The following message
was sent to the CAIS community on Friday, December 14 in the wake of the tragic
shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
Dear Parents,
We are sure by now most of you have heard about the tragic
school shooting in Connecticut. It is
difficult to imagine the pain and sorrow engulfing that community—our hearts go
out to everyone affected. Senseless
tragedies like this make us think about those most near and dear to us. While our own sense of vulnerability is
heightened, we as parents and educators
need to remain focused on our responsibility to provide the safest possible
environment—emotionally and physically—for the children who depend on us.
In the coming days it will be important for us to be mindful of
ways in which we can care for our kids.
We urge you to restrict your children’s exposure to media coverage,
which will be everywhere—television, the internet, print publications. We ourselves need to model calmness for our
children and, if necessary and appropriate, reassure them of our
protection. You should answer your
children’s questions honestly but without going into graphic detail, and if
they are upset, provide them with an empathetic, listening ear.
We would urge you to visit the crisis resources page from the National Association of
School Psychologists website.
There are many excellent guidelines for how adults can help children by
creating a sense of safety and security.
We am sure many of you are wondering what measures we have in
place to ensure the safest possible physical environment for your
children. Earlier in the year, CAIS,
FAIS and NCIS (our facilities manager and security provider) invited a
professional security consulting firm to conduct an extensive safety assessment
of all our campus sites. The assessment
found that there are relatively few schools that take the issue of security as
seriously as NCIS, and have created as safe and secure an environment as NCIS
has. The assessment report was
particularly complimentary of the NCIS security staff. Although we are reassured by the positive
security report, we will continue to work together to review and improve our
current emergency plans. Today’s tragic
events highlight the importance of this work.
We are now preparing our staff on how to best work with our
children if they bring up questions when they return to school on Monday.
I wish you a happy and safe weekend. Hug your children.
Best,
Jeff Bissell
Head of School, CAIS
Jane Camblin
Head of School, FAIS
Daniel Klingebiel
Director, NCIS
