A Message from the Superintendent

Dear Families,

Happy Rosh Hashanah to all of those celebrating. We wish you a good and sweet year and hope that everyone in our community enjoys a great long weekend with friends and family.

As the celebrations wind down and next week begins, commemorations of the horrific terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 will be held. We continue to mourn the senseless loss of life and both the atrocities committed then and those that are ongoing. As a school community, we are here to provide support and comfort to all of those who have been impacted by this event. At the end of this message, you will find several links to materials and resources that might be helpful to you in supporting your children or others who may need additional care and counsel. Please let your child’s teacher, principal or counselor know if there is more that we can do to provide support.

While I believe it is important to be clear and consistent in communicating directly with all of you, I find it challenging in this moment to address our school community on any number of topics without engendering frustration or concern among those that perceive messaging to be biased or simply not inclusive enough. I’m hopeful that this messaging can be viewed as communication entirely intended to be supportive, empathetic, and informative in terms of providing important resources that you might find helpful. 

I believe that we are in the midst of what I would call a tragedy of the innocents, both at home and abroad. Perhaps we can find common ground in viewing work within the school community as centered on taking care of everyone, from everywhere, who have experienced violence, war, tragedy, and marginalization in any way, as completely innocent bystanders who have become victims simply by circumstances or due their own unique human qualities. At school, we continue to be focused on apolitical discussions of issues and events. We hope to foster civil discourse, respectful dialogue, and an environment that encourages healthy debate and critical thinking. Above all else, we’re committed to care and respect for each other and an environment that thoughtfully includes, welcomes, and celebrates everyone.

Finally, thank you all for continuing to respect and support our efforts to create a safe and healthy learning environment both in and around school while students are on campus or coming to and from school. We recognize how fortunate we are to live and work in a community that understands the importance of keeping our children safe and protected as best as possible from issues unrelated to their day-to-day school experience. Thanks for letting kids keep being kids, safely.

As always, wishing you and your loved ones, peace, consolation, and love as we seek to provide comfort, care, and support for our children and families.

Sincerely,
Kevin

Kevin McGowan, Ed.D. (He, him, his)
Superintendent of Schools

Discussing Tragedy With Your Children - Cognitive Behavior Institute