Garden City Middle School

The Garden City Middle School takes bullying very seriously.  The school’s Anti-Bullying Program is designed to prevent bullying, encourage students to take action as a bystander, and foster leadership traits amongst our students.  The program, developed based on principles shared through the Olweus Bully Prevention Program, incorporates many aspects of character education and social-emotional learning. Activities are shared through a variety of different outlets including academic curriculum, HomeBase curriculum, and the LEADERS program.  Throughout the year, many students receive leadership training. In the fall of 2016, forty seventh grade students received bully prevention training through the state’s Anti-Defamation League. Ten Anti-Bullying Club (ABC) students received leadership training in the fall of 2016 at the Nassau Leadership Conference.  Each year, the LEADERS program continues to be a major program in Garden City Middle School.  This year, approximately 150 students will be participating in the LEADERS program in which they learn valuable information that they can turnkey to their respective HomeBase classes.  

Garden City Middle School was recognized as a No Place for Hate School in May of 2017 for our programs and activities.  The school was recognized by ABC TV for their bully prevention programs in April of 2017. The school was re-designated as a School to Watch after an extensive application and observation process including interviews with kids. GCMS received a Promising Practices Award from the Character Education Partnership for their Anti-Bullying Expo which is held annually in the Spring. The school looks forward to continuing its efforts throughout the entire school year.

•  
• HomeBase: HomeBase meets for 20 minutes after each grade level’s lunch period.  HomeBase was created to be a safe forum where students feel comfortable to communicate with their peers in the group and their teacher.  Topics covered in HomeBase include bullying, tolerance, honesty, empathy, and diversity, etc.  In September, an anti-bully contract is signed by each student and hung in the classrooms.  Mondays begin with a discussion about students’ weekends, check-in activities, icebreakers, and weekly news.  Fridays are “Friday Fun Day” where students may take out board games from the library or play computer games with the entire group.  The days in between focus on lessons on the above topics.  Quality circles (or CPR’s – Circle of Power and Respect) are created to discuss major issues and resolutions are created on such topics among the group.  Some projects, programs, and other topics that are discussed include:
  • Bystanders vs. upstanders
  • Morning greeters program implemented
  • Project-based learning
  • Respect, citizenship, responsibility
  • No place for hate pledge in each classroom
  • Inclusion vs. exclusion
  • Acceptance
  • Community service learning
  • Cyber-bullying
  • No name calling week
  • Quilt project
  • ABC expo projects
•  

The LEADERS program is a program that started over 10 years ago.  The acronym LEADERS is as follows:

• Leave No-one out
• Empower Yourself
• Amuse with Humor
• Distract the Bully
• Enlist Help
• Rumors Stop with You
• Support the Victim

Each HomeBase typically has two or more LEADERS enroll in the program.  A student may apply to become a LEADER through their HomeBase teacher.  LEADERS attend six workshops a year in the library during their lunch period under the direction of both Keegan Baker, GCMS Social Worker and Kim Greenwald, Teacher.    The student LEADERS will learn various activities that they can present to their HomeBase classmates.  Each activity promotes learning on bully prevention, character development, and community service.  Some topics that LEADERS are trained on include the following: cyber-bullying, sportsmanship, name calling, popularity/cliques, the power of kindness, community responsibility, and more. As each year passes, new topics are added to address current issues in bullying.

UNITY DAY is celebrated throughout the Garden City School District every October. Not only is it recognized by Garden City schools, but schools across the United States participate as well. Here at the Garden City Middle School, the students and staff celebrate by wearing orange. Students are given “United We Stand” orange bracelets during their first period class. Wearing the color orange is a sign that is bold and visual.  HomeBase activities that the students have participated in, include making orange paper chains with anti-bullying messages and writing letters to students that may have been bullied.  Other activities have included HomeBase TRIVIA DAY.  During TRIVIA DAY, new friendships are formed through this fun and engaging team building activity.

Pay It Forward Day is celebrated every April in Garden City Middle School.  Pay It Forward Day is a global initiative to promote the power of giving.  Doing one nice thing for another demonstrates that people around us care. Students and staff are encouraged to wear blue to recognize this special event.  The day is culminated by students handing in a log sheet (GC Cares) of volunteer work that has been completed in and around the community from January through April.  The log sheet includes a reflection of work that has been completed by students.  Volunteer work may include work at a local hospital, religious affiliation, Girl/Boy Scouts, tutoring, garden work for the elderly, food drives and much, much more.  The Garden City Middle School typically has 200 or more students participate in the program each year.

CPRs are designed to create a positive student-teacher-peer relationship by discussing and dealing with common problems such as bullying. The teacher is a part of the circle and acts a facilitator rather than a director. The teacher makes sure the ground rules are being followed and is able to draw a session to a close if pupils are persistently breaking the rules. The tone is set by making positive comments only.  The classroom is set up with an open circle of chairs.  Some teachers use a `talking object` to facilitate discussion.  This talking object is passed around the circle and the only person who is allowed to talk is the person holding the talking object.  The CPR typically starts with a brief conversation about the students’ experiences of bullying in the school.  Students may share happenings aloud as the group decides on a proactive solution to the problem shared.  Afterwards, the group works on problem-solving strategies for any issues shared.  Students are informed that all discussions are to remain confidential and specific names should never be included in the chat.  Besides addressing student concerns, CPRs are often used to help teach children how to solve problems which have been identified by either the teacher or students.  Students can identify solutions to the problem by using the LEADERS strategies. CPR’S have been used in HomeBase and have shown success in reducing bullying.  CPR’s play a role in the prevention of bullying and help students develop skills such as listening and empathizing.  CPR’s promotes respect for others and self-esteem and it develops an anti-bullying code to which all members of the school community have contributed.

The Anti-Bullying Expo is an event that is held in the GCMS Library each spring.  The expo, sponsored by the school’s Anti-Bullying club, has a different theme each year.  Previous themes have included, Wizard of Oz, Safari, Broadway, and a Luau. This year’s theme is Under the Sea.  In honor of the event, HomeBase classes construct an anti-bullying sculpture that is displayed in the library. There are over 1,200 visitors that view the expo each year. There is a parent Open House in the evening of the first day.  Fifth-grade students from both Stewart School and Stratford School visit the expo each year. Expo activities include the displaying of a school-wide character-building/bully prevention quilt, team building tasks, bully pledge cards, letter writing stations, individuality corners, empathy-building stations, and a voting booth for the HomeBase anti-bullying sculptures.

There are three free family events that take place at the Garden City Middle School.  These programs are developed for GCMS families and are not drop off events.  The purpose of the events is to promote unity within the GCMS family.  The first event, Family Flick Night, typically takes place the Friday evening before Halloween. A movie is shown in the auditorium and pizza is served in the cafeteria.  Snacks are available for each person.  Raffles are drawn and prizes are awarded.    The second event is BINGO Night.  Bingo night is an event co-sponsored by the GC Community Coalition and GCPTA.  The event takes place in early spring.  Pizza is served to all attendees.  The third event is called GC Cares.  GC Cares is an evening when families come together and put together care packages for an organization in need (ex. children’s hospital, homeless shelter, or hurricane victims).

Garden City Cares (GC Cares) was initiated in 2014.  GC Cares is a program that was developed to promote student civic responsibility and foster positive relationships as well as communication among peers.  The goal of the program is to get 100 percent student participation.  There are three levels of participation.  The first level, bronze, requires students to complete ten hours of community service.  The second level, silver, constitutes 15 hours of service.  The highest level, gold, requires students to complete 20 hours or more of service.   The event has a kick off assembly in the auditorium during HomeBase.  A presentation is shown to the students with pictures of students helping in and around the community.  Students track their hours on a community service leadership form. The form includes date, description, and the number of hours of service.  Pictures are always recommended.  Parents are emailed the details of the program on the day of the assembly.  Leadership forms are returned back to the school on Pay It Forward Day.  Recognition of all participants is shared with the school.

This was an initiative introduced as part of Unity Day.   This vision was designed to encourage students to make sure that everyone is included in the cafeteria to make social inclusion a reality.  #No One Eats Alone hopes to create an environment where all students are included, accepted, and valued by their peers.  Banners were created and placed in the lunchroom.  Each home base class signed a pledge agreeing to:  Ask students to join them at lunch, start conversations with students outside their table, move their location at lunch to sit near a student who is alone, and invite students who sit alone to sit with their group.  The overall goal of the activity is for students to reverse the trends of social isolation by asking them to engage in a simple act of kindness at lunch – making sure that no one is eating alone and that they are making an effort to eat with new classmates and peers.

The GCMS hosts two HomeBase Trivia Days a year. The MCs of the event are the guidance counselors.  The trivia days are theme based.  Past themes have included movies, TV shows, Disney music, and pop culture.  Each HomeBase is assigned a lunch table and the students need to work with one another as a team to answer a variety of trivia questions.  The HomeBase that scores the most points wins a pizza party.

The Morning Greeter Program was developed a few years ago to foster kindness throughout Garden City Middle School.  Each week, HomeBase classes are assigned to host the Morning Greeter Program.  Student volunteers arrive early to school each morning to greet students walking into the building.  Each week holds a different experience.  Some volunteers have made songs and chants to welcome their classmates.  The students' warm smiles and greetings definitely set the tone and mood throughout the building each day.

The mission of the Garden City Middle School Anti-Bullying Task Force is to foster an atmosphere that ensures the safety of all students by providing an environment where students can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.  Our school community will empower students to be upstanding citizens who look out for others.  Our goal is to teach students to accept and celebrate others’ differences with compassion. We will share ideas, initiatives and innovative programs with our parents, schools, students and our community. 

• Patch.com - Garden City Middle School's Anti-Bullying Approach
• Garden City News - Garden City Middle School’s Anti-Bullying Expo and Cyber Bullying Committee
• Character.org - Anti-Bullying Expo
• Garden City News - The Middle School Leaders share anti-bullying strategies
• GCMS Named Gold Star School by Anti-Defamation League
• Garden City Middle School Re-designated as National and NYS School to Watch
• Garden City Middle School Students Serve the Community
• Garden City Public Schools Mark Unity Day

RESOURCES

• State Education Department DASA Resources
• Stop Bullying.gov website
• Cyber bullying Research and Resources

Relevant BOE Polices/Regulations

• Board Policy 0115 - Anti-Bullying and Harassment
• Board Regulation 0115-R Student Harassment and Bullying Prevention and Intervention-R - Anti-Bullying and Harassment
• Harassment and/or Bullying Complaint Form

​​​​​​​2022-2023 Dignity Act Coordinators

• We Are Stronger Together - Presentation to PTA