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not in our school

The Not In Our School (NIOS) Video Action Kit is a comprehensive toolkit featuring 20 films, lessons, and resources designed to motivate students to speak out against bullying, and create new ways to make their schools safe for everyone. Newly updated with lessons aligned to Common Core State Standards and California Health Education Content Standards, the NIOS Video Action Kit provides tools you can use to activate your entire school community, and incorporate social-emotional learning and identity-safe practices throughout your school. The NIOS Video Action Kit contains everything you need to need to launch your own Not in Our School anti-bullying campaign, including: Original Not in Our Town DVD and lesson guide Not in Our Town: When Hate Happens Here DVD and lesson guide 18 short films showcasing positive student action, with lessons organized by theme and grade level Step-by-step Not In Our School Quick Start Guide
Livia Thomas and I met in 2012 when she sent on a note of desperation about a bullying incident at her elementary school. Principal Judy Nye and Livia were terribly concerned that their well-managed and peaceful Grimmer Elementary School had ongoing bullying that had not been reported, while hosts of students were negatively impacted. Grimmer’s situation is not uncommon. Students often are afraid or ashamed to tell adults about being bullied. Dr. Jonathan Cohen, Director of the National School Climate Center, says that in numerous cases, bullying is not reported while staff are oblivious that a calm exterior masks terrible incidents of bullying, teasing, and intolerance. Bullying is everywhere, but taking concrete steps to prevent and respond make a big difference. That is just what Livia and Principal Judy did. That is why we selected Grimmer as the site of our first elementary film production and we were thrilled with the outcome. —Becki Cohn-Vargas, Not In Our School Director
  If you ever wondered what one person can do, meet Susan Guess. After her 8-year old daughter was bullied two years ago, she moved into action together with her daughter to raise awareness and get her whole community involved in anti-bullying activities.  
  Originally published on Edutopia By Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas, Not In Our School Director
  During National Bullying Prevention Month we witnessed countless inspring stories of standing up. Here are two videos that feature the Not In Our School model on the Disney Channel and KPIX in San Francisco.   Disney Channel Showcases Student Upstanders   Now you can tune into the Disney Channel to see an anti-bullying campaign in action!   Students at Sunset Ridge Middle School in Utah covered their campus with Post-it notes that contained messages such as, “Not in our school” and “Stop hate together.” Disney Channel picked up on the activity and is now featuring it as part of their Make Your Mark campaign, reaching nearly 100 million homes in the U.S.   
  Georgia elementary school’s NIOS campaign uses a touch of magic
By Becki Cohn-Vargas, Not In Our School Director
  NIOS is glad to have our course be the culminating class to get a Bullying Prevention Certificate through the University of San Diego Continuing Education. Why get a certificate? It will prepare you to support students and be a leader at your site. It will also improve your employability as an educator who is versed in the latest anti-bullying strategies. Courses in the Bullying Prevention in Our Schools certificate program are:   Bullying:  An Introduction (3 units) Bullying:  Issues of Gender and Race (2 units) Bullying on the Internet (2 units) Bullying:  Prevention (2 units) EDU-X768I Not In Our School:  Strategies to Address Bullying and Intolerance and Create Safe, Inclusive and Accepting Schools (2 units)
Closed captioning on NIOS films   This summer Not In Our School was approached by the California School of the Deaf, who is about to start their NIOS campaign this fall. They asked us how many NIOS films were accessible with closed captions. Up until now, we only had closed captions for our PBS films. However, thanks to our wonderful interns this summer who moved into action, we now have 17 of our most popular films with accurate closed captions on YouTube!   To access the films go to this link. Please let us know if you used the closed caption option and how it worked for you. Launch Not In Our School with a NIOS campaign package