A Good Day, But With Some Tough Questions

From Mrs. Clough (no class blogger today):

First of all, Happy Birthday to Xander!  We had no class blogger today due to our birthday celebration at the end of the day which included card making, eating treats, singing, and a little dancing! :)

I think I will start today's post to briefly discuss the events that occurred in Newtown on Friday, what it means for us, and the questions I had today...I do not believe that any words can entirely describe how tragic and horrific the event that took place last Friday afternoon.

A note went home this evening from the MISD Superintendent, Sarah Pinion.  In that letter she briefly addressed the procedures in place across the district and the law enforcement and safety agencies in Marion that also share in our procedures and plans.  Please be assured that all procedures have been discussed with your children and that everyone in the MISD will, and would do, everything possible to keep your child(ren) safe in an emergency situation.

I had a couple of children during our morning discussion today, ask some tough questions.  Over the weekend I (probably along with many other educators and/or parents across the U.S.) thought about what I would say, should any questions arise.  I knew not to go into much detail and yet I did not want to leave a lot of unanswered questions or give ambiguous  answers.  I have to admit that answering a 7 or 8 year old's questions regarding something like this, is no easy task!  Once I realized that a couple of kids had questions, I quickly asked who had heard about what had happened and almost everyone raised their hand.  I just said that there was a man who made a horrible choice and hurt some children and teachers at a school far away from here.  We talked about how while it may be sad, most of the children were kept safe because of the plans and protection their teachers had and gave. From there we finished our quick discussion by reviewing our own procedures, and I assured them how much I cared for them and will always do my best to protect them in any emergency situation (tornado, fire, lockdown).

I think I can speak for everyone at Starry, if not every person across our country, when I say our hearts and support go out to the families, friends, first responders, and everyone who has been touched by this tragedy.  While I am not a parent yet, I am a teacher and I want all of you to know how very much I care for each of your kids during the 7-8 hours they are with me everyday (and that's not even counting the amount of time I spend thinking about them outside of school!).  I would do, and will continue to do, everything I can for your them.  They are my #1 priority, care, and concern at all times.

In OTHER news...we began work on a secret project today...I will only share 2 pictures and leave you guessing! :)

In math, we are continuing to work on collecting data, organizing data, and graphing data.  We will continue working on this until break time!  This week we will also be focussing on addition and subtraction fact practice!

For Text Talk/Vocabulary we read the Caldecott winning book Strega Nona and will introduce the first three vocabulary words from that story tomorrow!

That is all for tonight.  Once again, I want to reiterate how much I care for each of your children and I also want to thank you for entrusting them under my care, supervision, and guidance.  It is a privilege, one that I sincerely love.

Have a wonderful evening!

Mrs. Clough