How did your school react to the horrific events in CT?
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Anonymous
| If you heard nothing, write your schools. The parent-student-school triangle should be respected! |
Anonymous
I suspect we're at the same school. I was very disappointed in the letter. It was late and it had no depth and no feeling. I do want to know there is a plan in place for crisis management. I don't want them to lock down the campus as a pre-emptive measure. Part of why DC is there is because of the freedom the campus provides. |
Anonymous
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My daughter's school, Commonwealth Academy, sent a very detailed letter explaining the security provisions already in place and what changes they were going to make immediately. It was very comforting to receive.
Also, Dr. Johnson, the principal, attached a detailed letter written (very fast!) by a Dr. of Education and a Dr. of Psy/ that specifically speaks to how parents should handle the talking about these shootings to young children and adolescents over the weekend. Commonwealth Academy also plans to have counselors in place on Monday for children to talk to. Here's the article to provide some guidance: http://mail.aol.com/37267-111/aol-6/en-us/mail/DisplayMessage.aspx?ws_popup=true |
Anonymous
My DC's at Churchill High School. They got nothing. |
Anonymous
I feel certain the Head of School had received many questions from parents about the security measures in place, and addressed the issue for that reason. I feel equally certain there was no intention of placing blame on the Newtown school. And I have no idea which HOS you are referring to - just certainty that parents were asking. |
Anonymous
Which school? |
Anonymous
I don't want to say because I don't want to seem to be extolling the school or the Head. That would feel wrong to me, given the circumstances. |
Anonymous
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Sorry, link provided earlier doesn't work. Here's tips for talking to kids provided by our school's principal:
To all, The loss of life in the Newtown shootings saddens us all. Your child's safety at CA is of the utmost importance to us and we will remain vigilant in providing a secure environment. We will continue to lock all outside doors during the school day and look into installing a buzzer system for the front door. There are security cameras inside and outside the building that are monitored at the front desk and record continuously. The front door is closely monitored and all visitors must sign in and state their reason for being in the school before gaining access. Given the small size of our school, the presence of over 30 adults in the building during school hours also provides a measure of awareness and safety for your children. On Monday, our counselors will be attending morning meetings for the Lower School students and be available for all students, as needed, as the students begin to process and cope with the knowledge of this tragedy. Please keep in mind that children respond to tragedy differently than adults. Over this weekend, consider using the article below as a guide in helping you talk to your children. Helping Children Cope with The Newtown Shootings Robert Evans, Ed.D. and Mark Kline, Psy.D. "Unbelievably, there has been yet another school shooting, this time with awful carnage, 20 students and 6 teachers dead. And barely two hours from Boston. We have had too many of these in America. Each time, our sense of fragility looms even larger. We're reminded that none of us can entirely guarantee our own safety or that of our children, our teachers, our colleagues and friends. There is no technology or template for coping with this kind of event. We feel shock and disbelief, sorrow for the victims, anger at its unfairness, despair that guns remain so available to those who commit these atrocities. And most of us think immediately about how to be helpful to our children. This, too, can seem difficult. We worry about saying too much or too little, about not having enough information, about saying the wrong thing. Fortunately, the things that have been helpful in past tragedies that have struck our schools and communities are likely to be helpful again. Though there is no perfect approach, these four points that can help when talking with children. 1. Don't over-assume what the events means to them. It is common for an adult to feel, "If I'm this upset, they must be even more so." But this is by no means always true. Students react differently depending on their closeness to the situation, their own personalities, and so on. Some may be deeply moved, others less so. Some may have many questions, others fewer. Not all will be intensely affected. Showing little reaction does not automatically mean a student is hiding or denying his or her feelings. At the same time, a few students who have little immediate reaction may become upset later on, even in a way that doesn't make sense to them. There is no universal timetable. 2. Children and adolescents are remarkably resilient. They may become quite upset, but given a chance to express what they feel, most usually resume their normal lives—and often do so more rapidly than we adults. There is reason to worry about students who show sustained—not temporary—changes in their mood and behavior. In such cases, it is good to consult a school counselor or other professional. But most students donot benefit from extensive, probing questioning about their reactions. They do profit from simple, direct information and from parents and teachers being available to respond to their questions and to listen when they themselves want to talk. 3. If you receive difficult questions it can be useful to understand these before answering them. Often a question is spurred by a feeling. Rather than plunging into an immediate answer, it can be helpful to learn what motivates the question by asking, "What made you think of that?" or "Can you tell me what you were thinking about?" Once you know the source of the question, it is easier to answer effectively. 4. There may be questions you cannot answer, which can make you feel inadequate. But all of us are typically more comforted by straight talk than by false assurances. Rather than inventing a response, it can be much more helpful to say, "I don't know," and to ask, "What have you heard?" or, "Did you have an idea about that?" And don't worry if, in responding, you become emotional a time or two. It is alright for students to know that adults are moved by losses. Above all, coping with such an awful event is not primarily a matter of technique, not something best handled by a particular set of tactics that deviate sharply from one's familiar patterns of communication. The regular routines of both school and family life are, all by themselves, a source of comforting continuity and assurance. Adults will rarely go wrong by relying on what is most basic between them and their children—caring and connection. At these times, your presence—your simply being with them, their knowing that you are available—can be just what they need." Make sure you take the time this weekend, and everyday, to hug your child. Regards, Susan Johnson Susan J. Johnson, Ph.D. Head of School Commonwealth Academy 1321 Leslie Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301 Office: 703-548-6912 | Fax: 703-548-6914 | www.CommonwealthAcademy.org Susan_Johnson@CommonwealthAcademy.org |
Anonymous
| Very good notices from our DCs private (in MD) and public (Fairfax County MS) schools. |
Anonymous
Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.) |
Anonymous
I am the pp and we are at Whitman. |
Anonymous
Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be. |
Anonymous
I never say this, but you are truly an idiot. |
Anonymous
I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children. Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration. Ta. |
Anonymous
I expect my school to have a plan in place for the upcoming week for dealing with kids asking questions and making statements that might upset other kids. They email me about everything else under the sun, so yes, I expect an email about that, and I was disappointed to not hear a peep. Don't know why you so wrongly and cynically jump to the conclusion I need my child's school to provide me therapy. |