December 17, 2012

December 17, 2012

Dear Roderick Families,

In the wake of Friday's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, I know you join me in a huge sense of grief for the innocent victims of this terrible tragedy.  As a follow-up to Dr. Marsden’s e-mail and Connect Ed message, I wanted to communicate how things are being handled at the Roderick School today.

This morning, I met with the Roderick staff prior to the children's arrival. At this meeting, the school psychologists and I shared that our job as a staff is to maintain as much normalcy as possible for the students in grades four through six. We also discussed ways to handle student conversations should they arise. Our school observed a moment of silence this morning in respect of all who were affected by this tragedy.  I did communicate with students that the adults here at school will continue to do everything we can to ensure they will remain safe.

In coming days, our staff will be working as hard as possible to assist any child who may be having difficulty dealing with this tragedy. Open home-school communication is vital during situations like this. Please let us know by e-mail, phone call, or letter of anything which you believe we should know/do as we educate your children this week.

Respectfully,

Stephen S. Grenham

Additional Resources:

• A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
• Coping with Violence and Traumatic Events: Tips for Talking with Children (by age group)
• Coping with Crisis--Helping Children With Special Needs
• Tips for School Administrators for Reinforcing School Safety