From the Principal and Deputy Principal

We are all culture keepers 

Last week, the newly appointed Year 12 Captains met to learn about their leadership strengths and to talk about the lasting impact they would like to leave on MLC School. In the first session of the day staff had the opportunity to speak to the team about their own leadership experiences and learnings. Coincidentally we had both chosen the same quote to begin our advice ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Maya Angelou. At MLC School, we believe that maintaining a safe and inclusive environment is a collective responsibility. Each member of our community – leaders, students, parents, and staff – all play a vital role in upholding the values and culture of our School. We referred to this as being ‘culture keepers.’

I’m sure you are aware of the significant and harrowing discourse in the media in relation to school bullying in the past weeks. One of the most significant responses has been the Federal Government’s plan for a ban on social media for children under 16 years, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called this a ‘world-leading package of measures that could become law late next year’. There has been so much commentary about whether the laws will work or fail. In my simple view, it is well past the time that we (collectively) view the huge and at times devastating impact of social media on vulnerable young people as a child safeguarding measure and legislate to protect them, equal to other child protection measures. However, politicians can change laws, and regulators can impose sanctions, but society: all of us, parents, schools and those responsible for children must take steps to keep them safe.

Additionally, in a statewide first, the New South Wales government is taking steps to address inconsistent responses to bullying in schools by uniting all educational sectors to develop consistent anti-bullying policies across the state. The NSW Schools Advisory Council, representing approximately 3,120 schools, will convene on Thursday 5 December 2024 to begin developing a statewide approach to tackle bullying. We will be watching carefully to ensure that MLC School remains at the forefront of child safeguarding.

In the meantime, we are pausing to reflect and review our current processes.  To ensure we are all familiar with our protective measures and expectations, all MLC School staff and students from Year 3 – Year 12 will be reviewing our anti-bullying policies and Student Code of Conduct in the coming weeks. We are committed to a positive school culture where our values Courage, Compassion, Respect and Growth are consistently upheld within and beyond our gates.

Open communication is essential to addressing and preventing bullying. Our Student Code of Conduct encourages all members of our community to be courageous and speak up if they witness or experience bullying. Students should feel comfortable reporting incidents to a trusted adult, and parents and staff should be vigilant and proactive in addressing any concerns.

Unfortunately, phrases such as ‘snitches get stitches’ can create a harmful and negative culture within schools. Such language discourages students from reporting bullying or other concerning behaviour, leading to a culture of silence and fear. We strive to eliminate such harmful narratives and ask for your support to encourage open and honest communication. Similarly, a reluctance from parents to report concerns directly to the School can allow problematic behaviours to continue unchecked, making it difficult to maintain a safe and supportive environment for all students.

So, what is bullying?

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.

Bullying is not simply disliking someone is: It is human nature to not like every person you encounter. While it may not feel good to know someone doesn’t like you, verbal and non-verbal messages of ‘I don’t like you’ are not acts of bullying. Source: bullyingnoway.gov.au

If you believe your child is being bullied at school, the first step is to report to the relevant class teacher in Junior School or Head of Year in Senior School. In addition, if you think the bullying involves behaviour that may be a crime, you may wish to make a report to the police. If your child is experiencing online bullying, the material can be reported to the eSafety Commissioner.  For bullying on social media sites, this site provides information on how to report online bullying directly to the social media service.

Recognising the warning signs of bullying is crucial for taking appropriate action, whether a child is being bullied or is bullying others.

Please familiarise yourself with the following:

Signs a Child Is Being Bullied: Indicators may include unexplainable injuries, lost or destroyed belongings, frequent headaches or stomach aches, changes in eating habits, difficulty sleeping, declining grades, sudden loss of friends, feelings of helplessness, and self-destructive behaviours such as running away or talking about suicide.

Signs a Child Is Bullying Others: Children who bully others may engage in physical or verbal fights, have friends who bully, show increasing aggression, frequently get ‘sent to the office’, have unexplained extra money or new belongings, blame others for their problems, refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, and are overly competitive. Source: Beyond Blue

The biggest warning sign for a child at risk is a change in an individual’s demeanour.

There are two things parents can do right now to support us to keep a positive culture at MLC School. The first is encouraging your children to become upstanders, (a term we teach in our Pastoral Care Program). The eSafety Commissioner suggests that we reinforce to young people that they have a choice if they see something that’s not okay: they can support the targeted person or do nothing. Choosing to help makes them an upstander and a culture keeper. Even privately supporting the person being targeted or reaching out to get help from someone else can make a big difference. You can read more here.

The second is to role model respectful relationships. Consider the language you use when talking about others and model respectful relationships both in person and online. No parent wants to think that their child is capable of bullying. However, mistakes are made, and parents need to take strong and immediate action to prevent early bullying behaviour getting out of hand. If we contact you to alert you that your child has been involved in a breach of our Student Code of Conduct, please support us by managing your reactions, getting the facts, talking with your child and working with us to resolve the situation. Your ongoing support is an essential component of the School’s ‘culture keeping’ and ensures our students remain safe within and beyond school.

– Lisa Moloney and Melissa Boyd
Principal                    Deputy Principal