The only thing that I could think of posting came from, fittingly, Mr. Rogers, who helped shape so many of our collective childhoods:
"When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."
Thank you all for the help and the care you give our students and each other, every day.
Next week
We have five days remaining until the break, and no doubt these next few days will be frustrating and testing as the excitement toward break mounts. At the same time, the holidays bring a great deal of stress to many families and students. Please be on the lookout for signs of distress, and please refer to counselors any students about whom you have specific concerns.
Last week, Ms. Cumming and Ms. Kitka both presented at a symposium for parents regarding dealing with stress and families at the times of the holidays. Their, and the other counselors in the district's, reference materials will be posted to the school or district conference in the coming days as an added resource for staff.
Please keep in mind that holiday parties, unless directly tied to the curriculum, are discouraged; also, be mindful that any food that enters the building may have allergens or cause health concerns. In short, just avoid it. Additionally, please reference Doug's earlier email about gifts in the event that a student or family gives you something, even in the "spirit of the season," as there is always the ethics and conflict of interest law in play.
Attendance and Wandering
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we absolutely need people to double-check student attendance and contact the office, particularly during first period. Twice this week we were calling students down with slips for "class cut" (and periods after lunch), when the student was, in fact, out the entire day. (Oddly, only two teachers cited the student for cutting class, and the other three just missed it). Please, please, please - the crisis in Connecticut underscores our own need to have meticulous records, especially if we need to account for all students in the building in the event of evacuation or lockdown.
To wandering - it is okay to tell a student that he/she cannot be in class, and if you notice you have a student that is not present and should be (at least according to the attendance), let us know - even if with a write-up after the period, or a call at the onset. (Those of you who have some our wandering frequent flyers have done a fine job of keeping us posted when those students are missing). We have had an increased traffic for Saturday school and have suspended our first students of the year in the past couple of weeks, and, thus, consequences will be issued if/when these students err. The key, of course, is that they learn from them.
Next week's Festivus celebration:
From Wikipedia: Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to Christmas and as way to commemorate the season without participating in its pressures and commercialism. Festivus became part of worldwide popular culture after being featured on an episode of the American TV show Seinfeld in 1997.
From Youtube:
To sign up to bring something to next week's brunch, click here!
While on the subject of the holidays, thanks again for all your support, be it tacit or explicit, for the Holiday Giving Project. That our student body of 800 was able to donate more than 500 items is indeed incredible!
Thanks again for your vigilance, enjoy the weekend, and give those loved ones an extra squeeze over the next couple weeks. We hope that you all have some time to enjoy the presence of family and friends in these coming weeks.
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