Jacob Coy Middle School
Mr. Shaun Kelly, Principal
The Bully Conundrum
When I was in sixth grade, I remember being chased through the playground by a group of rivals to my friend group. Not saying I was slow, but they somehow managed to corner me out-of-sight from where all the recess monitors were stationed so nobody could see them. The boys backed me onto a wall, one of them grabbed my shirt and they proceeded to say some very unkind things, possibly involving my mother, and hit me repeatedly. I was eventually able to squirm through the ring of boys and seek help from some teachers, but it was not a pleasant experience and one I still remember to this day. Unfortunately, my guess is that many of you can recall similar incidents that happened in your youth and that is tragic.
In our zest to prevent similar things from happening to our kids, we’ve waged war on bullies and sold our kids on the idea that they will be able to go through life without any social conflict or awkward encounters. We conduct assemblies, bully prevention programs, conflict resolution seminars and stick posters all over our school halls that remind us bullying is bad. It is bad! Perhaps, though, we do our kids a disservice by convincing them nobody will ever say an unkind word to them or give them a cross look because, as we all know, this is not reality. This expectation sets them up for disappointment and leaves them sadly unequipped to deal with hardship and that should not be our approach.
Instead, we need to teach our kids resiliency and self-confidence. We need to let them know that life is an amazing experience full of fun, adventure, love, dreams and achievement, but we can also learn much through challenge and adversity. Kids need to know conflict is not crippling and they can bounce back from it. They need to be taught how to discern and cope with unkind people and know when it crosses the line to bullying. They need to know that the actions of others do not define us, but rather the way we conduct ourselves determines who we become.
Middle school kids can be mean, and all the adults in their lives rightfully do everything possible to minimize this, but when it happens let’s use those experiences to teach our kids about life and how to handle it instead of trying to create expectations that set them up for failure and disillusionment. Together, we can help our kids become well-balanced, self-confident and resilient people.
Mrs. Ferguson's Corner
It's hard to believe that we are already in 2nd quarter. This year is flying by! Being new to the district and to the building, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students and staff. We truly have amazing people at Coy Middle School! My goal is to know all of the student's by name by the end of the school year. I've asked students to help me out by introducing themselves. Likewise, I would love to get to know all of our parents; so when you see me at school events, please don't be a stranger!
When you are summoned to the principals office, whether you are a student, teacher or parent, you typically have the same reaction...fear! For that reason, I wanted to give everyone a heads up that they may be getting a call or a note from my office. This year we are implementing positive office referrals. The goal is to recognize our students for going above and beyond with our school expectations by sending them to the office...for a good reason!
Muse Machine
Before enjoying a day at the opera, Muse members participated in a Met Live in HD workshop to prepare for Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The workshop was led by Muse Machine’s Secondary Schools Program Manager, Claire Jagla, and Muse Machine Board Member, Ron Anderson. Students learned about the overall plot of the opera, the characters and their roles, and spent time creating costumes. This activity was sponsored by Muse Machine whose goal is to help bring the performing arts into local schools.
Guidance Department
What is OLWEUS??
The Olweus Program (pronounced Ol-VEY-us; the E sounds like a long A) is a school-based program designed for elementary, middle school and high school students. Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among students and to improve peer relationships at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the climate and reduce misbehaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. The Olweus Program has been implemented in more than a dozen countries around the world, and in thousands of schools in the United States.
The program is school based but we need the help of our community and our families. It is important for families to support our program and our anti-bullying rules. It is also helpful when parents help their children identify the difference between conflict and bullying. Please help your child process events that upset them and help them determine if it is bullying or if it is a conflict between students. It is import that we, school staff and parents, work together to educate our kids and continue to prevent bullying in our schools and community.
In order for something to be considered an act of bullying, it must:
· Be an intentionally harmful act;
· Happen repeatedly over a period of time;
· Display an imbalance of power
We feel it is important to teach students to advocate for themselves, use their words respectfully and to notify adults when they need help.
Coy’s anti-bullying rules are:
· We will not bully others.
· We will try to help students who are bullied.
· We will try to include students who are left out.
· If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home.
It is our goal at Coy to make all students feel safe and secure coming to school. The Olweus Program is one tool we use to achieve our goal. The program is used to teach students and improve our school climate. Students will continue to learn about bullying over the course of the school year. This program is beneficial to all students, not just those that are bullied or those bullying others. It is our goal as a school community to help students become well-rounded, responsible adults with great character and the Olweus Program is helping us reach our goal.
A Note from the Clinic
Whenever your child receives immunizations at the doctor’s office please provide a copy of what was given and the date to your child’s school clinic. The Ohio Department of Health requires schools to keep current records since many immunizations are required for school attendance. Typically, an immunization record is required at entry into preschool and Kindergarten, then at entry into 7th grade, then at entry into 12th grade. Complete and current immunizations records are also required whenever a child transfers between school districts. Please contact the school clinic with any questions.
