Pastoral Care
The Yard Anti-Bullying Performance
Last year, based on the recommendation of one of our new parents, we booked in a new performance group called The Yard by Shaun Parker and Company to enhance our Social Skills program and to reinforce the anti-bullying message, in particular.
This self devised work has been a collaboration between one of Australia’s leading dance theatre practitioners, Shaun Parker and teenage performers from Captivate in Western Sydney. Drawing inspiration from William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” and its analysis of human behaviour, The Yard extrapolates these themes and breathes new life into them by way of the Australian school yard. Ultimately finding unity in the diversity of culture, gender and ethnicity that pulsate in “the school yard”, The Yard is taught with the tension and humour of conflicts played out every day even as it celebrates the extraordinary in the ordinary.
This performance had our students captivated and inspired by the dramatic depiction of a school yard and provided teachers with the opportunity to link the message within the performance into Second Step lessons and conversations in class.
“I think that the anti bullying drama performance was important because it made us think differently about bullying and allowed us to understand the perspective of someone being bullied.” – Lachlan Brownrigg Year 5W
We watched a performance about anti-bullying and I found the performers were very experienced. They were amazing! This performance made me want to start dancing along with gymnastics. I am really glad that I watched it. The performance sent a great message. 10/10! – Henry Lea Year 5B
Newington College Pastoral Care Policy
Newington College’s Anti-Bullying Policy Policy Preamble states that Newington College has among its many aims the creation of an environment in which every boy has the right to feel safe and valued, where individual differences, provided they respect others’ rights, are accepted.
Newington College will never tolerate bullying in any form.
Bullying is any type of repeated behaviour, intentional or unintentional, that causes a person to experience physical hurt or emotional pain. To threaten or frighten someone is equally unacceptable, regardless of the effect it may or may not have had on another person.
- the College recognises that bullying takes a wide variety of forms: physical, verbal, social and psychological;
- broadly speaking, every person has a right to enjoy his time at the College free from fear and persecution in any form;
- the College expects every student and staff member to show respect for others;
- every member of the College community has the responsibility of ensuring the physical and psychological safety of other members of the community; and
- Newington’s anti-bullying policy extends beyond the immediate school grounds to include travel to and from the College and other out of school contact among students and/or staff.
Further information on dealing with bullying behaviours taken from the Australian Government Bullying. No Way! (https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/) Website
Parents and other carers have a key role in preventing and responding to bullying.
You can:
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Learn what bullying is and what it is not. This is the first step in talking about how to prevent or respond to bullying with your child. ‘Bullying’ is a word that is used for lots of things that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours may be just as serious, but may require different responses.
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Talk about bullying with your child at home to make it easier for them to tell you if something happens. Make sure they know what bullying is and how they can respond. Help prepare your children to prevent online bullying and to know what to do if it happens.
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Start when your child is young to guide them to develop the social and emotional skills they will need to build positive relationships throughout their lives, including problem-solving skills.
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Recognise the warning signs of bullying. Although there may not be an issue, you should talk to your child if you have any concerns. Raise the topic generally if you don’t want to ask directly. Be aware that many times children and young people won’t ask for help, so it is important to know what to look for.
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Learn about how to respond appropriately if your child tells you about bullying. You can reassure your child by remaining calm and being supportive.
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Find out as much as you can about what has happened by talking calmly with your child. A good understanding about what has happened can also help you in communicating with the school about the situation.
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Read about strategies that can help. Practising strategies at home with your child is a good way to prepare them to use them at school.
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Contact the school if bullying has occurred and the school needs to be involved. Read about how you and the school can work together to support your child, whether your child was bullied, bullied others, or witnessed bullying.
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Get involved in what your school is doing to prevent bullying.
References
https://spaces.newington.nsw.edu.au/lindfield/pages/43-policies
http://www.shaunparkercompany.com/shows/the-yard/
Mr Pascal Czerwenka – Deputy Head of Lindfield K-6
