Westonka Superintendent 'Shocked and Deeply Saddened' by Newtown Shooting

By Kevin Borg, Westonka Superintendent

All of us in the Westonka School District are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic events in Newton, Conn. As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine what these families are going through, and my deepest sympathies go out to all those affected.
 
As we watch and read more about this horrific tragedy over the weekend, it brings to mind the crisis plan and security measures employed by our own school district. We have a comprehensive plan in place at each of our schools to handle emergency situations, and we continually work with local first responders to prepare for these types of crises. We practice our safety procedures with students and staff through discussions and emergency exercises. We are thankful for the community’s support of last year’s bond, which will allow us to make security improvements to our facilities (more information on these improvements can be found on the Facilities Update page on the district website).

We are also extremely grateful for our school resource officers, whose daily work helps ensure a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff.
 
We also recognize that students can be impacted by news of this type of tragedy in different ways. Over the weekend, you may have had conversations with your child about this tragedy. If needed, your child’s teachers, counselors and support staff at their school are well prepared to offer assistance to children who may be struggling with their knowledge of this incident. Please feel free to call your child’s principal, teacher or counselor if you have any concerns for your child.
 
In the coming days, it may be helpful for you to consider these tips from the National Association of School Psychologists for helping children cope:

1. Focus on your children today and over the next week. Tell them you love them and everything will be okay. Try to help them understand what has happened, keeping in mind their developmental level.
2. Make time to talk with your children. Remember if you do not talk to your children about this incident someone else will. Take some time and determine what you wish to say.
3. Limit your child's television viewing of these events.  If they must watch, watch with them for a brief time; then turn the set off. Don't sit mesmerized re-watching the same events over and over again.
4. Maintain a "normal" routine. To the extent possible stick to your family's normal routine for dinner, homework, chores, bedtime, etc., but don't be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night. 

Additional tips can be found here.
 
I am proud to be a part of this nurturing Westonka Schools community. Let us continue to work together to keep our students safe and to make our schools and communities a welcoming place for everyone.