After reading the email from the SRO, if you are interested in reading the article let me know so that I can forward it to your email address. Thanks!
Anna
Monday, December 17, 2012
Email from LHS Police Officer--
Below is an email we all received from our SRO Paul Gordon at LHS. I will attach the article he references in an additional post after this post:
To All,
The wake of recent, mass shootings has once again left more questions than answers. I have spoke with a number of you since the latest incident at Sandy Hook Elementary, and a we find ourselves asking, "Why?"
I am not here to answer that question. I am not a psycologist, or a statitician. I am not a counselor or even an educator.....I am a father, a husband, a cop and a 'sheepdog'.
Some of you have expressed difficulty in explaining this unprovoked violence to students as well as our own children. I submit the attached article for your review, if you choose. It was written by retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, US Army. He is one of the foremost authorities on school violence and has presented to police, military and security around the world.
I like this article, because it enabled me to give my own kids an explanation and empowered them to have a choice. I welcome you to review and make your own decision if its points are relevant to you and yours.
Regards,
Gordon
Police Officer Paul Gordon, #3474
St. Louis County Police
SRO-Lindbergh Schools
(314) 729-2400, ext. 1706
To All,
The wake of recent, mass shootings has once again left more questions than answers. I have spoke with a number of you since the latest incident at Sandy Hook Elementary, and a we find ourselves asking, "Why?"
I am not here to answer that question. I am not a psycologist, or a statitician. I am not a counselor or even an educator.....I am a father, a husband, a cop and a 'sheepdog'.
Some of you have expressed difficulty in explaining this unprovoked violence to students as well as our own children. I submit the attached article for your review, if you choose. It was written by retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, US Army. He is one of the foremost authorities on school violence and has presented to police, military and security around the world.
I like this article, because it enabled me to give my own kids an explanation and empowered them to have a choice. I welcome you to review and make your own decision if its points are relevant to you and yours.
Regards,
Gordon
Police Officer Paul Gordon, #3474
St. Louis County Police
SRO-Lindbergh Schools
(314) 729-2400, ext. 1706
Resources on talking to your kids about the shootings
Per Scholastic email:
In light of today's tragedy at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, we wanted to provide you with reliable resources that can help you discuss a difficult topic like this with children. Please pass these resources along to parents at your school and in your community who may need help talking to their kids about today's event.
"Talking to Your Kids About Natural Disasters, War, and Violence" is a Scholastic article that offers advice from a child-development expert about how to talk with kids about violent, disturbing news.
"Talking to Children About Community Violence" is a tip sheet from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry about how to handle discussions with kids about violence in local communities.
Click here for Scholastic News Online?s age-appropriate coverage of the tragedy in Connecticut.
We hope these resources are helpful at this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Scholastic Classroom Magazine Editors
Please add scholastic@emailer.scholastic.com to your address book.
You received this message from Scholastic. Your email address is: dimbeault@lindberghschools.ws.
If you would rather not receive messages from Scholastic, please follow this link.
Email Marketing, Scholastic, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 | 1-800-SCHOLASTIC
Privacy Policy | Scholastic Inc. | Terms of Use
©1996–2012 Scholastic Inc.
In light of today's tragedy at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, we wanted to provide you with reliable resources that can help you discuss a difficult topic like this with children. Please pass these resources along to parents at your school and in your community who may need help talking to their kids about today's event.
"Talking to Your Kids About Natural Disasters, War, and Violence" is a Scholastic article that offers advice from a child-development expert about how to talk with kids about violent, disturbing news.
"Talking to Children About Community Violence" is a tip sheet from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry about how to handle discussions with kids about violence in local communities.
Click here for Scholastic News Online?s age-appropriate coverage of the tragedy in Connecticut.
We hope these resources are helpful at this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Scholastic Classroom Magazine Editors
Please add scholastic@emailer.scholastic.com to your address book.
You received this message from Scholastic. Your email address is: dimbeault@lindberghschools.ws.
If you would rather not receive messages from Scholastic, please follow this link.
Email Marketing, Scholastic, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 | 1-800-SCHOLASTIC
Privacy Policy | Scholastic Inc. | Terms of Use
©1996–2012 Scholastic Inc.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Letter from superintendent re: CT shootings
Lindbergh Schools
December 16, 2012
Dear Lindbergh Families,
We are all extremely saddened by the events that took place in a Connecticut school on Friday. The loss of life that took place is truly a tragedy. Our thoughts are with those who have been personally impacted by this horrific incident.
During times like this it is only natural to think of our own children. As educators, we think of our students as well, and what we are doing every day to make sure they are safe. Please be assured that safety is a top priority of Lindbergh Schools. We have multiple safety measures in place to help prevent these types of horrible incidences.
All staff members in our district, including teachers, administrators, and support staff, are trained in emergency response procedures. We have plans in place for each of our buildings to deal with emergency situations, including those similar to what occurred this morning. We also run regular drills, including an intruder drill, which helps keep the right procedures and precautions top-of-mind for our staff.
Our school district has a strong partnership with the St. Louis County police department, and we work with them closely to ensure that our schools are as safe as possible. Our high school and middle schools are staffed with school resource officers, and officers are quick to respond when help is needed. We regularly consult with law enforcement about safety issues. On Friday, our school resource officers immediately began visiting all schools to check in and provide support. Continuing this week, you will see the presence of personnel, both district support as well as St. Louis County police support, in and around all Lindbergh buildings.
Counselors in our buildings are available to help students who have been affected by this tragedy. If your child would like to speak to someone at school about his or her feelings, concerns or fears, please let your teacher or principal know, or encourage your child to reach out to a trusted adult. It is critical that our students feel safe at school so they are free to learn.
Listed below are some links to resources that may be helpful as you choose how to address this tragedy with your children. Please know that there is no definitive answer to how to discuss this with your child, but perhaps these resources can help guide you.
Please be assured that Lindbergh Schools has the safety and best interests of your child in mind at all times. We will work together to make sure that our procedures for preventing and dealing with dangerous situations such as this are as complete and effective as possible, and that our children are protected.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Simpson
Superintendent
Resources:
• http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20121214/talk-children-school-shooting
• http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx
4900 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63126-3235 • Phone 314.729.2480 • Fax 314.729.2482 • www.lindberghschools.ws
December 16, 2012
Dear Lindbergh Families,
We are all extremely saddened by the events that took place in a Connecticut school on Friday. The loss of life that took place is truly a tragedy. Our thoughts are with those who have been personally impacted by this horrific incident.
During times like this it is only natural to think of our own children. As educators, we think of our students as well, and what we are doing every day to make sure they are safe. Please be assured that safety is a top priority of Lindbergh Schools. We have multiple safety measures in place to help prevent these types of horrible incidences.
All staff members in our district, including teachers, administrators, and support staff, are trained in emergency response procedures. We have plans in place for each of our buildings to deal with emergency situations, including those similar to what occurred this morning. We also run regular drills, including an intruder drill, which helps keep the right procedures and precautions top-of-mind for our staff.
Our school district has a strong partnership with the St. Louis County police department, and we work with them closely to ensure that our schools are as safe as possible. Our high school and middle schools are staffed with school resource officers, and officers are quick to respond when help is needed. We regularly consult with law enforcement about safety issues. On Friday, our school resource officers immediately began visiting all schools to check in and provide support. Continuing this week, you will see the presence of personnel, both district support as well as St. Louis County police support, in and around all Lindbergh buildings.
Counselors in our buildings are available to help students who have been affected by this tragedy. If your child would like to speak to someone at school about his or her feelings, concerns or fears, please let your teacher or principal know, or encourage your child to reach out to a trusted adult. It is critical that our students feel safe at school so they are free to learn.
Listed below are some links to resources that may be helpful as you choose how to address this tragedy with your children. Please know that there is no definitive answer to how to discuss this with your child, but perhaps these resources can help guide you.
Please be assured that Lindbergh Schools has the safety and best interests of your child in mind at all times. We will work together to make sure that our procedures for preventing and dealing with dangerous situations such as this are as complete and effective as possible, and that our children are protected.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Simpson
Superintendent
Resources:
• http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20121214/talk-children-school-shooting
• http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx
4900 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63126-3235 • Phone 314.729.2480 • Fax 314.729.2482 • www.lindberghschools.ws
Friday, December 14, 2012
CBI Target Trip
Apparently the kids did an awesome job at Target! I received many positive reports but certainly didn't have any doubts! Very sad to miss out on the trip and am definitely missing my guys! Hope we all can get together next week for dinner? Janet mentioned that Lisa was trying to organize a get together! We are free anytime!
-Anna
-Anna
Monday, December 3, 2012
Updates for 12/3-12/20
Greetings!
The information below will carry us through until the start of the holiday break on Friday, December 21st. See bottom of post for important information.
12/3-12/7
This week in class we are wrapping up our unit on abbreviations found within the school, home and community. These include those found on calendars, recipes and throughout the community. Some of the content is review for the students while others are completely new to them. We are also reading selections for information, comprehension and drawing conclusions. We will wrap up the week by discussing a concept in the classroom novel, "Drizzle" that I have been reading to kids on Fridays. One of the characters in the story was told that she needed to be a "doer" in her life. This abstract concept was difficult but interesting to the students. We will be doing some writing, discussing and creating connections between the text and their own lives about what it means to be a "doer" in life as opposed to someone who just sits by and waits for others or other things to provide the "entertainment" in their life. Being an active member of their world as opposed to waiting on others to take care of everything for us. I expect that this will be a concept that we will be working on for several weeks or months but I have a strong belief that the students will understand the concept once we begin to assist them in finding examples in their own lives. For homework this week, they have a News-2-You due on Friday, their nightly reading and. their reading log due on Thursday. Please make sure that your child is putting their library books in their book bags on Wednesday nights. Student's who do not bring their library books back on Thursday will have their behavior card turned to yellow. I am really trying to push the issue of responsibility now that they are now 15 & 16 years old and should be able to remember to bring them back. They receive multiple reminders during the week as well as one on Wednesday prior to leaving school. Please make this THEIR RESPONSIBILITY NOT YOURS as this a crucial life skill that they will need to have when they gain employment in just 5 short years. I am aware that occasionally circumstances arise so a note or email from you is needed if they won't have their library book. After three times of forgetting their books they will have a "chat" with the grade level principal about responsibility. I do not mean to seem hard nosed about this but Amy & I cannot express the importance of this skill. The students have learned that if they were to forget a piece of their uniform in a job, etc. they would face disciplinary action by their employer after one time. They learned this while on the CBI trip to Longhorn Steakhouse so we have been spending LOTS of time discussing what responsibility looks like. You can encourage this at home by making them responsible for taking the trash cans out to the street for the weekly trash pick-up day. We have also talked about having a calendar at home that can help to remind you of your responsibilities.
12/10-12/14
The student's will have a sub the entire week and will be working on the News-2-You in class with the supplemental activities that accompany the classroom lesson version of the paper. They will be working on their holiday gift lists and work on a writing piece about about ways that we can "give" (to our families, friends, school and community) without having to physically give a tangible present. They will not have any homework assigned this week except for their nightly reading and library books & reading log due on Thursday. The students can use this week to study for any finals that they may have the following week. My final will not require them to study in advance for but some of the courses that your child is enrolled in will have modified study guides. Every core content course has a final exam.
12/17-12-20
Welcome to high school and the week of finals. It is CRUCIAL that you read below and understand how the week works. On Monday, the students will have a full day of school and have their final exam with me at the end of the day. On Tuesday-Thursday, they will only attend two of their courses where they will take their final exam for that class. If they are not being required to take a final exam for that class, there will be an activity for them to complete. As a result of this, the STUDENTS ARE DISMISSED AT 10:40AM ON TUESDAY 12/18, WEDNESDAY 12/19 AND THURSDAY 12/20 WITH NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY 12/21. PLEASE EMAIL ME ANY CHANGE IN YOUR CHILD'S DAILY PICK-UP FOR THAT WEEK.
**IMPORTANT INFO**I will not see the students on Tuesday or Wednesday that week. The last day that I will see them prior to the holiday break will be on Thursday 12/20 during the 9:05-10:40 exam block. Some of you have contacted me about gifts for the para professionals that work directly with your child. I would suggest that you send them in on Monday 12/17 for distribution as your child's schedule that week is such that they may not see that para as they will also be assisting other student's with their finals.
** I will be out from 12/6-12/14 undergoing two surgeries that need be done sooner than later. The rod, plates, screws etc. that were placed in my right ankle/skin have begun to cause an issue and need to be removed from the leg. My body has begun to reject them and it is causing a great deal of pain, swelling and spasms. The bone fusion looks very good so the doctor's anticipate no complications with their removal. I will be able to walk on it as soon as the bruising and swelling subside and I can tolerate walking around on the 100 or so stitches on the bottom of my foot...ugh! After that portion of the surgery, the surgeons will move to my right hand and fuse it. I have been experiencing a great deal of weakness and pain where the hand bones butt up against the prosthetic wrist and the doctor's found many fractures, etc, all throughout that area. The plan is to fuse that hand (they did this to my left hand 4 years ago) in hopes of providing me relief and continued function of that hand/wrist, etc. The surgery and recovery on that is more involved and I will be casted for 2-3 months while we wait for the bones to fuse together. I am only taking off up until the last week before break (12/14) as I want to see the kids the week prior to the holiday break and wind up going stir crazy sitting around my house! I figure I'll probably need a cane to get around and the right arm will be casted and in a sling but at least there are NO wheelchairs involved and no talk of amputation this time so I'm coming back :) The para's will be subbing using my plans and a sub will step into their job so there shouldn't be much disrupt to their schedules. I am working until 10:00 am on Thursday and have to be at the hospital at 11:00am at St. Anthony's. I'll have to stay one or two nights there and plan on spending the weekend at my folks with Grace and will return to my casa on the 10th to finish healing prior to returning on Monday the 17th. I will be in touch with you all via the blog during the absence with updates, etc. and you are ALWAYS free to call me on my cell as I welcome a break in the boredom!
If I don't get a chance to personally see you prior to the winter break, please have a wonderful holiday filled with much love, laughter and fond memories! ~Anna
The information below will carry us through until the start of the holiday break on Friday, December 21st. See bottom of post for important information.
12/3-12/7
This week in class we are wrapping up our unit on abbreviations found within the school, home and community. These include those found on calendars, recipes and throughout the community. Some of the content is review for the students while others are completely new to them. We are also reading selections for information, comprehension and drawing conclusions. We will wrap up the week by discussing a concept in the classroom novel, "Drizzle" that I have been reading to kids on Fridays. One of the characters in the story was told that she needed to be a "doer" in her life. This abstract concept was difficult but interesting to the students. We will be doing some writing, discussing and creating connections between the text and their own lives about what it means to be a "doer" in life as opposed to someone who just sits by and waits for others or other things to provide the "entertainment" in their life. Being an active member of their world as opposed to waiting on others to take care of everything for us. I expect that this will be a concept that we will be working on for several weeks or months but I have a strong belief that the students will understand the concept once we begin to assist them in finding examples in their own lives. For homework this week, they have a News-2-You due on Friday, their nightly reading and. their reading log due on Thursday. Please make sure that your child is putting their library books in their book bags on Wednesday nights. Student's who do not bring their library books back on Thursday will have their behavior card turned to yellow. I am really trying to push the issue of responsibility now that they are now 15 & 16 years old and should be able to remember to bring them back. They receive multiple reminders during the week as well as one on Wednesday prior to leaving school. Please make this THEIR RESPONSIBILITY NOT YOURS as this a crucial life skill that they will need to have when they gain employment in just 5 short years. I am aware that occasionally circumstances arise so a note or email from you is needed if they won't have their library book. After three times of forgetting their books they will have a "chat" with the grade level principal about responsibility. I do not mean to seem hard nosed about this but Amy & I cannot express the importance of this skill. The students have learned that if they were to forget a piece of their uniform in a job, etc. they would face disciplinary action by their employer after one time. They learned this while on the CBI trip to Longhorn Steakhouse so we have been spending LOTS of time discussing what responsibility looks like. You can encourage this at home by making them responsible for taking the trash cans out to the street for the weekly trash pick-up day. We have also talked about having a calendar at home that can help to remind you of your responsibilities.
12/10-12/14
The student's will have a sub the entire week and will be working on the News-2-You in class with the supplemental activities that accompany the classroom lesson version of the paper. They will be working on their holiday gift lists and work on a writing piece about about ways that we can "give" (to our families, friends, school and community) without having to physically give a tangible present. They will not have any homework assigned this week except for their nightly reading and library books & reading log due on Thursday. The students can use this week to study for any finals that they may have the following week. My final will not require them to study in advance for but some of the courses that your child is enrolled in will have modified study guides. Every core content course has a final exam.
12/17-12-20
Welcome to high school and the week of finals. It is CRUCIAL that you read below and understand how the week works. On Monday, the students will have a full day of school and have their final exam with me at the end of the day. On Tuesday-Thursday, they will only attend two of their courses where they will take their final exam for that class. If they are not being required to take a final exam for that class, there will be an activity for them to complete. As a result of this, the STUDENTS ARE DISMISSED AT 10:40AM ON TUESDAY 12/18, WEDNESDAY 12/19 AND THURSDAY 12/20 WITH NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY 12/21. PLEASE EMAIL ME ANY CHANGE IN YOUR CHILD'S DAILY PICK-UP FOR THAT WEEK.
**IMPORTANT INFO**I will not see the students on Tuesday or Wednesday that week. The last day that I will see them prior to the holiday break will be on Thursday 12/20 during the 9:05-10:40 exam block. Some of you have contacted me about gifts for the para professionals that work directly with your child. I would suggest that you send them in on Monday 12/17 for distribution as your child's schedule that week is such that they may not see that para as they will also be assisting other student's with their finals.
** I will be out from 12/6-12/14 undergoing two surgeries that need be done sooner than later. The rod, plates, screws etc. that were placed in my right ankle/skin have begun to cause an issue and need to be removed from the leg. My body has begun to reject them and it is causing a great deal of pain, swelling and spasms. The bone fusion looks very good so the doctor's anticipate no complications with their removal. I will be able to walk on it as soon as the bruising and swelling subside and I can tolerate walking around on the 100 or so stitches on the bottom of my foot...ugh! After that portion of the surgery, the surgeons will move to my right hand and fuse it. I have been experiencing a great deal of weakness and pain where the hand bones butt up against the prosthetic wrist and the doctor's found many fractures, etc, all throughout that area. The plan is to fuse that hand (they did this to my left hand 4 years ago) in hopes of providing me relief and continued function of that hand/wrist, etc. The surgery and recovery on that is more involved and I will be casted for 2-3 months while we wait for the bones to fuse together. I am only taking off up until the last week before break (12/14) as I want to see the kids the week prior to the holiday break and wind up going stir crazy sitting around my house! I figure I'll probably need a cane to get around and the right arm will be casted and in a sling but at least there are NO wheelchairs involved and no talk of amputation this time so I'm coming back :) The para's will be subbing using my plans and a sub will step into their job so there shouldn't be much disrupt to their schedules. I am working until 10:00 am on Thursday and have to be at the hospital at 11:00am at St. Anthony's. I'll have to stay one or two nights there and plan on spending the weekend at my folks with Grace and will return to my casa on the 10th to finish healing prior to returning on Monday the 17th. I will be in touch with you all via the blog during the absence with updates, etc. and you are ALWAYS free to call me on my cell as I welcome a break in the boredom!
If I don't get a chance to personally see you prior to the winter break, please have a wonderful holiday filled with much love, laughter and fond memories! ~Anna
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