What's Up at Myrtle Philip? Dec 8-12, 2025

Bullying, Being Mean, and Being Rude

Words by Brianne Aldcroft, Wordsmithing by ChatGPT

You’ll be glad to know that bullying is quite rare at MPE. In fact, last year there was only one situation that somewhat fit the definition of bullying. So why does a child still come home upset by interactions with peers? The answer lies in the fact that children are still learning the rules of social behavior and they are still very impulsive. This combination often leads to moments that feel hurtful to other children, even if that wasn’t the intent. 

There are two important areas of learning taking place. First, children must learn socially appropriate ways to express frustration, communicate boundaries, and share their ideas. Second, children must learn that another person’s frustration, boundaries, or ideas are not a personal judgment and that often, we can’t control or change those reactions.

Across twenty years of helping students work through conflicts, I’ve found it helpful to explain the differences between bullying, being mean, and being rude:

• Bullying involves repeated, intentional behavior targeted toward one child or a small group of children who are perceived to have less power. It is purposeful, ongoing, and meant to cause harm.
  
  
• Being mean is usually situational. It’s often a one-time or occasional behavior that isn’t part of a targeted pattern. A child may lash out in a moment of frustration without intending to continue the behavior.
  
  
• Being rude is incredibly common in elementary school. These are the everyday social slights, often unintentional, that children may not even recognize as hurtful. For example, one of the rudest things you can do at this age is budge in line. It’s selfish, but children are still developing empathy and often act from a very self-focused place. That’s simply the stage they are in, and it’s our role as adults to teach them the social expectations of our culture.
  
  

When supporting students through conflict, I often ask the hurt child, “What happened right before?” or “Why do you think they reacted that way?” This helps us determine whether the behavior was intentionally mean, or whether it was a response to something rude or hurtful that happened first. Children also have very different thresholds for what feels mean versus what feels funny. The line between teasing and meanness is especially tricky: teasing is often meant affectionately, but not every child interprets it that way. Some kids can shrug off rudeness easily, which sometimes leads others to see them as rude in return.

All of this is learning. Being young and navigating school is really, really hard. Everything is new. Children are figuring out the patterns and behaviors that will or won’t serve them as they grow up. And as adults, we help them through it. We remind them (and ourselves!) that even grown-ups don’t have all the answers and are still working through these same social challenges. It gets easier, but it never disappears entirely. That’s what makes relationships tricky but also what makes them meaningful.

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New Stuff

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Thank you to everyone who came to our WRITING DAY! It was absolutely beautiful to see that authentic and festive writing taking place!

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Trinkets and Treasures was an absolute HIT. You are very lucky parents because you are getting some pretty nice swag this year. Thank you to PAC for organizing this.

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Term 1 Written Updates--We will publish written updates (report cards) in MyEd on Wednesday, December 10. We will endeavor to have the hardcopies to you by Friday, December 12. We ask that you return the envelopes to your teacher so we can reuse them in Term 2.

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In Case You Missed It

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Calendar Change

Please note two important updates to the 2025–2026 school calendar (now posted on our website):

1. Early Dismissal Change
• January 28 will now be a regular day
• February 4 will be an early dismissal at 11:45 a.m.
2. Early Dismissal Change
• April 28 will now be a regular day
• April 8 will be an early dismissal at 11:45 a.m.

These changes bring MPE’s schedule in line with Spring Creek Elementary to improve busing and childcare coordination on those days.

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School Food Programs

Our School Food Program ensures students have access to nourishing food at school through the lunches and snacks in the community fridges and breakfast program. Whistler Community Services Society in partnership with SD48 provides food to ensure that every child has access to nutritious, delicious and local food to be able to learn at school. Government funding helps but we rely on family and community contributions to bridge the gap and keep programs sustainable.

Every bit helps - Donate to the program here.

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Breakfast Club!—All Welcome!

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

8:05 am to 8:20 am

Cereal and toast

Remember your manners, tidy up after yourself, back outside when you are done so more students can come in for a bite to eat.

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Bussing

Students must be registered to use SD48 busing and meet certain criteria.

If you have the same address as last school year and are already registered, you are good to go!

If you are new to the district or have moved homes, please go to the SD48 website for further info and for instructions on how to register: School Bus Transportation

Information about Bus Routes is also on their website.

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Attendance

Please let the office know as soon as possible if your child will be away during the first week of school. Email [email protected] with your child’s first and last name, the reason for their absence, and their start date.

We ask that both new and returning families take a moment to familiarize themselves with our Attendance Procedures and expectations

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Volunteers

Criminal Records Checks - If you wish to volunteer at Myrtle Philip Community School or partake in any class field trips in the upcoming school years, we require that a Criminal Record Check (CRC) be on file here at the office. Click here for more info.

Volunteer Driver Application – This must be completed annually in addition to the CRC if you plan to volunteer as a driver this year: Volunteers – Families – Myrtle Philip Community School (sd48myrtlephilip.org)