Day: December 17, 2012

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STARTing the day with sweet carolers…

The halls were alive with the sounds of the season today!  carolers1Our Head Start friends caroled their way across campus to spread some holiday cheer and what a blessing it was indeed.  My thanks to our HS Team of educators who ensured JOY was a focus on this Monday.

Hearing these youngest of voices while answering multiple phone calls and emails from concerned parents seeking assurance confirmed a few things:

  • Children thrive on daily routines and expectations; they gain security from the predictability of school.
  • Being active listeners to a child’s fears and concerns is important–validate the fear by saying it’s natural to feel fear, but finish with, “I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.”
  • Students believe the world is a good place, but there are people who make bad choices and do bad things.
  • Building strong connections and relationships with our learners and their families is critical to our overall success; we are so grateful for the support of our LME families!

It’s the little things (like these little voices sharing JOY this morning with us) that start the slow process of healing.  May you find hope, healing, peace, and love in the little things this holiday.  Remember to “sing loud and proud” like our Head Start friends say!  🙂

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Safety first…

Of course, our thoughts turn to Connecticut…to the victims, the grieving families, and an overwhelmed community in light of recent tragic events.  A letter from Dr. Stewart, MISD Superintendent, and a reminder note from Miller are coming home with your child today.  Please read both and don’t hesitate to contact our school office should you have additional questions or concerns.

My mind never shut down this past weekend.  We all know a safe, caring learning environment is critical to success everyday.  We make safety our first priority and follow procedures and specific measures to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep each person safe while on campus.  We have strong working relationships with and the support of our community first responders who spend countless hours training and preparing us.  We practice our safety drills (lockdown, shelter-in-place, and evacuation) and our crisis plan with our entire campus.  Our staff participates in table-top sessions and other safety exercises conducted by experts in the field.  Is it enough?  Are we ever fully prepared for every single scenario?

Please know this:  We will do everything we can to keep every person safe in our school.

Safety comes first.  We always appreciate everything you do to follow our protocols and assist in our learning environment when you visit us on campus.  Unfortunately, this tragedy (and so many others) reminds us all to be keenly aware of our surroundings and to report unusual people or situations to the proper authorities, regardless of the setting you find yourself in at the time.

Here’s hoping you can rest a little easier remembering we believe in safety first…