Dear Parents and Community,

The Newtown Tragedy this past Friday causes us to do the following.

1.  Hug your children, our students, and know that they are unconditionally loved and cared for, and that their safety is our first concern.

2.  Be prepared and vigilant in our security measures, as best we are able, each day.  As I stated on Friday, we have upgraded and improved our Emergency Operations Plans across the District and  in each site.  We will heighten those in the coming days and weeks in order to bring a greater safety to students, staff, and parents.

3.  The National Association of Psychologists has a very helpful website www.nasponline.org for all of us.  One of those resources, Talking to Children about Violence, is posted on our website for you.  Please take advantage of it, as will our staff.

4.  Our Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors are ready to assist any student, parent, and staff member who may need assistance.  Reaching out for assistance is an important step to take in order to overcome this heavy burden.

5.  Finally, we have received several emails from parents asking about our state of preparation and offering suggestions to make our schools more safe.  We will take all suggestions and review them in light of our current practices and procedures.  We thank you for taking the time to assist us in this.

Please keep the entire Newtown, CT community in your thoughts and prayers.  We will be developing our outreach to them this week so that they know we care about and support them.

God speed to them and us all,

Attila J. Weninger, Ph.D.