Wellesley Public School administrators have given parents a heads up that they are prepared to engage with students Monday as appropriate in light of the Boston Marathon bombings and aftermath. Here’s what Superintendent David Lussier wrote:
To the Wellesley Community,
Tomorrow, we welcome back our students and families from April vacation. This has been a difficult week for all of us in the greater Boston area stemming from the bombings at the marathon on Monday. Wellesley has a special connection to the race both in terms of our location on the route and the fact that each year, most of us know someone running or volunteering. With all of this in mind, this tragedy felt very personal as the eyes of the nation remained on greater Boston throughout the week. While the capture of the second suspect late on Friday brought a welcomed sense of relief and closure, I think there was a shared feeling that we had been touched indelibly by these events.
Whether in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings in December or the events of the past week, our children have been exposed to challenging situations to discuss and interpret during the past five months. As students return to class tomorrow, our staff will be ready to meet them with the knowledge that some will want to engage and process the events of the past week, while others may be ready to move on. Our plan is to meet students wherever they are and to support their inquiry and reactions.
It is never easy to process events that result in senseless injury. The following are resources that I shared with staff earlier this week, as well as an updated document (attached to original message) from Dr. Rob Evans and Dr. Mark Kline from the Human Relations Service (HRS) here in Wellesley. I hope these resources provide us all with a foundation from which to speak to our children and students about these difficult events:
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/terror_general.aspx
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/talkingviolence.pdf
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/2013/04/harvard-edcast-how-to-discuss-tragedy-with-children/
Finally, if there was a bright outcome this week, I believe it can be found in the renewed appreciation for the power of community and individuals standing in support of one another. The strength of our community has been on display in the past week in so many ways and I believe this is something from which we can all draw strength and reassurance in the days ahead. Thank you all for supporting our community and our students here in Wellesley.
Best regards,
David Lussier
Superintendent of Schools
