Good afternoon,
Thanks for forgiving the delivery of this message on a Friday rather than my typical Thursday afternoon or evening. As you know, we had a lot to work on yesterday and I knew this message was one I could put off for a bit.
Your kids continue to amaze us. They are so empathetic, compassionate, and responsive to the needs of their peers and adults. We saw lots of displays of compassion and friendship yesterday. We encouraged kids who needed it, to check in with their Counselor or a trusted adult. And today in our short Advisory period, we talked about Junior in the context of when something happens that affects our whole community, we’ll use Advisory to make space to talk. I can only speak to my own Advisory at the moment, but the ten of us all jotted down some things we do to take care of ourselves or others when we’re feeling sad or upset. Everyone had the chance to think and write and several of us shared our answers. Creating community, even in tough times, is one of our goals. If you need to connect with someone about your own child, please be in touch with me and I can connect you with your child’s counselor.
I have found myself choking up at times over the past 24 hours. Anytime yesterday when I had to say out loud, “all the family wants right now is your prayers,” my eyes welled up and my voice cracked. And you might be the same. As uncomfortable as it is, my body reacted physically to the emotion I was feeling. While it’s not my go-to style to be emotional, I’m pretty okay that lots of staff saw that in me yesterday. I hope it showed them it’s okay to be affected by hard things. When you’re talking with your kids about tough stuff, I encourage you to be vulnerable and show emotion as it comes. As parents, we are our kids’ best teachers. They learn from us how to show emotion, how to be happy or sad, and how to react when someone they care about feels a certain way.
Several of you have asked how you can be helpful to Junior’s family. In my early calls with his family, they have not asked for anything. By next week, we may be more ready to share ways that people can help. For now, continuing to think of and pray for the family is what they’ve asked for.
I want to preview the next few weeks a bit! Next Tuesday, November 8, is the statewide Election Day. Typically, AB holds our professional learning day on Election Day. Not this year, however. The School Committee set the calendar last year that included a Professional Day on November 10. So, we do have school on Tuesday (8th), but not on Thursday (10th)…or Friday (11th) due to Veterans Day. On November 10, our staff will be working on connecting with some families and then working together on curriculum. On Monday, November 14, we have a 1 pm early release. Our staff will continue its work with Lesley University on the effects of Trauma in our classrooms. And on Wednesday, November 23rd, we’ll release at 11:10 am for the Thanksgiving holiday. I know it’s a bit choppy, as has been the school calendar all fall.
Here are some upcoming dates that will be helpful for you to know:
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Monday, 11/7: School Picture Re-takes
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Monday, 11/7: School Council Meeting on Zoom
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Tuesday, 11/8: State Election Voting in the RJ Grey Gym
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Thursday, 11/10: No School for Students - Professional Learning Day
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Friday, 11/11: No School - Veterans Day
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Monday, 11/14: Early Release at 1 pm
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Wednesday, 11/23: Early Release at 11:10 am for Thanksgiving
Take care and have a great weekend,
Jim