On Friday, February 15th, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were treated to an assembly put on through MARC-the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center. MARC's anti-bullying program targets a prevention oriented approach designed to change a school's culture by raising awareness for students, faculty and administrators.

Saint Mary's 2nd and 3rd graders learned the difference between "telling vs tattling", and signed "I Promise" contracts with specific actions they might use to encourage positive behaviors and limit negative actions. Some of the student discussions were profound both in their truth and simplicity, such as "treat other students as you would like to be treated".

Our 4th and 5th graders discussed many things with the facilitators, such as conflict resolution, cyber-bullying, respect for others, how to deal with situations where they might be witnesses to episodes, and who to tell about these issues.

Our goal at Saint Mary's is to build on this event so that the skills and problem-solving learned in the earlier grades translates into a strong healthy respect for each other and our differences.