Monday message 11.18.2019

Dear SCVi family,

In the wake of last week’s tragedy at Saugus High School, we are grieving for the victims and their families, friends, and all whose lives have been shattered by these horrific events. We know this is an extremely difficult time for families and children in our community processing their grief. Our trauma counselors recommend allowing children to talk about their feelings about this situation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our Grief Team on site if you or your children need support with these difficult conversations. Please click here for tips for helping children after a traumatic event.

A note about our emergency notifications and operations: ParentSquare is our communication and emergency announcement tool that we use to keep all of our families informed. If you did not receive notifications from ParentSquare last week, please email leadership@scvi-k12.org. At SCVi we prepare for emergencies that we hope will never occur. The safety of our learners is our top priority, so our staff members participate in emergency drills and active shooter training, and several members of our team attend emergency operations training to stay current on federal protocols and guidelines. Last week our Safety & Facilities Director, April Cauthron, connected with SCVi immediately after we received reports of the incident at Saugus High. She has been certified as an Advanced ALICE Trainer (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) by the renowned ALICE Training Institute. She was in constant communication with us during the implementation of our emergency operations plan. We have a comprehensive emergency operations plan in place, and every staff member is aware of their roles and responsibilities during emergencies. Furthermore, we maintain outstanding relationships with our local public safety agencies and do not hesitate to call on their support and protection.

We are so proud of our learners, who were wonderful throughout the day, allowing us to do our jobs efficiently. We intentionally emphasize social-emotional learning every day through advisories and morning meetings, and this daily heart work has led to a caring, strong community of learners and staff at each of our sites. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have such amazing leaders of all ages at SCVi. 

Should you have questions for our leadership, we will be hosting a Parent Meeting in the Cafe Monday, November 18, at 9:00 a.m. Please come to learn more about our emergency protocols and to support one another. 

We are so grateful to have each and every one of you in our SCVi family. Please reach out to us with questions or concerns. We are stronger together, and we will be here for your family through this difficult time.

Sincerely,

The SCVi Leadership Team