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Updates April 3 2022

April 3, 2022

Dear Families:

I hope you had a great weekend! I share updates on several topics tonight.

In the Spotlight

Mental health is one of the major district initiatives identified in 2018 as a priority in the District Strategic Plan.  The pandemic magnified what we already viewed as a crisis.  On Friday, the CDC joined the American Academy of Pediatrics to declare an emergency in the mental health of our young people and children.  It is complicated and critical that we partner together.  We know relationships are at the core.  It seemed timely to share an overview of the ongoing district work.

  • Challenge Successout of Stanford offers resources that assist in creating school structures that foster balance, including schedules and homework.  CMS and CCHS are Challenge Success schools.
  • Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) allows for discussion and presentation of skills and strategies.  Advisory at CCHS, Homebase at CMS, and Open Circle at the elementary schools provideD our structures while also giving kids smaller groups experiences in the secondary schools.
  • We utilize screening tools and surveys to gather input from the kids regarding their perception of themselves and school. These tools include PEAR(Partnerships in Education and Resilience) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
  • A variety of programs provide a range of direct services to students at all levels, including adjustment counselors and related interventions to extensive, significant programming with counseling support in smaller settings.  We are always reviewing this continuum and recently added an adjustment counselor at CMS and are looking to expand the intensive program at Alcott to include Kindergarten through Grade 2.
  • It is very important that families have an opportunity to connect with services outside of school.  We recently joined Care Solacefor that very purpose.  Families can make connections directly or with the support of a school counselor.

I believe wholeheartedly that it is most important is that we talk with the kids.  Based on my conversations with them, it seems critical that we reduce the stigma of mental health needs and foster communication.  If our message is that it is OK not to be OK all of the time, I think we are off to a strong start.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations

It is with pleasure that I announce that Robert Conry will begin as Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations on July 1, given the resignation of Jared Stanton.  Mr. Conry’s experience includes serving a regional school district as his current position is the Director of Finance and Operations for the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District.  In addition to his work with Berlin-Boylston, Conry has a wide range of financial and operation experiences, including more than ten years at Harvard University.

COVID

Last week saw a very low COVID case count with a total of 19.   Our case counts are kept current on the COVID Dashboard.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion -Andrew Nyamekye DEI Director

  • April is Arab-American Heritage Month, and the Islamic holy month Ramadan, began at sundown yesterday, April 2nd. Dr. Swansan Jaber, a high school English teacher, has written a letter for educators highlighting ways to be responsive, empathetic, and create mirrors and windows for Muslim students.Please click here to read Dr. Jaber’s letter, and make note of the resources she provides. Additionally, please take a moment to review our districts’ Accommodations For Religious And Cultural Observances.  Please be on the lookout for follow-up emails from the principals offering students who observe Ramadan alternative lunch spaces.
  • April’s DEI Newsletter can be accessed here.
  • On April 27th from 7 pm-8 pm at Willard Elementary School, Mr. Steve Goldberg, a Holocaust Historian will visit Concord to present his life’s work,My Friend Abe: A Holocaust Survivor’s Story (below is the flyer). Abe’s powerful story of survival during the Holocaust saw him taken from his family in Poland at age 13. For nearly 50 years, Abe did not speak about what happened to him. In the last decade of his life, Abe finally did start telling his story to more than 10,000 people across North Carolina. Though it was painful, Abe kept on telling his story because he felt the world had to know what happened to him, and what can happen when hate and dehumanization go unchecked. Abe sadly passed away in January of 2020 at the age of 91. Before Abe’s passing, he asked Steve to continue telling his story of survival. Please click here for additional information, and please use this google form to RSVP to the event at your earliest convenience. Separate from the evening event, there will be an early previewing opportunity of Mr. Goldberg’s presentation for CCHS students only from 12:15 pm-1:15 pm. I am cordially inviting teachers to sign up and bring their classes to the auditorium for Mr. Goldberg’s presentation.

Have a great night!

Best,

Laurie