Dear Upham Community,

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: the neighborhood they live in; the school or college they attend; the factory, farm, or office where they work. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

                                      – Eleanor Roosevelt

The above quote is the opening page to the landmark book, Schools Where Everyone Belongs, by Stan Davis. Stan is an outstanding colleague, wonderful educator, close personal friend, and an internationally renowned expert on anti-bullying practices.

I have worked closely with Stan for the last twenty years. He has been highly influential in the Wellesly elementary schools.

It is not within my purview to speak about the latest issues centered on bullying at WPS, but I wanted to take some time to speak about our elementary bullying plan.

Bullying Definition

Bullying is the repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture or any combination thereof directed at a target that:

Causes physical or emotional harm to the target or damage to the target’s property;

Places the target in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself or of damage to his or her property;

Creates a hostile environment at school for the target;

Infringes on the rights of the target at school; or

Materially and substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of the school.

Reporting incidents can be made by staff, students, parents or guardians, or others, and maybe oral or written. Use of the Bullying Incident Report Form is not required as a condition of making a report.

The building principal will make a determination based upon all of the facts and circumstances. If, after an investigation, bullying or retaliation is substantiated, the building principal will take steps reasonably calculated to prevent recurrence and to ensure that the target is not restricted in participating in school or in school benefiting from school activities. The building principal will determine what remedial action is required, if any, and determine what responsive actions and or disciplinary action are necessary.

You can find the full Anti-Bullying Policy and Reporting form here:

https://wellesleyps.org/blog/2021/11/03/bullying-policy-plan-and-implementation/

Now that we have some of the important pieces of the WPS Bullying Policy out of the way. This is where our good friend, Stan Davis comes into the picture. 

Throughout the book, Schools Where Everyone Belongs, Stan makes the case that policies and procedures alone will not solve this problem. Strong connections between the adults and students must be constantly and consistently nurtured in order to build a thriving school culture that allows for a climate where everyone feels safe and belongs.

One of the examples of this is to ask students this question throughout the year. Can you list three adults in the building that you would go to if you had a problem? For those children who do not have connections, we begin to work in a positive way to make connections for them.

We also have a Behavior Rubric for negative peer-to-peer interactions. The Behavior Rubric is developed with the student’s voice and led by the teachers, school psychologist, and principal.

It has three categories; Inappropriate, Significant Risk and Highest Risk.

Inappropriate behaviors could be talking negatively behind someone’s back in which the staff always responds. Significant behaviors would be name-calling based on body shape or size, what one has or doesn’t have. There is always a response from the staff and if there are three instances the administration responds. The highest Risk behaviors, for example, can be swearing at someone; giving “the finger.” The administration is involved immediately. The consequences for these behaviors can range from time out, a phone call home to full suspension from school. 

So, as you can see we have a robust policy intertwined with a behavior rubric and a sound culture of respectfulness between the adults and students. 

This is not the perfect recipe for success. There is no “perfect recipe.” What is needed is a consistent approach with policy and a constant reminder that we are dealing with little human beings and those little human beings need to be reminded daily they are loved and that they should show that love to others.

Hopefully, this has shed some light on some of the inner workings of our school.

As always but with a little greater emphasis this week…thank you for your support.

You have some very special children. It is an honor to serve them.

Dare to Dream,

Mr. Dees

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, November 11 No School Veteran’s Day

Wednesday, November 17 Picture Retake

Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25 No School Thanksgiving

Monday, November 29 No School Teacher Professional Day 

Principal’s Message
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