The New School Year

A new school year! What an exciting time. You’ll meet new people, perhaps you’re even going to a new school. Just remember everyone is feeling the same way you are - nervous, excited and maybe a bit afraid.

To be sure this year is the best one yet, take some time to plan before school starts. Think about your friends - do they help or hurt you? Think about learning - are there some subjects you do well in and some that need improvement? How about habits? Do you have some good skills and some you need to work on? And what about bullying? Were you involved in bullying last year either as someone who bullied, as someone who was bullied or as someone who witnessed bullying (a bystander)? Chances are you were. Before the school year starts, now is a good time to think about changes and put them into action.

1.	Think about the friend you had last year and the activities you did together. Did you have a good time or were you causing trouble. Did you get bullied? If so, start to talk to people (friends, parents, and teachers) about what you can do differently this year. Make a plan to join students doing positive activities. Decide how you will deal with your old friends. Will you ask them to join you with a different group? Will you tell them you’ll play but you don’t want to be involved in bullying behaviour? Sometimes we fall into old habits (like bullying) easily. If you have a plan you’ll be less likely to fall back into the same old ways.
2.	Have a back-to-school party. Ask a few friends (or people you’d like to get to know) to do some fun pre-school activities. This might include school-supply shopping, a pool party, going to the beach or a barbeque. Talk about some of the activities and sports you’d might to join this year. See if anyone else wants to join you (but don’t let it stop you from joining if no one else does!). If you’re school has a bullying problem, your party might be a great way to kick off an anti-bully club. Share the ideas your club generated with your new teacher or the principal. Perhaps your club can become a school-wide activity!
3.	Find a new friend. Make an attempt to make one new friend the first week of school. It might be someone who you’ve gone through school with but never really talked to or a new student in your classroom. Try to meet someone you might not usually talk with - meeting people different from us is what makes life exciting. You might not become best friends, but by being kind and thoughtful to everyone in your class you’ll be off to the start of a fantastic school year.