Earth Day reminds us to consider what matters around us

Be willing to speak up in support of maintaining nature’s systems that make our earth so magnificent.  Treat the earth with consideration.
Do your part every day to make the earth a better place.

EARTH DAY is a day to consider the gift our earth gives us
including clean air to breathe and fresh water to enjoy.

We must preserve these gifts by all working together to maintain the natural resources the earth provides.

We must also work together to keep our relationships on track and
to maintain feelings of appreciation and thoughtfulness. Speak up when
something needs to be said. See a little of yourself in others and you will be
more understanding and sensitive to their needs. Doing these things will help to
keep your relationships filled with respect. Bit by bit the concept of bullying will become even more abhorrent than it already is. Beat bullying by building respect and living it everyday just as we celebrate Earth Day by showing respect to our planet.

Bruce Langford, bullying prevention advocate www.brucelangford.ca

6 Ways to Keep From Crashing Due to a Pre-Teen Dilemma

1. Assess the situation rationally by writing down the details in a factual way
2. Talk over the dilemma with a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, councillor, friend or other relative. Call a confidential counseling service like ‘KidsHelpPhone’ if you don’t have anyone else to talk to.
3. Continue to eat regular, nutritious meals and snacks. Stress can cause many people to lean to junk food or foods and drinks containing ‘uppers’ like caffeine. So called ‘energy’ drinks can also throw your body out of equilibrium.
4. If you have pets, they can help lower your stress level. Walk your dog, play with your cat, watch your fish or ride your pony. Spend extra time caring for your pets and you may start to feel more relaxed.
5. Make sure you maintain your sleep schedule so you don’t get over tired. That can add more stress to a situation that is already difficult.
6. Keep up your regular schedule of physical activities. Consider adding more activities if you are not a very active person. Even a simple walk can help you feel better.

We offer ideas to help kids deal with bullying situations and other challenges. Visit our website at http://www.standupnow.ca

Ottawa School Welcomes Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies

Charles Hulse Public School in Ottawa

Charles H. Hulse Public School in Ottawa is filled with enthusiastic children and a friendly, welcoming staff. That was certainly our impression when we visited yesterday while on an Ottawa tour. The children understand bullying and want to do something about it. We shared songs and videos as well as stories and role-plays. After the assemblies we talked to the children and asked them what they learned.
“I learned what to do if someone calls me names.”
“Now I understand what to do if someone leaves me out of a game and they keep being mean to me.”
These are some of the comments we received. One teacher came out of her classroom to speak to me and said, “I just want to thank you for what you do with these assemblies. This is really needed”.
Principal Suzanne Denney obviously pours herself into her work at Charles Hulse. Staff members talked about her exceptional efforts with the children and gave specific examples of how she goes over the top to make hers a caring school.
Thanks to Charles H. Hulse Public School for your warm welcome and generous spirit!
Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies are designed for children in Kindergarten to grade 8.

Education Week Assemblies in Toronto Feature 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours

Education Week at Madoc Drive Public School was celebrated today with bullying prevention assemblies by Bruce Langford of ‘Stand Up Now Productions’.
The students were filled with enthusiasm as DJ, Benny DL went live on ATFM Radio. He talked about 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

1. Ignore the Bullying Behaviour (sometimes the person is just trying to get attention)
2. Say ‘Please Leave Me Alone’ (Say it in a confident way, but only once)
3. Tell a Parent, Teacher or other Trusted Adult
4. Get Friends to Help You
5. Show your Confidence

 Madoc students acted out real-life scenarios and participated in songs. A student came up afterwards commenting about the ‘great music and awesome video’. Madoc Principal, Mr. Tim Peterson makes sure students set exellent examples to inspire others. Education week is a great time to focus on bullying prevention. Just remember the 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

http://www.standupagainstbullying.com/

Ontario Kids Get Bullying Help at Kids Help Phone

Our ‘Stand Up Now’ workshops encourage bullied children to talk to a trusted adult about feelings and issues. Express yourself and don’t keep frustration and hurt inside. Tell someone!

We also say, if you don’t have a trusted person to talk with, call ‘Kids Help Phone’ at 1-800-668-6868.
The Kids Help Phone website at http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/ helps you with topics like:

Bullying – Being bullied? Don’t keep it inside. Tell someone.
Violence & abuse
Feelings
The internet
Money
My Body
Friends
Dating
Express yourself – Your space to write letters, share stories, and get stuff off your chest.

The Kids Help Phone Promise is here:
“We are here to help you, not get you into trouble. When you call us, you don’t have to tell us your name, address or phone number.”

We encourage you to call Kids Help Phone if you need to talk about a bullying situation.
‘Stand Up Now’ School Programs www.standupagainstbullying.com

Earnscliffe Step Team Performs at Bullying Prevention Parent Presentation

EST = Earnscliffe Step Team

E S T – Earnscliffe Step Team
Amazing confidence. Precise rhythms. Spectacular showmanship.
This describes the Earnscliffe Step Team from Earnscliffe Senior Public School in

Earnscliffe Step Team Logo

 Brampton, Ontario.

They came to perform. Parents came to be entertained by the step team and to learn how to deal with bullying from guest speaker, Bruce Langford of Stand Up Now Productions.

An audience of over eighty-five watched videos, listened to stories, and cheered on the student actors who performed anti-bullying role plays.

Dealing with bullying requires the same kind of discipline, confidence and respect shown by the members of the Earnscliffe Step Team.

 D C R – Discipline Confidence Respect
All are needed to ‘Stand Up For Respect’ and do something, rather than just being a bystander.

Earnscliffe Senior Public School

Encourage others at your school the way Earnscliffe students encourage their Step Team!
That spirit of encouragement will grow into more confidence and more respect.
As visitors to Earnscliffe, this is the kind of respect we experienced from Vice-Principal, Claudio Moschella and Earnscliffe Principal, Gursh Budwal. Keep up the great work, Earnscliffe students and staff!

Imagine – a life without bullying

He treats you with respect, all the time.
She lifts your spirits, whenever you see her.
The teacher understands you and offers you some advice.
Your sister smiles at you and reminds you she’s there for you.
Even though he’s way older, your uncle makes you feel important.
Your parents have this trust thing going that makes you want to trust them back.

 The world can be like this, sometimes.
Imagine – a world without bullying. Even for an hour, a day, a week.
We can all make it happen.
Stand Up Against Bullying – in your world!

Space ~ Earth ~ Bullying ~ What does it mean?

Inspirational School Sponsors Stand Up To Bullying Assemblies in Waterloo Board

Woodland Park has spirit! Here is the proof. Everywhere you look you are inspired with displays, slogans, quotes and murals. Even more inspirational than that are the warm vibrations you get from the staff and students. Everyone works together at Woodland Park to make sure the positive feeling is alive. Here are some of the messages we read when we arrived at the school to present our ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies.
No matter who you are,
Or where you’re from
Your future is up to you!
Experience the power of community.
Open hearts and open minds.
LIVE A PERFECT DAY.
DO SOMETHING KIND FOR SOMEONE
WHO WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPAY YOU.
Every day, try to be a little kinder than necessary.
Principal, Mrs. Ogilvie, takes great pride in the amount of school spirit present within these walls. Cooperation, joy, kindness, caring and hope. These are all attributes that matter in school. They are all present at Woodland Park School. Teachers, children, administration and support staff all work together to achieve happiness and peace at Woodland Park. Children thrive when they feel the powerful positive vibes in their environment like those present at Woodland Park.
Woodland Park Public School in Cambridge is an inspiring school!
Woodland Park, Home of the Bears, sponsored Cyberbullying Prevention Assemblies by Bruce Langford, of Stand Up Now Productions. Principal, Mrs. Ogilvie said “the feedback was excellent and the messages were exactly what we were hoping for!”

Student Bystanders Show Assembly Audience How to Stand Up Against Bullying

We spent the day today with the students at Redstone Public School in Greater Toronto (Richmond Hill). We talked about the character trait of the month, which for January is optimism. We talked about bullying, the bystander, and how to deal with real-life bullying situations. The students learned by watching scenarios acted out by grade 7 and 8 students. We watched videos and listened to music. The students clapped and cheered at appropriate times and then later were silent when someone was left out of a game during a role-play. The students had empathy for that one person not picked for the team.

Obviously, the teachers and students care about the right things at Redstone School. They care about treating each other with respect and dignity. The Redstone Creed is called their Touchstone. Read it here. What do you think?

 The Redstone Public School Touchstone
At Redstone Public School, we respect ourselves, others and our environment. We are responsible for what we say and what we do. We speak up for ourselves, and others and and we include everyone in all activities.
We treat all people equally and we help others without being asked. We never give up, no matter how difficult the task. At Redstone, everything is possible.
Optimism Quotes:
Optimism is the tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view.
Oxford English Dictionary

 The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.
Unknown

What seems to us as bitter trials, are often blessings in disguise.
Oscar Wilde

 A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill

 Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller

Redstone Public School Building

Respect Assemblies Teaching About the Bystander in Sarnia Ontario Canada

Colonel Cameron Public School

Mrs. Cindy Kramer of Colonel Cameron Public School in Corunna (Lambton Kent District School Board) was excited about the Stand Up For Respect Bullying Prevention assemblies by Bruce Langford and Stand Up Now Productions.
A role-play about a student who was shunned by team captains helped students identify with the person. We talked about empathy and how empathy means putting yourself into someone else’s shoes. We talked about bystanders who see or hear meanness and do nothing about it. Bystanders are not bad people. Maybe they just didn’t know what to do. Maybe they were scared. Maybe it happened so fast, they didn’t have a chance to act. Even adults will be bystanders sometimes. As adults, we always need to be aware that it is our responsibility to protect children. Be visible and keep an eye open to make sure our children are safe. We do need to teach our children to stand up for themselves and others, but we need to also teach them to stay safe.
As part of our assemblies today, adults and kids vowed together:
“I will stand up for respect”.
We met many respectful people at Colonel Cameron Public School and received a warm and caring welcome.

To arrange programs for your school, contact Stand Up Now Productions at 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at http://www.standupnow.ca

Waterloo Region District School Board Bullying Prevention

Abraham Erb Public School in Waterloo welcomed Bruce Langford today as a guest speaker and presenter on the subject of respect. Respect is part of Abraham Erb’s Code of Behaviour. Their code of behavior is simple, yet effective. It consists of three concise ideas:
THINK

RESPECT

BE SAFE

Mrs. Martha Knowlton, the Principal of Abraham Erb School (Waterloo Region District School Board), was thrilled with the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies by Bruce Langford and Stand Up Now Productions. We were impressed with the respectful behaviour of the students.
We’ve included some photos we want to share with you from Abraham Erb Public School.

Contact us to arrange assemblies for your school: 800-901-8831 or info@standupnow.ca

Stand Up Now Back to School Bullying Prevention

Ottawa Stand Up Against Bullying Tour

Welcome back to school everyone! May the 2010-2011 school year be as bully free as possible! We wish you all well as you start back for a new year of learning and dealing with social situations. Stand Up Now is booked solid with bullying prevention programs across the region.
Our Stand Up Now Ottawa tour is planned for October 2010. We will visit schools in Ottawa including St. James Catholic School in Kanata, Guardian Angels Catholic School in Stittsville and St. Anne Catholic School in Kanata. Windsor School visits will include General Brock and Dougall Avenue Public School. Toronto, London, Burlington and Waterloo are only a few of our bullying prevention destinations.
The Stand Up Against Bullying Guy is ready to head off to your school with songs, videos and multimedia to wow the crowds.
Contact us to book assemblies for your school. 1-800-901-8831
Email us at  info@standupnow.ca

Songs can help children deal with bullying

Music can help us learn & remember

Why do we use songs and music in our bullying-prevention programs? Songs can provide a hook so that children remember the messages. We have all used songs to help us remember facts and details like the alphabet, planets, number of days in a month and so on. Repeated phrases in songs really get the point across and help children remember the message. One example is our Passwords song. “Passwords, passwords, keep ‘em to yourself, tell no one else.”   When we visit schools a second or third time, students often come into assemblies singing “Passwords”, or “Stand Up” or “Confidence”.  We have another song which is a good example of learning through music. It is called “Be Kind Online”. I’ve posted a video below featuring this song. It is in the style of boogie woogie.
In my opinion, children can learn to deal with bullying by remembering the songs in our programs and singing them over. This will trigger memories of other details from our presentations such as videos, stories and role plays.
To book assemblies for your school, call us at 1-800-901-8831 or email us at info@standupnow.ca.
Visit our website at http://www.standupnow.ca/

7 Respect Tips for Students and Teachers

Umbrellas can shield the sun or the rain ... we can learn to shield ourselves and others from bullying.

As many students (and school staff members too) head off in different directions for the summer months, remember to still practice the tips about respect that we’ve been talking about all year. You’ll get along better with friends, with family and with colleagues at work or during fun times.

1. Be polite.
2. Put others 1^st
3. Include others
4. Share when you can
5. Use respectful language
6. Be more kind than you have to
7. If you respect others, they will often respect you!

Have a great summer!
www.standupnow.ca

Six Top Tips for School Trips from Bruce Langford, The Stand Up Against Bullying Guy

 

Mapleview Heights School, Barrie Ontario

1. Listen closely to the instructions of your group leader.
2. Stay with your group and do what you are expected to do.
3. Include others in your activities when possible.
4. Be friendly to travelers you meet.
5. If the trip is an overnighter, stay in your designated room as directed.
6. Remember, you are representing your school. Always act in a way that would make your school proud.

We just visited Mapleview Heights Public School in Barrie where we presented ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’, ‘Stand Up For Respect’ and ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’. Our assemblies received excellent evaluations from all the students and staff we spoke to. “The role-plays were extremely effective in getting the messages across and the music and videos were captivating.”

To book ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies for your school, contact our office at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail us at info@standupnow.ca

Tips about Put-downs in Respect Character Ed Assemblies

Awesome Mural at Derrydown School

Remember to not be involved in put-downs. To do this, try not to use mean language, swearing or name-calling.  Don’t even get involved in put-downs that are started by other people. Do try to include other people in activities and conversations and be friendly and respectful. I believe that if you make up your mind to avoid put-downs, you will earn respect.

We included these tips about put-downs in ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies at Derrydown Public School in the Toronto District School Board. Students and staff were very upbeat about the assemblies and we received these comments afterwards:
Bruce Langford’s presentations have the wow factor. You really captured our students at Derrydown!
Al Copeti (Teacher)

The kids just loved Bruce Langford’s ‘Stand Up For Respect’ presentations and so did the teachers. Really engaging. I hope you come back soon.
Dorothy Pienkow (Teacher), Derrydown School, Toronto
Alla Ostrovsky, (Teaching Assistant) Derrydown School 

We would be pleased to present character education assemblies at your school. Contact Bruce Langford at Stand Up Now Productions at 1-800-901-8831 or www.standupnow.ca

Soccer World Cup 2010, Racial Abuse and Respect

The Soccer World Cup in South Africa will be an exciting sporting event and Samuel Eto’o is one of the players to watch. He has scored over 100 goals in five seasons with FC Barcelona. As a member of the Cameroon national team, he was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament. He is a Cameroonian who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Internazionale.
Eto’o has experienced racial abuse while playing soccer. He has been the subject of racist taunts by people in the stands when he is in possession of the ball. It is unacceptable that racial prejudice continues to be present in our world. Take a stand. Make the decision that you will have the integrity to stand up against prejudice of any kind against any group of people!

We talked about World Cup Soccer and Respect at Valley Park Middle School in Toronto yesterday. Vice-Principal, Sandra Larosa was ‘totally thrilled with Bruce Langford’s assemblies’ and said ‘our middle school kids really connected with the message!’

 Remember to ‘Stand Up For Respect’ in your world and with your friends. We will be happy to present musical assemblies about respect at your school. Call Bruce Langford at 1-800-901-8831 or email at info@standupnow.ca.

How Do I Teach My Kids Consideration?

How do my actions affect others?
How do I learn to think before I speak?
How do I make the right choices?

These are questions that your children may be asking themselves more often than you think.
The answer is to remember to show consideration to others. Try to practice empathy. Try to imagine what the other person is feeling. Just remember that these are skills we can practice every day. We all teach children to build character by our own example.

We have taught these character ed concepts through music, videos and role-plays at hundreds of elementary school presentations across Ontario. We will present bullying prevention programs at your school. Contact Stand Up Now Productions at 1-800-901-8831 or email Bruce Langford at bruce@standupnow.ca

Middle School Assemblies (Ontario) About Bullying & Bystanders

Middle School Bullying Prevention Presentation

Bystanders can make a big difference if they decide to do something to stop the meanness. Our anti-bullying school assemblies for intermediate students using videos, role-plays and music will teach your kids how the bystander can make a positive difference. Students tell us they relate to the bullying scenarios in the role-plays we teach. In the video below, a kid gets bullied as he walks down the stairs, but wait … is there a twist? See what someone decides to do. See how one person can make a difference in a matter of seconds. This shows how bystanders can become winners.
Book school assemblies with Stand Up Now Productions telephone number 1-800-901-8831  or email info@standupnow.ca

Character Education Programs in Ontario (Brampton) by Stand Up Now Productions

Copeland School PAWS Wall

Character Education Assemblies about Respect were presented by DJ Benny DL of ATFM Radio. Bruce Langford was the DJ and the set for ATFM Radio was in the gym as the students cheered him on.

The Character Education Formula at Copeland Public School is tied in with their Coyote mascot. The message is “Follow The “P.A.W.S.” – Print to Success.” Here is what the PAWS acronym stands for:

P:  Positive Attitude
A: Act Responsibly and Respectfully
W: W.I.T.S. (See Below)
S: Self Belief

W: Walk Away
I: Ignore
T: Talk
S: Seek Help

After the Stand Up For Respect Assemblies, Principal Lynn Dirks said “I really liked the way you tied the show into our Character Education focus here at Copeland. I liked the way you brought music into it.”
One of the grade 5 students said “It really taught us to show respect, not bully. And you had really cool songs!”
Find more information about booking assemblies for your school at www.standupagainstbullying.com