Dear MBS Parents and Guardians,
We are very much looking forward to welcoming your children back to school on Monday. I know I speak for the entire MB team in saying that our students have been foremost in our minds during the last several days. Never has our gratitude for the community spirit of Richmond been stronger.
To prepare for the return to school, the MB Leadership Team has met, and we will have a remote staff meeting this evening. Our approach will be to create normalcy while assuring students that they are safe and with adults who are there for them. We know that our students will come back to school with varying levels of understanding and emotion. Some may know all the details, while others may know very little. Some may want to participate in expressions of sympathy and kindness, while others may process more internally. In many ways, our students will tell us what they need, and I trust that the excellent teachers and support staff of our school will be a source of guidance, reassurance, and comfort to all. In addition, Social Worker Erin Newcomb will be available for any student who needs additional support. Please let us know if your child is feeling anxious or other emotional distress so that we can support them.
Below are some resources that will guide us at school and may also help you at home. The second one discusses approaches for children of different ages.
1. Talking to Children about the Shooting (nctsn.org)
2. Helping Children Cope With Tragedy Related Anxiety | Mental Health America (mhanational.org)
3. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tips-talking-to-children-after-traumatic-event.pdf
School Safety: Even though there is some closure to the specific threat in this case, staff will, as always, be vigilant in following safety procedures and practice situational awareness. We will not have any safety drills this week, but we have been planning for a lockdown drill in the near future, and we will continue with those plans.
Halloween: With the return to "normal," many families will welcome the fun of Halloween night in Richmond. At the same time, some may be wondering if the scary scenes and costumes that go with Halloween will cause heightened anxiety for children. This can be true even without the recent events. To make Halloween night fun and just the right amount of spooky, you might follow some of the tips in this article, My Child is Afraid of Halloween! What Do I Do? At school, we have had a couple of students bring face masks and put them on at school. We understand that a mask or costume isn't much fun if you can't show it to your friends, but we do ask that you try to make sure that these items stay at home and are saved for the big night. Thank you.
As we begin to move past the immediacy of the last several days, we once again thank our law enforcement, medical, and mental health teams for the brave, confident, and unwavering response to the crisis; and we send our deepest condolences to those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy. May they find comfort and healing in the outpouring of love we have seen across our state and nation.
With Care,
Mary and the MBS Team