Kittredge Elementary School

Dear Kittredge families,

So far the articles I have presented have explained what bullying is, how to recognize bullying behavior, and what parents of the bully can do. This week's article explains what to do if you are being bullied. Remember, please contact the school if you think your child is a victim of bullying. (taken from www.bullying.org)

Sincerely,
Nancy Jukins

First, you need to know that you are NOT alone in being bullied. You need to know that being bullied is not your fault. You also need to know that there are many positive things that you can do about bullying. People who bully might tell you things like, "you're stupid and ugly," or other bad things. They might try to hurt and control you by telling you that your hair or skin color, size, sex, race, religion and other things are bad. Don't believe bullies. These things are not bad. If fact, it is these very things that make you special and unique in our world. These mean words and actions tell us all more about the people who are saying and doing such things, than about you. Bullying is really about others who want to have power and control over you. People who bully want you to feel badly about yourself. Don't give bullies that power.

Being bullied can be embarrassing, scary and very hurtful, but you should know that you don't have to put up with being bullied. It is NOT a normal part of growing up. Bullying is wrong. Bullying is something some people learn; that means it is something we can change and there are things we can do to deal with bullying.

Here are some things we all can do to stop bullying:

• Learn about what bullying is and then share this with others, like your parents, friends, teachers, sport coaches and others.
  A lot of adults believe that bullying is just a normal part of life, but it is not! Tell them that people should not just accept bullying. Write down what happened. Who was bullying? Where did it happen? Who did what? Who saw it?
• Telling is not tattling. Telling we do to help make things safer and better. Tattling is what people do when they want to get someone else in trouble on purpose.
• Be brave. When you're scared of another person, it's hard to be brave. But sometimes just acting brave is enough to stop a bully. If you act as though you're not afraid, it may be enough for a people who bully to leave you alone.
• Stay calm and don't act upset or angry: bullies love to get a reaction. Practice what you'll do and say the next time it happens. If you don't act upset or react the way they want you to, they may get bored and stop.
• Ignore the people who bully. Try to ignore a bully's threats. If you can walk away, it takes a bullies power away because they want you to feel bad about yourself. Don't react. Don't let the people who bully win! If ignoring them won't work, tell the people who are bullying to stop, say "Cut it out!", "That's not funny!", "How'd you like it if someone did that to you?" Let the people who bully know that what he or she is doing is stupid and mean.
• Don't keep it to yourself: tell an adult. If you are being bullied, it's very important to tell an adult. It's really hard to stop bullying by yourself. Parents, teachers, principals, sport coaches, and Scout leaders can all help to stop bullying.

The Chess Club won't be meeting on Friday, February 17th. We'll be back the week following.

Contact Casey Quirk for location & directions: caseyquirk@hotmail.com or cell +1 508 265 4648.

Just a reminder to bring in items for the 5th Grade Community Service Project by Friday, February 10th.

Thank you.

Memory Books are $19.00 and Recognition Ads are $5.00. 5th Graders need not order memory books they will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Keough at mackeough@netzero.com.

2006 Spring Season: Registration for the North Andover Soccer Association (NASA) Spring '06 season is open using the popular on-line registration system found on our web site, www.nasoccer.com. NASA will be accepting late registrations (with late fee for returning families) until team rosters are filled and prior to March 17th. Please do not wait until the last minute to register, as NASA has needed to turn away last minute interested players.

2006 Summer Camp: Registration for NASA's Summer Camp program is open as of February 15th using the same on-line registration process. Reserve your child's spot early!!! Contact registrar@nasoccer.com for questions.

2006 Fall Season: Plan ahead!!!! Mark your calendars to go to www.nasoccer.com on May 1st to register on-line for the Fall '06 soccer season.

Dr. Harutunian delivered the Superintendent's Recommended Budget for FY07 to the School Committee. He has recommended an increase of 9.49% or roughly $2.9 Million dollars. This increase is needed to maintain the same level of services provided this year with some additional curriculum initiatives.

You are invited to attend a parent-only presentation at the Atkinson School cafeteria on Wednesday, February 15th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. At that time, you will have the opportunity to view the videos addressing puberty and communicable disease. Following the presentation, the school nurses will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding these two health units. Again, the meeting is for parents and guardians only. Snow date: March 1st

The Kittredge School will be hosting its "Fourth Annual Family Skate Night" on March 14th, 2006. This is a fun social evening for Kittredge families to enjoy some rollerblading/skating, music and games. The event will be at Skateland in Bradford, MA from 6pm-8pm. A flyer with more details and ticket info will be sent home soon.

Tuesday February 7th at 11:00 AM and Thursday February 9th at 9:00 PM

Spring 2006 Registration is available on-line (for new and returning players) until February 28th at: www.eteamz.active.com/NorthAndover. Any questions, please contact Steve Chaff at schaff5451@aol.com or +1 978 807 5161. Player evaluations will once again be held at DB's Instructional Baseball located in the Lucent complex. March 4th: All 9 and 10 year olds, as well as any 8 year olds wishing to play in the 9/10 Divisions. March 5th: All 11 and 12 year olds. A makeup date will be available the following weekend. Exact reporting times will be posted soon, please check the website prior to evaluation dates.

Are you missing a platter/basket from Kids Go Shopping / Snowflake Cafe? If so, please call Christine Karelas at +1 978 794 2191.

The Atkinson PTO is pleased to present this year's Mother/Son Jammin' Fun. We will offer two nights of dancing, food, fun and raffles. For boys in grades K-2 (and their moms), the date is Friday April 7th and then on Saturday April 8th, we will host boys in grades 3-5, along with their favorite ladies. Both events will be held at the North Andover High School. Watch your child's backpack for more information on ticket sales.

Visit our Kittredge website at http://www.northandover.k12.ma.us/Kittredge/.

Please send via email to kathy.eastwood@comcast.net (please put Newslink in the subject line) or call Kathy Eastwood at +1 978 794 3025 by Friday at noon.

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