Bullying has no place within the St Mary’s community which upholds the Mercy traditions of care and service and where mercy and justice are valued.  Bullying will not be tolerated under any circumstances by any members of our school community - students, parents or staff members.  Everyone has the right to feel safe at all times.           

At St Mary’s College we have an expectation that the dignity of each person will be respected.  Everyone has the basic right to feel safe within the St Mary’s College community.  Everyone is responsible for ensuring that this right is enjoyed by all our school community.

All members of the school community have a role in reducing the incidence of bullying and ensuring that all members of the school community feel safe.  St Mary’s aims to provide a supportive environment for students and staff members and to break down the code of secrecy surrounding bullying.                                                      

Everyone has a responsibility to take action to stop bullying

                                at a peer level

                                at a school level

                                at a community level 

Bullying can take a number of forms; (physical, verbal, gesture, extortion and exclusion or via technology).

                It can be planned and organised or may be unintentional.

                This type of behaviour is unwanted, unwelcome and usually persistent.                               

Bullying occurs when a person

                is hit, punched, jostled or  pushed around

                is called hurtful, abusive or offensive names

                is threatened

                is sexually harassed

                is a victim of abusive or obscene language

                is ridiculed about their appearance or abilities

                has negative comments made about their family, country of birth or religion

                is teased repeatedly in a nasty manner

                is singled out for unfair treatment

                has rumours spread about them

                has their property interfered with-eg., stealing, hiding or damaging

                has repeated offensive gestures made to them

                has graffiti written about them

                is deliberately excluded

                deliberately has school relevant information withheld from them

                is written or sent electronically offensive messages

 

What can students do?                                      

                Refuse to be involved in any bullying situation.

                Report the incident or suspected incident to a staff member or student leader. Telling someone is acting responsibly

               not “dobbing”.

 

What can parents do?

Contact your daughter’s Pastoral Care Teacher, Pastoral Co-ordinator, Counsellor or member of the College Leadership Team in any of the following situations;

                If your daughter reports incidents of bullying behaviour.

                If your daughter’s behaviour indicates signs of distress or if you are aware of changes in behaviour such as an

unwillingness to go to school, patterns of illness, missing equipment, damaged clothes, bruising.                     

                If you have any concerns.

 

 

 Why not take time out to have a Minute Meditation?