Students will have art this week and the two days following the break. Students are also to log their reading for 7/14 days of the holiday break. A new reading log will be given out in January. Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, the superintendent has asked us to share the following letter about Friday's tragedy with all of you. It is included below. Please take a moment to read it. Thank you.
Highest Regards,
Gina Weber
December 17, 2012
Dear Parents/Families:
We want to assure you that all of us who work for the Oldham County Schools understand that providing students a safe place to go to school is the most important thing we do. As a parent of young children myself, I feel the same feelings of alarm and concern that you feel when you hear of tragedies like what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut on Friday. As educators, we feel a strong sense of responsibility to do everything we can to provide students a safe school experience while at school and travelling there and back. Please know that we have lots of measures in place to provide a safe school experience.
- As always, we will continue to review our safety and security procedures. Meetings are scheduled today with Mental Health Consultants, School Resource Officers, and other law enforcement officials to review every aspect of our plans and district procedures.
- Oldham County Schools continues to make safety and security the top priority.
- We have three full-time School Resource Officers assigned to work in a preventative manner throughout the school district
- Schools perform regular lockdown drills annually and constantly review and refine procedures
- Each school has a designated Safe Schools Coordinator who maintains the school’s plans and brings necessary revisions to the attention of the Superintendent
- Safety Forums are scheduled at various times in various locations to allow anyone who would like to discuss the concerns arising out of this unspeakable tragedy to have the opportunity to do so.
- Monday, Dec. 17 - 5:00 pm, at Oldham County High School
- Tuesday, Dec. 18 - 9:30 am, at North Oldham High School
- Tuesday, Dec. 18 - 1:30 pm, at East Oldham Middle School
- Tuesday, Dec. 18 – 6:00 pm at South Oldham High School
Our staff is prepared to talk to students who are upset by what they might have seen or heard about this tragic event over the weekend. One of the best things we as adults can do for our children is to provide them their normal routine and assure them that they are safe at our schools and in our community. Please see the information below that is being provided to help parents and other adults know how to respond and talk to children following a tragedy like this. Tragic situations like this can occur anywhere at any time. It takes all of us working together to provide the safe school experience we expect of ourselves and our community. We are completely committed to doing this and we appreciate your support in making this a reality for our children.
If you have questions or would like to discuss this you may contact the principal of your child’s school or Dan Orman, Asst. Superintendent of Student Services or me at 502-241-3500.
Will Wells,
Superintendent
All Adults Should:
- Model calm and control. Children take their emotional cues from the significant adults in their lives. Avoid appearing anxious or frightened.
- Reassure children that they are safe and (if true) so are the other important adults in their lives. Depending on the situation, point out factors that help insure their immediate safety and that of their community.
- Remind them that trustworthy people are in charge. Explain that the government emergency workers, police, firefighters, doctors, and the military are helping people who are hurt and are working to ensure that no further tragedies occur.
- Let children know that it is okay to feel upset. Explain that all feelings are okay when a tragedy like this occurs. Let children talk about their feelings and help put them into perspective. Even anger is okay, but children may need help and patience from adults to assist them in expressing these feelings appropriately.
- Observe children’s emotional state. Depending on their age, children may not express their concerns verbally. Changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns can also indicate a child’s level of grief, anxiety or discomfort. Children will express their emotions differently. There is no right or wrong way to feel or express grief.
- Look for children at greater risk. Children who have had a past traumatic experience or personal loss, suffer from depression or other mental illness, or with special needs may be at greater risk for severe reactions than others. Be particularly observant for those who may be at risk of suicide. Seek the help of mental health professional if you are at all concerned.
- Tell children the truth. Don’t try to pretend the event has not occurred or that it is not serious. Children are smart. They will be more worried if they think you are too afraid to tell them what is happening.
- Stick to the facts. Don’t embellish or speculate about what has happened and what might happen. Don’t dwell on the scale or scope of the tragedy, particularly with young children.
- Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate. Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that the daily structures of their lives will not change. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence and threats to safety in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society. They will be more committed to doing something to help the victims and affected community. For all children, encourage them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. Be a good listener!
- Monitor your own stress level. Don’t ignore your own feelings of anxiety, grief, and anger. Talking to friends, family members, religious leaders, and mental health counselors can help. It is okay to let your children know that you are sad, but that you believe things will get better. You will be better able to support your children if you can express your own emotions in a productive manner. Get appropriate sleep, nutrition, and exercise.
- Focus on your children over the week following the tragedy. Tell them you love them and everything will be okay. Try to help them understand what has happened, keeping in mind their developmental level.
- Make time to talk with your children. Remember if you do not talk to your children about this incident someone else will. Take some time and determine what you wish to say.
- Stay close to your children. Your physical presence will reassure them and give you the opportunity to monitor their reaction. Many children will want actual physical contact. Give plenty of hugs. Let them sit close to you, and make sure to take extra time at bedtime to cuddle and to reassure them that they are loved and safe.
- Limit your child’s television viewing of these events. If they must watch, watch with them for a brief time; then turn the set off. Don’t sit mesmerized re-watching the same events over and over again.
- Maintain a “normal” routine. To the extent possible stick to your family’s normal routine for dinner, homework, chores, bedtime, etc., but don’t be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night.
- Spend extra time reading or playing quiet games with your children before bed. These activities are calming, foster a sense of closeness and security, and reinforce a sense of normalcy. Spend more time tucking them in. Let them sleep with a light on if they ask for it.
- Safeguard your children’s physical health. Stress can take a physical toll on children as well as adults. Make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
- Consider praying or thinking hopeful thoughts for the victims and their families. It may be a good time to take your children to your place of worship, write a poem, or draw a picture to help your child express their feelings and feel that they are somehow supporting the victims and their families.
- Find out what resources your school has in place to help children cope. Most schools are likely to be open and often are a good place for children to regain a sense of normalcy. Being with their friends and teachers can help. Schools should also have a plan for making counseling available to children and adults who need it.
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/terror_general.aspx