyder Jazz Java-Roo Coffee & Fudge Diving Designs & Events (Centerpieces) Traditions by Pamela Fenwick Bakery Bo Brooks Restaurant Jays Deli and Catering Mary Kate McKenna Photography TAG Galleries Jean-Pierre Weill Canton Club Maryland Zoo in Baltimore Maxs Taphouse Greene Turtle Field House Meli Patisserie & Bistro Centro Tapas Bar Pasticco Italian Kitchen & Bar On the Hill Caf & Market The Fresh Market Charm City Yoga Bella Hair Salon of Canton Studio 1612 Brocatos Hair Salon Nail Care & Spa Linh Zina Day Spa & Salon of Canton 2910 on the Square On the Road to Marrakech Teresa Serkes Mary Kay Consultant Wegmans Jacqualynne Erlendsson Brad Petry

See page 15 for addition photographs

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Bullying and Harassment Prevention - Above and Beyond Bullying: Who are the Youth Being Targeted?
Written By: Cindy Smith
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) hosted a training conference on November 17th with school-based professionals from across the state. I had the opportunity to attend at my principals urging and I now have the opportunity to share with you some of the helpful information and resources that were shared with me during this full-day event. Our first speaker was Kevin Jennings, who is the Assistant Deputy Secretary of the US Dept. of Educations Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. You can check out current programs and initiatives facilitated by the OSDFS by visiting: http://www2.ed.gov/ about/offices/list/osdfs/programs.html. In addition to being a dynamic speaker with an exceptional biography and diverse personal experiences, Mr. Jennings showed us how data has been traditionally collected to identify persistently dangerous schools and how that data is now being used differently to inform funding decision. What was most compelling about his presentation was that his assertions drew directly from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance information most recently compiled by the CDC in 2009. This information can be easily accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm and in addition to compiling all of this data in one massive document (148 pages) along with a PowerPoint presentation (457 slides), the website offers facts sheets and data at a glance formats to look at how the data differs across race, gender, and specific behaviors assessed, to name a few. I certainly encourage all of my colleagues to check out this website and make it work for you as you consult with colleagues and think about your building-level needs. Mr. Jennings drew a clear line between how bullying directly and significantly impacts child development (poor school performance, poor psychosocial adjustment, including increased risk for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation) and how the impact of these events persevere into adulthood (and are therefore not simply a rite of passage or expectations of typical or inevitable adolescent experiences). The data also tells us there are some factors which appear to be predictive of greater disciplinary problems, including schools with larger student populations and those with middle school students (6th grade being the year where bullying has been reported the most). Additionally, some groups appear to be singled out for harassment more than others, including the following characteristics (in order from highest to lowest national prevalence): (a) the way they look or their body size, (b) they are or people think they are gay, lesbian or bisexual, (c) how masculine or feminine they are, (d) their ability in school, (e) their race/ethnicity, (f) their family does not have a lot of money and (g) their religion (most commonly: Muslim, Sheik, or Jewish individuals). Mr. Jennings also compared Maryland statistics to national averages, and the findings make a strong case for solid training for school-based staff to build our repertoire of tools to support our kids in this area. Maryland is 12th in the country based on the percentage of high school students surveyed who were bullied on school property, and 12th in the country once again given the percentage of high school students who did not go to school because they felt unsafe at school, or on their way to or from school. What was most concerning is that bullying appears to be under-reported in general because some research has shown that up to 72% of children surveyed indicated that they had witnessed bullying, even if they werent directly involved. Mr. Jennings made a strong case for conceptualizing the various, sophisticated roles of students in our school settings who are confronted with such events. In addition to the bully and the victim, Mr. Jennings offered a conceptualization of four bystander roles as well, including: the assistant (cheering, laughing, encouraging), reinforcers (standing by, watching, recording on their phone), outsiders (those who walk away), and defenders (those who step in to try to stop it). Mr. Jennings argued that simply removing the bullying students from the environment is not going to resolve the situation because (a) they generally come back, and (b) the setting still has these intricate dynamics which are maintained long after the offender is out of the equation. Mr. Jennings then asked, and I offer this thought now for your consideration: What can we do to empower the defenders and have more children in this role? After spending a good deal of time talking about how we can collectively define and measure bullying in the schools, Mr. Jennings offered some suggestions to participants about where to start. (Please see chart in the handouts section). His core message was that silence is permission, and that the responsibility lies with the adults in the building to take reports seriously, to act (rather than engage only in support, empathetic listening alone) in observable ways to defend students, and to ensure that all children have at least ONE person they can turn to who can help. In conjunction with embedded school-based staff (teachers, school

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social workers, etc), some schools have also engaged private coaches from Character Counts (http://charactercounts.org) to teach character education lessons from their curriculum and to be available in the building to support children in this manner. Mr. Jennings left us with this message from Washington, DC: In a truly safe school, every student feels like they belong, they are valued, and they feel physically and emotionally safe. Safety, as we know, is not only the absence of a threat, but also the presence of positive, protective factors which allows a child to truly engage in the activities of a routine school day. When talking with kids about bullying, he recommended that adults go beyond simply asking are you being bullied? by instead asking specific, targeted questions (e.g. has someone ever said something bad about you online? Has anyone ever spread a rumor about you? Do kids ever say mean things about the way you look?). Our goal is to avoid minimizing their concerns or their distress by devaluing their experience. Bullying doesnt go away once a child transitions to high school, and even if that were the case, waiting a year for their quality of life to improve is generally small comfort to an adolescent. We were invited to engage in a dialogue with panel speaker from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN, www.glsen.org ) and both students and advisors involved with local Gay Straight Alliance (GSA, www.gsanetwork.org) organizations. They highlighted the important role of having supportive adults in the building and a safe space where students who are being bullied know that they can get results. We were treated to a role-played example of how GLSEN embeds direct instruction with engaging activities in schools around the state to teach students about gender identity and sexual education. One take-home message I clearly remembering sharing to summarize easily for children to remember was that sex is between your legs, gender is between your ears, and sexual orientation is between you and someone else. A representative from the Coalition Opposed to Violence and Extremism (COVE, www.mdle.net/cove/) talked briefly about hate crimes and the impact of negative events (e.g. racist graffiti, physical attacks on students) on a school community. Mr. Johnson (cochair of COVE) offered that while such events can be devastating, positive responses from the school community can help shape student perceptions and responses to trauma. He suggested, for example, that administrators take a visible stand that is well articulated to students and staff, that staff create a forum to allow students who feel victimized or offended to talk about their feelings, and most importantly, that all adults in the building use the teachable moment to weigh in on the unacceptable behaviors and show supportive responses to all students to nurture a relationship as an ally. Issues related to cyberbullying (when a student is tormented, harassed, threatened, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child using the internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phone) were discussed in smaller groups of participants. I know I am not alone amongst my colleagues when I share that cyberbullying has become an issue we have come to address more frequently in recent years with the substantial growth in the use of public online social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Myspace), websites with minimal restrictions on what can be posted for public viewing (e.g. YouTube or even www.formspring.me, which I learned is a website where you can post questions or comments about your peers and solicit answers from the public, including weighing in on how popular, good-looking (or not) one student may be) and real-time technologies like Twitter which garners an immediate audience directly after an idea is posted by the user. The speaker from Creative Learning Enterprises really stressed the key point that parents dont need to be technology experts to keep up with their kids. Consistent monitoring and explaining the expectations of appropriate online behavior, as well as initiating age-appropriate restrictions, were recommended. A good rule of thumb, a presenter noted, was that parents should expect their child to do and say the same things online that they would do in any other public area, like the grocery store or the hallways in school. A tip sheet for parents was made available, and this is available for you to reproduce and share as you wish at the end of this newsletter. If any of these topics interest you personally based on a particular case you may have in mind, or the needs of your school-building in general, please feel free to contact me directly via BCPS email and Id be more than happy to forward along any additional information (PowerPoints and notes, suggested videos, books or websites) that I had gathered beyond the summary included here in the newsletter. Thank you, also, for allowing me to borrow such a substantial portion of the newsletter to dedicate to this topic.

Silence helps the tormentor, not the tormented. Eliezer Wiesel

See pages 12-14 for additional bullying resources

Page 6

An Ingenious Intervention Idea

Written By: Meredith Unangst
An Ingenious Intervention Idea is a reoccurring column that will feature research-based academic interventions. Please contact Meredith at [email protected] if you would like more information about the featured intervention.

Intervention: Incremental Rehearsal. Skill Area Addressed: Math fact fluency. Purpose: To increase fluency of basic math facts by using repeated practice. Explanation: Incremental rehearsal builds student fluency of basic math facts by pairing unknown computation items with a steadily increasing amount of known items. This intervention utilizes repeated practice to promote fluency and ensures that the student will experience a high rate of success. Prior to Implementation: Write down each math fact (without the answer) that the student is expected to master on an index card. Review the collection of math fact cards with the student. Any of the math facts that the student can orally answer correctly within two seconds are considered to be known problems and are separated into one pile. Any math facts that the student cannot yet answer correctly within two seconds are considered unknown and separated into a second pile. Randomly select 9 cards from the pile of known math facts and set them aside as the known facts pile. Procedure for Implementation: Take a single card from the unknown pile and read the math fact aloud, provide the answer, and prompt the student to read the fact and answer. Take a single card from the known pile and pair it with the unknown fact. Show the student the two problems in sequence and ask the student to read each problem and answer. The student is judged to be successful on a problem if he or she orally provides the correct answer to that problem within two seconds. If the student commits an error on any card or hesitates for longer than two seconds, read the math fact on the card aloud, give the answer, then prompt the student to read off the same unknown problem and provide the answer. Continue this review sequence until the student answers all cards within two seconds without errors. Repeat the sequence by taking yet another problem from the known facts pile to add to the expanding collection of math facts being reviewed (review deck). Each time, prompt the student to read off and answer the whole series of math facts in the review deck, beginning with the unknown fact and moving through the growing series of known facts that follow. When the review deck has expanded to include one unknown math fact followed by nine known math facts, the last known math fact that was added to the students review deck is discarded. The previously unknown math fact that the student has just successfully practiced in multiple trials is now treated as a known fact and is included as the first item in the nine-card known facts deck for future drills. Take a new math fact from the unknown pile and present to the student. With each new unknown fact, the review sequence is again repeated as described above until each unknown fact is grouped incrementally with nine math facts from the known facts pile.

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4 Annual Legislative Day!

Join Maryland delegates, senators, and school psychologists from across the state for a MSPA hosted breakfast Arrange face-to-face meetings with your elected representatives to promote the field of school psychology and its importance to the students and parents of Maryland Learn about current issues in education and what you can do to support our profession this legislative session

th

MSPA and BCASP invite you to participate in the

You can make a difference by participating this year!

Thursday, January 13th, 2011 Miller Senate Office Building 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 11 Bladen Street Annapolis, MD 2140

Please RSVP to [email protected]

For more information, visit the Maryland School Psychologists' Association Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=218376105332

*Last year, a total of 31 school psychologists from across Maryland were present, and Baltimore City Schools were well-represented with six school psychologists in attendance, second only to Prince Georges County. Please help represent Baltimore City students and school psychologists by attending this year!

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MultiMulti-cultural Corner
An Interview with BCPS School Psychologist: Miriam Yarmak, NCSP
Written By: Jennifer Lisa Ganz
Given the large number of BCPS school psychologists, I always see at least one unfamiliar face at each staff meeting I attend. However, this interview is with a truly inspiring individual that I am lucky enough to call my colleague and my friend. I spent three years of graduate school getting to know Miriam Yarmak, a highly ethical and intelligent member of our school psychology staff. Fortunately, for those of you that havent gotten the opportunity to meet Miriam (or urgently text her at midnight praying that her ringer is turned down and you havent just woken one of her young children), she has agreed to talk with us about herself and her religion, Orthodox Judaism.

Miriam, please tell our readers a bit about yourself and the factors that led you to become a school psychologist. I was born and raised in New York. My mother was finishing her doctorate in psychology when I was growing up, and was a high school and college psychology teacher (she was actually my AP psych teacher). I have always been interested in psychology, and starting from about the later half of high school, I knew that I wanted to find a career in that field. When I started to research potential fields, I heard about school psychology. It was natural choice for me because I love working with kids and enjoy the school setting. Ive been living in Baltimore for almost seven years, and went to graduate school here at Towson University. I am married and have two children. What customs and traditions are most essential for a school psychologist to understand when working with a student of the Jewish Orthodox religion? Are there any beliefs that one should be aware of to avoid unintentionally offending the child and/or his family? This a great question. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind is: when in doubt, ask. A respectfully-worded question shows the person you are working with that you are concerned and want to do the right thing. In terms of some basic things to be aware of, Orthodox Jews eat only kosher food, which means that they may not be able to eat at events like faculty parties. Again, this is something that can usually be addressed in advance by asking the person what would work for him or her. Another thing to note is that many Orthodox Jews avoid physical contact with non-familial members of the opposite sex. So, for example, an Orthodox Jewish parent or staff member may not feel comfortable shaking hands with people of the opposite-sex in the school setting. Often, just introducing yourself and saying, Its really nice to meet you is a better option than to try to shake hands if you are not sure if it is an issue for that person. I have had people tell me that they were not going to shake my hand or ask me what I was comfortable with because they knew it was an issue for some people, and I always appreciate that. Another issue that comes up sometimes is dress. Many Orthodox women wear only skirts and high-necked, long sleeved-tops. I had a supervisor who told me that when she went into Orthodox Boys schools to complete evaluations, she always made sure she was wearing a skirt. Again, these are just things to keep in mind that may help to avoid an awkward situation. In most cases, the clinicians extra sensitivity is really appreciated by school staff members and families. Also, as with all groups, keep in mind that the within-group variability is considerable what may be an issue for one person may not be for another. There is a wide range of practices even within Orthodox Judaism.

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Have you personally experienced any challenges working within our large urban school system of students and staff that are largely from a different cultural background and religion than you? Most of the staff members and students I have worked with are very respectful. The administrators at my current placement, Northwestern High School, have been nothing but supportive and accommodating. Mostly I try to be open and to pre-empt any potential issues before they arise but I have been very lucky in that I have mostly worked with very supportive and flexible people. I also try to treat everyone the way I want to be treated, that is, with respect, and usually that is reciprocated. In terms of my students, many of them are very curious about Judaism, and some have misconceptions about the Orthodox community. I explain to them that I am always happy to hear their questions and would rather they be informed than be misinformed. We have some very interesting discussions about Judaism and about race relations! Are there any common misconceptions about the Jewish Orthodox religion that you would like to clarify for the less knowledgeable reader? Wow, I have heard a lot of crazy ones over the years. I would say that anything you may have heard or have been told that sounds really off-the-wall or implausible is probably not true or else it was explained to you incorrectly. I really urge people to ask questions from your colleagues if there is something that you want clarification about or are just plain curious about. Feel free to call or email me with your questions! What resources or websites do you recommend for BCASP members who would like to further understand Orthodox Judaism? Some good websites are ou.org and aish.com. There are also lots of good books available as well as other information on the internet. Thank you for your openness in talking with us, Miriam. I hope that as school psychologists we will all use this information as a reminder of how we can be more culturally sensitive in our day-to-day practice with all students.

BCASP News and Notes

BCASP held its annual holiday gathering on Thursday December 17, 2010 in the midst of Baltimores first snow fall. The holiday gathering was well attended by our members despite the snow and holiday goodies of all varieties were enjoyed! Thanks for your participation! The next BCASP Happy Hour and Social Networking Event will be held on Friday January 21st at 4pm at Ryans Daughter in Belvedere Square. Light appetizers will offered and parking is readily available. Look for more information in your inbox soon! BCASP members Pamela Cocol, Jessica Munch, and Kate Shoemaker will be presenting a paper titled Embracing the Learning Curve: Supervision and the Early Career School Psychologist at the NASP Convention in San Francisco on February 25th at noon. Come check it out! BCASP members Teresa Serkes (Coffin) and Pamela Cocol wrote an article titled, A Differentiated Approach to Consultation Training on Internship, which was published in the November edition of the Communique

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Talking Function
Written By: Dana Deise & John Paz , FBA/BIP Team Members
*Talking Function is a new reoccurring column that the FBA/BIP team members are writing in order to give BCASP members a model to help teachers problem-solve behavioral issues with students. Each column will focus on a different area of FBAs and BIPs. This quarters column focuses on identifying function and providing prevention strategies. Rememberprevention strategies are tactics designed to use before the challenging behavior occurs by manipulating the environment, the task, or the instruction. Please contact Dana or John if you would like more information

about the featured intervention.

Dear FBA/BIP Team Member, I have a student in my class who stands up near his seat and starts telling jokes during math time. He gets his work done, then he just jokes around to disturb his classmates. The other students in the class laugh and get offtask when he does this. I collected data and found that he only tells jokes during math class, he tells an average of five jokes per class period and its always during quiet seat work. What is the function of his behavior and what prevention strategies could you suggest? Yours truly, Frustrated 8th Grade Teacher

Dear Frustrated 8th Grade Teacher, It looks like your student is communicating a need to obtain attention. His joke-telling behavior is reinforced by his peers laughing at him. Also, he starts telling jokes after his work is completed and while other students are still working. Prevention strategies could include some enrichment activities or math computer time to engage the student after his math assignment is completed. Are there three minutes at the end of class for Open Mic to appropriately share jokes or songs for any students who earn it? Maybe the student could write his jokes on paper (after he completes his math work) and they can be shared during afternoon announcements or during lunch time. Another prevention strategy is for the student to obtain a Brag Pass when he finishes an assignment (before he starts telling jokes) to walk to a preferred adult to show and brag about his completed math work. Prevention strategies are more likely to be successful when they serve the function of the students behavior. Best wishes.

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Dear FBA/BIP Team Member, I have a student in my class who is currently repeating second grade. She refuses to complete approximately 75% of the assignments across language arts and math. She will rarely begin the assignments, and when she does, she rarely works for more than two minutes before she starts throwing items (pencils, paper clips), ripping her papers, and teasing her classmates until she is removed from class. What is the function of her behavior and what prevention strategies could you suggest? Yours truly, Annoyed 2nd Grade Teacher

Dear Annoyed 2nd Grade Teacher, It looks like your student is communicating a need to escape work. Her resistance to initiate and complete her work is very telling, especially when her behavior escalates to the point of being extremely disruptive and destructive. This behavior is communicating I cant/wont do my work. The initial step is to see what activities/requests trigger her behavior, and intercede there with prevention strategies (modifying the work, accommodations such as choosing which items to complete, pairing her with a peer tutor, etc.). A scatterplot chart may be helpful to collect data and observe some trends (large group, written work, following transitions) to put into place prevention strategies to make it less likely that those behaviors will occur during those times that are most problematic for her. Then, she needs an appropriate way to get a break from the work to meet her escape function. This can be done through developing a break system that can be taught to her. Hope this helps! Respectfully, FBA/BIP Team Member

To register: email your name, training date, contact information, and the names and contact info of team members coming with you to [email protected].

Bring an FBA/BIP to work on or bring data to create a new FBA/BIP.

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Bullying Resources
Steps to Managing Bullying Effectively
Schools
Help to educate faculty, staff and parents about bullying. Have a clear policy against bullying behaviors, and communicate this policy early and often to students, staff and parents (refer to Office of Student Support for BCPS). Train all staff who interact with students (including school resource officers, nurses, cafeteria workers, bus drivers) on how to recognize bullying and intervene effectively. Ensure that all staff members take IMMEDIATE action when bullying is observed. Gather data to assess bullying, including student perceptions, the level of staff commitment to address bullying, and parent interests and concerns. Initiate discussion with students and parents about expected behaviors BEFORE problems arise. Closely supervise your students and be watchful for possible signs of bullying among students in your class (e.g. sudden changes in behavior, fewer friends, etc.). Take immediate action if you observe or suspect bullying. School support staff (social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors) can be powerful allies BUT teachers are the front line, and most often able to respond immediately when observed. Integrate bullying prevention into your curriculum in age-appropriate ways. Remember that actions often speak louder than words, and be sure that you do not inadvertently model bullying behavior (e.g. jokingly teasing or giving nicknames to kids).

Teachers

Students

SPEAK UP! Step in when other students are being bullied and tell an adult whats going on. Make it clear to others that bullying and picking on others is not OK with you, or anyone. Support bullied students make them feel like theyre not alone and help them to remember some positive things about who they are. You can change their whole day! Help teachers and administrators know whats going on. Tell them what youre seeing and help come up with some solutions. Focus on their child. Be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Dont assume that they will tell you. Believe them if they do. Remember that bullying is a complicated group dynamic. If your child has been bullied before, thats no guarantee that they themselves might engage in or indirectly support bullying of someone else. Be open to the possibility that you need to support more positive choices for your own child as well. Utilize resources such as HRSAs Stop Bullying Now! campaign and www.bullyinginfo.org to become informed about bullying and how to prevent it. Work collaboratively with school staff to find a solution to stop the bullying, for the protection of your child as well as others. Remember that it may take time to come up with the most optimal outcome as relationships improve over time, but your child MUST always be safe in the meantime.

Parents

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Education can help considerably in preventing and dealing with the consequences of cyberbullying. The first place to begin an education campaign is with the kids and teens themselves. We need to address ways they can become inadvertent cyberbullies, how to be accountable for their actions and not to stand by and allow bullying (in any form) to be acceptable. We need to teach them not to ignore the pain of others. Teaching kids to Take 5! before responding to something they encounter online is a good place to start. Jokingly, we tell them to Drop the mouse step away from the computer and no one will get hurt! We then encourage them to find ways to help them calm down. This may include doing yoga, or deep-breathing. It may include running, playing catch or shooting hoops. It may involve taking a bath, hugging a stuffed animal or talking on the phone with friends. Each child can find their own way of finding their center again. And if they do, they will often not become a cyberbully, even an inadvertent cyberbully. Teaching them the consequences of their actions, and that the real Men in Black may show up at their front door sometimes helps. Since many cyberbullying campaigns include some form of hacking or password or identity theft, serious laws are implicated. Law enforcement, including the FBI, might get involved in these cases. But we need to recognize that few cyberbullying campaigns can succeed without the complacency and the often help of other kids. If we can help kids understand how much bullying hurts, how in many cases (unlike the childrens chant) words can hurt you, fewer may cooperate with the cyberbullies. They will think twice before forwarding a hurtful e-mail, or visiting a cyberbullying vote for the fat girl site, or allowing others to take videos or cell phone pictures of personal moments or compromising poses of others. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. We need to teach our children not to stand silently by while others are being tormented. While it is crucial that we teach them not to take matters into their own hands (and perhaps become a "vengeful angel" cyberbully themselves) they need to come to us. And if we expect them to trust us, we need to be worthy of that trust. And, in addition to not lending their efforts to continue the cyberbullying, if given an anonymous method of reporting cyberbullying Web sites, profiles and campaigns, kids can help put an end to cyberbullying entirely. School administration, community groups and even school policing staff can receive these anonymous tips and take action quickly when necessary to shut down the site, profile or stop the cyberbullying itself. Children can even let others know that they wont allow cyberbullying by supporting the victim, by making it clear that they wont be used to torment others and by communicating they care about the feelings of others. We need to teach our children that silence, when others are being hurt, is not acceptable. If they dont allow the cyberbullies to use them to embarrass or torment others, cyberbullying will quickly stop. Its a tall task, but a noble goal. And in the end, our children will be safer online and offline. We will have helped create a generation of good cybercitizens, including controlling the use of technology instead of being controlled by it. Adapted from www.stopcyberbullying.org

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How to Empower Our Children to Keep Safe from Bullying Tips for Parents to Share with Kids
Dont get into a physical fight or try to retaliate (or get even) in other ways. Dont believe the insults about you. Dont overestimate how much power a bully can have in school or in the neighborhood. Dont think that repeated bullying will stop if you just ignore it. Dont waste time in places online where bullies target you. Dont be afraid to ask your friends for support, including sticking up for you when you need it. DO identify all of the adults in your circle of support (this may include parents, teachers, counselors, principals, neighbors, social workers, older siblings, aunts or uncles, and so on). DO report incidents right away to an adult that you trust. DO think of new ways to solve a conflict. DO remind yourself that no one EVER deserves to be picked on. DO get real about bullying and how it makes you feel. DO remember that its OK to feel angry, but make a plan for keeping anger under your control. DO write down how you feel. DO take the time to say and believe good things about yourself. DO speak confidently when telling a bully not to physically touch you. DO walk (or run) away if someone tries to hurt you.

What Else Can Parents Do?

Monitor your childs activity and reputation on the internet by asking about and looking over the types of conversations they are having with others (with the childs permission, after letting them know in advance that this is your familys plan for supervising computer use). Set developmentally appropriate guidelines for introducing various technologies (e.g. use of a cell phone, time limits on computer use, or access to a limited number of websites) to their children. If your child is cyber-bullied or a witness to a peer being bullied, take all reports seriously and work with other parents and school staff to investigate, identify the problem and all participants, state the expectations clearly, and monitor for compliance with the plan. Take the time to learn about new technology that comes into the home. Allow your child to teach you how it works, then come up with a simple dos and donts list. Hold weekly meetings encouraging communication on any topics affecting the family. Make sure that your child understands that harassing, spreading gossip/rumors or making unkind remarks are just as unacceptable as physical fighting in your family. Consider installing computer monitoring software to ensure that family safety rules are followed.

Baltimore City Association of School Psychologists

Thank you for reading! Your Newsletter Committee:

2010-2011 Officers: President Kate Shoemaker Past-President Sharon Gorenstein President-Elect Jessica Munch Secretary Meredith Unangst Treasurer Sam Chavez BTU Representative James Blanchard

Christina Burton Susana Castillo Pamela Cocol

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Jennifer Ganz Jessica Munch

Editor-In-Chief

Erin OKeefe Becky Otis Teresa Serkes Cindy Smith Meredith Unangst
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