ISM Anti-Bullying Week 2021: No Bullies Allowed

The goal of this year’s ‘Anti-Bullying Week’ campaign at The International School of Moscow was to teach students the positive and kind things that can be done every day to halt hurtful behaviour in its tracks.

For this reason, throughout the week of 15th-19th November, we came together to support the theme 'One Kind Word' to show our students just how powerful their words can be!

Every campus has kickstarted the week with the annual 'Odd Socks Day' on Monday. The purpose of this day was to celebrate diversity in a fun way and to show that, despite our differences, we are all made of the same fabric. We were overwhelmed by the student response, with so many attending the school in the most colourful, wacky odd socks they could find!

The remainder of the week was action-packed with students taking part in a variety of 'One Kind Word' themed activities, including role-plays, circle-time discussions and signing their own class's anti-bullying pledge. On our UC Krylatskoe Campus, all students were awarded their well-deserved 'No Bully Zone' badges to keep proudly pinned on their uniforms for the rest of the year- a clear symbol of our solidarity in the fight against bullying.

One of the most exciting tasks, however, was having the students design their own personal 'One Kind Word' jars, which we then filled to the brim with uplifting, supportive messages from one another. On Friday, children from all campuses enjoyed reading warm messages from their peers- a memento of a week filled with hope and positivity which they could take home and keep forever.

Although our children wrote in their pledges this week, it was a reminder of a continuing commitment to supporting 'Anti-Bullying' every week of the year. We need to commit ourselves to embed the ethos of kindness and unity even further into our ISM culture every day and believe in the immense power we all possess to brighten the lives of those around us through the simple act of sharing 'One Kind Word'.