Dear Bates Families,
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families, school staff, community members, and emergency responders involved in the unthinkable and unexplainable tragedy in Uvalde, TX. This tragedy is challenging for adults to comprehend, and we know it is even more so for our children.
Please know that every day the safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Each year the Wellesley schools work collaboratively to discuss and review safety procedures and protocols, in collaboration with the Wellesley Police Department and the Wellesley Fire Department. We have routine drills to practice these procedures.
Research suggests that providing consistency and routine is one of the best ways to support our children in the wake of a tragedy. Therefore, our number one priority is to do just that – maintain a sense of normalcy in our school day. Please note that we will not specifically mention this incident to students, as we are not clear as to how many students are aware of the events that occurred. However, if the topic comes up, we have identified common language that will be used with students. Your child’s teacher will inform you of any conversation in your child’s classroom.
If students are in need of immediate and direct assistance, our school psychologist, school nurse, and I will be immediately available to assist students. This will be done with direct communication to families as well. I encourage and welcome you to call me if you have questions, concerns, or would simply like to share your thoughts about your individual child(ren). You are always welcome to do so.
The National Association of School Psychologists has some helpful resources including the article Talking to Children About Violence that would be helpful for us all to review.
Once again, please know that our number one priority is always the safety of all students and staff. We will continue to communicate, review, and reflect on existing practices to ensure we have the safest schools.
Please join me in sending our thoughts to the Uvalde, TX community.
Respectfully,
Toni Jolley