As you are likely aware, there was a tragic and deadly shooting yesterday, May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We mourn deeply for the young children and educators who were killed in a space meant for joy and learning. We grieve with their families, friends, and surviving classmates, whose lives also have been irrevocably altered. 

 

Tragic events like this one bring up a broad range of emotions for everyone in our school community. We recognize this will impact all of us in different ways in the coming days and weeks, and as we wrap up this school year we are committed to supporting every member of our community as they process what has occurred. Below are resources you may find helpful in talking to your children about the tragedy.

 

For our dedicated faculty and staff, we are focused on supporting them as they process their own emotions related to this event, while they also support the precious children in our care.

 

For our students, the main focus is to help them feel safe if they have that need. Depending on the grade level and family choice, some students are aware of what happened and others are not. Children’s reactions to a traumatic event may be strongly influenced by how parents, relatives, teachers/administrators, and other caregivers respond to the event. They often turn to these adults for information, comfort, and help. Keeping their routine as normal and predictable as possible at school is one way to offer our students a sense that they are as safe as we can make it for them here. Also, again, depending on the grade level/age, we may briefly answer questions from individuals in a way appropriate for that age, offer comfort, listen, encourage them to talk to their parents if they have more in-depth questions, and remind them of the proactive way we address safety with drills and practice. We have asked our teachers to let us know if they have a concern about any particular student. We will work with them to inform the families of any student who seems like they may need extra support.

 

And for our dear families, we know that some of you have already begun discussions with each other about your thoughts and feelings surrounding this frightening and tragic event. You are offering each other support, advice, and words of encouragement. This makes us feel even more proud to be a part of this supportive community.  We also know that you may have questions about safety and security on our campus, as well as ways that you might become involved in further discussions and action. Please know we remain wholeheartedly committed to ensuring the safety of everyone on our campus. We have strong security measures in place (both visible and not visible to the public) to ensure the safety and security of all of our students and staff, and we will continue to evaluate and build on those measures regularly so they remain as strong as possible. We welcome any questions you may have about these safety measures or anything else related to our school’s security.

 

While we cannot alleviate the pain of yesterday’s tragic events, we remain dedicated to safety - both physical and emotional - as we wrap up our school year and send our students off on summer break next week. 

 

In Community Partnership,

 

Amy Patzlaff  Head of School

Janet Taylor Assistant Head

Karen Paciorek Lower School Director