april 9 - 15 | 2014
regional extra >>> 25,000 readers every week
north east
north east jobs www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
inside page 7
circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
Helping kids cope By KYLIE WILSON
SUPPORT:
Beechworth Secondary College students (from left) Kurt Piko, Isaak Haebich, Madeline Rochow with the school’s student welfare officer Mel Ivone. PHOTOS: Wendy Stephens
WITH
DEBBI
RSPCA
FILM
SAMSON
DIVERGENT
WITH
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
continued page |
3
Simple,
friendly & easy.
c06d07810-v12/0714
GARDENING
IN years gone by, schoolyard bullying may have been as simple as a whispered word in the hallway, or a shove in the playground. Today, bullies have added social media to their arsenal, which can make an escape from the emotional turmoil of bullying a lot harder, and has complicated the social landscape for many of today’s youth. But schools across the North East are addressing the ever growing and evolving world of bullying with strategies to help children and adolescents cope. Beechworth Secondary College principal Dr John Hunter said his school takes a number of approaches to help control bullying and protect the emotional health of students. One of these is “restorative practice”, where victims and perpetrators sit down together and work through issues, with guidance from a teacher. Dr Hunter said there is also a discipline system in place to deal with repeat offenders. “By far, bullying is a really difficult area for schools to manage,” he said, adding that cyberbullying was a problem that educators had to deal with much more often in recent times. “It’s so insidious, because it’s 24/7. “A lot of issues are what happens out of school.” Dr Hunter said that fostering good interpersonal relationships was another big part of life at the school, including a peer support program where year 10 students are paired with a year 7 student for guidance and friendship.