Mark your calendars for an action packed May School Parent Council meeting on Wednesday, May 1 at 8:45 am! Agenda is below, hope to see you all there.

• A WORD FROM MIRNA – Our acting principal, Mirna Vega-Wilson will be dropping by to introduce herself and answer any questions.
• PRINCIPAL SEARCH – Cheryl Watson-Harris, the BPS Network Assistant Superintendent, will be on hand to provide important information about the process for selecting a new principal for the Curley, and the role that parents will play in the process.
• SCHOOL YARD! – The Schoolyard Committee is launching a website and installing capital campaign signage. They’ll be here to fill us in.
• PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND UPCOMING ELECTIONS – Find out what School Parent Council (SPC) and School Site Council (SSC) positions are up for a June vote, and learn about other ways to get involved at the Curley.

And don’t forget about these upcoming initiatives and events:

• Curley Plant Sale – May 27
• Spring appeal letter
• Playground cleanup – May 5
• Spring Concert – May 22
• June SPC and SSC elections – June 5
• 2nd Annual Curley Midway Benefit Show – June 14
• Teacher Appreciation Lunch – TBA

The SPC needs your support to be a success, so please join us on May 1. Meeting takes place in the upper school library – enter through the main door. Breakfast and Spanish interpretation available.

Questions? Contact Dave (davedemerjian@mac.com) or Genevieve (genevieveday@mac.com) for more information.

Dear Curley Families,

I am writing today in response to the tragedy at the Boston Marathon last week. As a school community, we recognize that our entire city has been profoundly affected by the events that occurred on April 15th. While we sincerely hope that none of our families were personally impacted, we do know that events such as these can impact everyone differently. Therefore, we want you to know how our school community is prepared to respond:

• Our Administrative/Safety Team communicated over school vacation week to coordinate our response efforts in consultation with the district.
• An all-call was made to families before school resumed.
• This notice and a guide on how to talk to children about tragedy were sent home to families.
• Our faculty met this morning to discuss our response as a community.
• Our school counselor has freed up her schedule to be available to students who may require individual support.
• Our Administrative/Safety Team will meet again later this week to debrief our response.

We would like to reassure you that we will NOT be holding discussions in classrooms about the events that occurred last week- teaching and learning will continue as usual. We do not want to further traumatize students and/or share information that parents/guardians may not want them to know. However, if individual students express anxiety or concern, we will make our counselor available to them. In the event that this occurs, we will also make sure to contact you so that we can work together to support your child.

​If you are concerned with how your child is responding, please reach out to your child’s teacher and/or our school guidance counselor/Susan Trotz. Additionally, please refer to the guide from Superintendent Johnson that was published earlier about how to talk to children about tragedy for families, if you feel this is appropriate for your family. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mirna Vega-Wilson
Interim Principal

Below is a message from Superintendent Carol Johnson parents and guardians may find helpful when discussing today’s tragedy at the Boston Marathon with their children. Thanks to Sue Trotz for forwarding this on.

____________________________

Dear BPS families and friends,

We hope you and your family are safe tonight. We wish to express our deep gratitude to the first responders, public safety personnel and everyday citizens who stepped in to help today at the Boston Marathon.

Many of you have questions about how to talk to your children about today’s events. Below, please find resources from the National Association of School Psychologists, which has prepared tipsheets for parents and teachers to help children, teenagers and adults cope with tragic situations.

Among their professional advice (from the NASP website):

Remain calm and reassuring. Children will take their cues from you, especially young children. Acknowledge that the threats and uncertainty are unnerving but the likelihood is that you and your children or students will be okay. There is a difference between the possibility of danger and the probability of it affecting them personally.

Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Allow children to discuss their feelings and concerns and encourage any questions they may have regarding this event. Listen and empathize. An empathetic listener is very important. Let them know that others are feeling the same way and that their reactions are normal and expected.

Take care of your own needs. Take time for yourself and try to deal with your own reactions to the situation as fully as possible. You will be better able to help your children if you are coping well. If you are anxious or upset, your children are more likely to be so as well. Talk to other adults such as family, friends, faith leaders, or a counselor. It is important not to dwell on your fears by yourself. Sharing feelings with others often makes us feel more connected and secure. Take care of your physical health. Make time, however small, to do things you enjoy.

Turn off or monitor the television. It is important to stay informed, but watching endless news programs is likely to heighten your anxiety and that of your children or students. Young children in particular cannot distinguish between images on T.V. and their personal reality. Older children may want to watch the news, but be available to discuss what they see and help put it into perspective.

Discuss events in age-appropriate terms. Share information that is appropriate to their age and developmental level. Update them as information changes. Young children may require repeated reassurance during the day. Tell them they are okay and that adults will always take care of them. School age children can understand details and reasons behind specific actions, such as increased security but cannot absorb intense or frightening information. Adolescents may want to discuss issues related to terrorism or war as well as safety issues.

Stick to the facts. Answer children’s questions factually and include a positive element to answer, e.g., “Yes we are on high alert, but we have been here before. It does not mean that something bad will definitely happen.” “Yes, there are more armed guards on our streets, but they are there to protect us.” Don’t speculate about what could happen.

The NASP has also created a website to help parents and teachers learn ways to talk to children about unsettling situations. Click here to visit it.

There are also fact sheets for parents available in other languages. Please feel free to share them with families who may find them helpful:

• In Spanish
• In Arabic
• In Chinese
• In Farsi
• In Korean
• In Vietnamese

We also recommend our educators visit the NASP Crisis Resources page for more information.

We hope you can limit the amount of news coverage children see on television and the web during this vacation week. Above all, please keep the families of those who were involved today in your thoughts and prayers. We hope you will also reflect on the many men and women who immediately stepped in to help. Our city is full of heroes and we are thankful for every one — and we are thankful for you, too. We look forward to seeing you back at school next week.

Gratefully,

Carol R. Johnson
Superintendent

Read the English language version here.

Estimados padres, guardianes, y familias de la escuela Curley,

Como muchos de ustedes saben, el director Jeff Slater ha aceptado un nuevo trabajo en un distrito escolar en las afueras de San Francisco. Su último día en la escuela Curley es el próximo viernes, 12 de abril. Nos alegramos de saber que el ex director de la escuela Curley, Mirna Vega Wilson acordó volver a la escuela como directora provisional por el resto de este año escolar. Su decisión de volver ayudará a asegurar la continuidad de los estudiantes al terminar el año.

Con la partida de Jeff vienen preguntas sobre lo que sucederá después. ¿Cuál es el proceso para encontrar un nuevo director? ¿Cuánto tiempo tomará? ¿Qué papel juegan los estudiantes y las familias en el proceso de selección? Estas son todas buenas preguntas, y como elegidos representantes de padres de la escuela, estamos comprometidos a encontrar las respuestas y compartirlas con todos ustedes. Inmediatamente después de las vacaciones de abril nos reuniremos con Cheryl Watson-Harris, Superintendente Académico de las Escuelas Públicas de Boston. Hay un proceso en marcha – recientemente renovado – para la selección de nuevos directores en el sistema BPS, y ella va a explicarnos en detalle. Queremos estar seguros de que todo el mundo entienda exactamente cómo pueden y deben participar, y trabajaremos con Cheryl para asegurar que el proceso y los plazos sean claros y que la comunicación sea de continuo.

Este es un paso importante para todos nosotros, pero somos optimistas de que trabajando juntos con BPS daremos la bienvenida, a un nuevo director fuerte y eficaz, a nuestra escuela en septiembre. Nosotros los pondremos al día con más información después de nuestra reunión con Cheryl. Mientras tanto, no dude en ponerse en contacto con cualquiera de nosotros con preguntas o problemas.

Todo lo mejor,

Leah Barcan, Co-Presidente, Consejo Escolar

Jill Lazer, Co-Presidente, Consejo Escolar

Genevieve Day, Co-Presidente, Consejo Escolar de Padres

David Demerjian, Co-Presidente, Consejo Escolar de Padres