Wrentham Elementary School Principals Respond to Newtown Shootings

From Delaney School Principal Stephen Grenham

Dear Roderick Families,

In the wake of Friday's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, I know you join me in a huge sense of grief for the innocent victims of this terrible tragedy.  As a follow-up to Dr. Marsden’s e-mail and Connect Ed message, I wanted to communicate how things are being handled at the Roderick School today.

This morning, I met with the Roderick staff prior to the children's arrival. At this meeting, the school psychologists and I shared that our job as a staff is to maintain as much normalcy as possible for the students in grades four through six. We also discussed ways to handle student conversations should they arise. Our school observed a moment of silence this morning in respect of all who were affected by this tragedy.  I did communicate with students that the adults here at school will continue to do everything we can to ensure they will remain safe.

In coming days, our staff will be working as hard as possible to assist any child who may be having difficulty dealing with this tragedy. Open home-school communication is vital during situations like this. Please let us know by e-mail, phone call, or letter of anything which you believe we should know/do as we educate your children this week.

Respectfully,

Stephen S. Grenham

From Delaney School Principal Melissa Peterson

Dear Parents,

As a follow up to Dr. Marsden’s email and Connect Ed message, I wanted to communicate how things would be handled at the Delaney School today in response to the Newtown tragedy.

This morning, I will be meeting with the Delaney Staff prior to the children’s arrival.  At this meeting, I will share that our job as a staff is to maintain as much normalcy as possible for the PreK-3 students.  Due to the age of the children in the Delaney building and the fact that many are unaware of Friday's tragedy, we will not be observing a moment of silence and teachers will not be discussing the happenings with their classes.  If a child makes a comment or asks a questions, responses will be succinct, and whenever possible made only to that individual child. For those in need, guidance services will be available.

I understand that such an unimaginable tragedy as the one that occurred on Friday is hard to comprehend.  As we work to process this as adults, please trust that our focus today will be on keeping your child’s routine as typical as possible.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Melissa D. Peterson