Principal Jackson's Corner

Jan 7, 2021

Greetings my fellow Roadrunners,

Like many of you, I watched the events that occurred in Washington D.C. yesterday feeling sad, disappointed and concerned for the safety of our communities. We condemn acts of violence and attempts to unlawfully disrupt our democratic process. This is not a reflection of what we as a school community stand for. We will continue being a school focused on embracing the beauty of our community's diversity while we educate our next generation of leaders. I can't wait to see our students lead this nation to the next level of greatness.

We all have choices to consider as we represent who we are as a country, as a school community Considering the age of our students, educating our children on how to peacefully resolve conflicts is a priority as well as understanding that each of us, and each family, may have different approaches to sorting through this event with their young children. While we seek to make meaning of our own feelings about the state of our democracy, we also need to be prepared to help our kids process what just happened. Our children are looking to us for guidance. Consistent with this school year, there is no "playbook" for the best response in such an evolving situation, but I wanted to share a few resources that can help.

Resources:

• When Bad Things Happen from Teaching Tolerance

• How to talk to your kids about the breach at the U.S. Capitol

• Talking to your Children About Violence - From the National Association of Children Psychologists

• Explaining the News to our Children - From Common Sense Media
  

It is important that our students feel comfortable asking questions and expressing their thoughts, concerns, or fears. Roadrunners, please consider these resources as you talk with your children, should they have questions. It is important that we show sensitivity toward signs of stress, fear, and/or anger and that we create a respectful discourse if, or when, our children initiate discussion.

As a school, our job is always to support our students emotionally as well as intellectually. We will continue to do so as we navigate through difficult situations amidst a challenging school year. We will get through these times together.

Respectfully,

Daric Jackson, Principal