Our Parents' Association has very generously funded Robert Pereira from Australia to come to Columba College to do intervention work with our school community.

He will work closely with all students from Years 5-10 on Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 July. The main aim of the sessions is to empower the bystanders and to encourage students who are tempted to bully, to connect with their own humanity and the humanity of the potential ‘victim’. We are striving as a school to encourage a sense of togetherness.

Robert is an educational consultant who specializes in School Bullying. He comes to New Zealand upon request to work with schools as is needed. He provides teachers with a classroom approach to address this universal problem, by using an educational and psychological model that reveals the ‘core’ issues pertaining to bullying.

Formerly a High School Science teacher, he has spent the last 22 years addressing this social problem of school bullying. Not finding satisfying answers in books on the topic, he sought to consult children and teens on the matter. As a result of this consultation, spanning many years and continents, he has delivered over 5,500 lessons to 160,000 students of all ages. The results of this consultation are published in his book ‘Why We Bully.’

We would like to extend an invitation to the Columba College community to attend a parent evening on the subject of Bullying Prevention on Monday 30 July.

The seminar will cover why children/teenagers bully; in other words, what are the activating agents that trigger a jealous/envious response. The seminar will assist parents to see the relationship between the vicious emails/messages and the origins of why this occurs. It will also highlight the parts that parents need to play in partnership with the school.

The seminar will take place in the Caroline Freeman Theatre and will run from 7pm - 9pm. The cost is $10.00 per person or $15.00 per couple. Please pay cash at the door.

The Columba College Parents’ Association together with the Columba College staff firmly believe that this is an issue with numerous implications for our students. As a community, we urge as many families as possible to attend this evening.