Sandy Hook Elementary School Tragedy

Dear Parents/Guardians: There are no words that would make sense of the incomprehensible horror of Friday’s school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Our hearts go out to the families who have experienced such devastating loss. However, we want to assure you that our school takes your children’s safety very seriously. In fact, it is our number one priority! This past school year, the NYC Department of Education instituted a General Response Protocol (GRP) for all schools, as described in a letter we backpacked home early last week. The GRP is used across the country as a way of standardizing our response to disasters and other dangerous events. Our staff receives ongoing training in these protocols so that we can react to any emergency that may arise. We also have a Building Response Team (BRT) that has received certification in emergency preparedness from FEMA. We will continue to drill and practice to make sure that our students and staff can react with automaticity. With that said, there are things that we can do to make our building safer:  We must be vigilant in ensuring that all doors remain closed. Sometimes people exit the building without going past our wonderful security agents. If you see a door open, please SHUT IT. All staff members will be reminded as well.  Please don’t be angry when the Safety Agents ask to see your I.D. It is their responsibility to make sure that all visitors are properly screened. Each visitor should receive a VISITOR’S PASS label, and wear it.  If you have not done so already, register to receive NOTIFY NYC alerts. You can register at notifynyc.gov or call 311 to receive telephone updates in times of emergency.  Please update all important information on your children’s blue cards. We will not release a child to someone who comes to pick up a student if their name does not appear on the all-important blue card. I know that some parents have been annoyed with our overzealousness in this regard. Again, we take your children’s safety very seriously. We do want to let you know that members of our school’s Crisis Intervention Team are available to speak to you or your child if these services are needed. Our mental health staff (school psychologist, social workers, guidance counselor) is trained to deal with these situations. Please reach out to us if you need to avail yourself or your children of these services. We sent out an e-mail on Friday night to Class Parents with resources for parents for dealing with traumatic events in school (attached for your reference). We also posted these resources on the school’s blog: http://holliswoodschool.blogspot.com Lastly, we would like to say that during these troubling times, the Holliswood School community will do what it always does when there is a crisis. We will band together to support each other through these traumatic and devastating times. We will find strength in each other.

Tragedy in Connecticut School

Dear School Community: What happened in Connecticut is absolutely horrific. At this time, I am so saddened to hear about all of the events that took place. We will review our GRP protocols with our staff next week and hold a Building Response Team Meeting on Monday. In the meantime, please use the following guide for any questions your children may have about this tragedy. A parent/guardian letter will be issued next week and backpacked home. For your information, in the month of December, we have had three safety assemblies, including one with the Office of Emergency Management. **Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers **High profile acts of violence, particularly in schools, can confuse and frighten children who may feel in danger or worry that their friends or loved-ones are at risk. They will look to adults for information and guidance on how to react. Parents and school personnel can help children feel safe by establishing a sense of normalcy and security and talking with them about their fears. **1. Reassure children that they are safe. Emphasize that schools are very safe. Validate their feelings. Explain that all feelings are okay when a tragedy occurs. Let children talk about their feelings, help put them into perspective, and assist them in expressing these feelings appropriately. **2. Make time to talk. Let their questions be your guide as to how much information to provide. Be patient. Children and youth do not always talk about their feelings readily. Watch for clues that they may want to talk, such as hovering around while you do the dishes or yard work. Some children prefer writing, playing music, or doing an art project as an outlet. Young children may need concrete activities (such as drawing, looking at picture books, or imaginative play) to help them identify and express their feelings. **3. Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate. • Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Give simple examples of school safety like reminding children about exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, and emergency drills practiced during the school day. • Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school. They may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of school and community leaders to provide safe schools. • Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe schools by following school safety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers on campus, reporting threats to the school safety made by students or community members, etc.), communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators, and accessing support for emotional needs. **4. Review safety procedures. This should include procedures and safeguards at school and at home. Help children identify at least one adult at school and in the community to whom they go if they feel threatened or at risk. **5. Observe children’s emotional state. Some children may not express their concerns verbally. Changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns can indicate a child’s level of anxiety or discomfort. In most children, these symptoms will ease with reassurance and time. However, some children may be at risk for more intense reactions. Children who have had a past traumatic experience or personal loss, suffer from depression or other mental illness, or with special needs may be at greater risk for severe reactions than others. Seek the help of mental health professional if you are at all concerned. **6. Limit television viewing of these events. Limit television viewing and be aware if the television is on in common areas. Developmentally inappropriate information can cause anxiety or confusion, particularly in young children. Adults also need to be mindful of the content of conversations that they have with each other in front of children, even teenagers, and limit their exposure to vengeful, hateful, and angry comments that might be misunderstood. **7. Maintain a normal routine. Keeping to a regular schedule can be reassuring and promote physical health. Ensure that children get plenty of sleep, regular meals, and exercise. Encourage them to keep up with their schoolwork and extracurricular activities but don’t push them if they seem overwhelmed. Suggested Points to Emphasize When Talking to Children • Schools are safe places. School staff work with parents and public safety providers (local police and fire departments, emergency responders, hospitals, etc.) to keep you safe. • The school building is safe because … (cite specific school procedures). • We all play a role in the school safety. Be observant and let an adult know if you see or hear something that makes you feel uncomfortable, nervous or frightened. • There is a difference between reporting, tattling or gossiping. You can provide important information that may prevent harm either directly or anonymously by telling a trusted adult what you know or hear. • Don’t dwell on the worst possibilities. Although there is no absolute guarantee that something bad will never happen, it is important to understand the difference between the possibility of something happening and the probability that it will affect our school. • Senseless violence is hard for everyone to understand. Doing things that you enjoy, sticking to your normal routine, and being with friends and family help make us feel better and keep us from worrying about the event. • Sometimes people do bad things that hurt others. They may be unable to handle their anger, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or suffering from mental illness. Adults (parents, teachers, police officers, doctors, faith leaders) work very hard to get those people help and keep them from hurting others. It is important for all of us to know how to get help if we feel really upset or angry and to stay away from drugs and alcohol. • Stay away from guns and other weapons. Tell an adult if you know someone has a gun. Access to guns is one of the leading risk factors for deadly violence. • Violence is never a solution to personal problems. Students can be part of the positive solution by participating in anti-violence programs at school, learning conflict mediation skills, and seeking help from an adult if they or a peer is struggling with anger, depression, or other emotions they cannot control.

Support our Barnes and Noble Book Fair

Dear Parents/Guardians, We are proud to announce that the P.S./I.S. 178 Barnes & Noble Bookfair will be taking place at the Fresh Meadows location on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 from 5-7 P.M. You will also have an opportunity to support us by shopping online from Tuesday, December 4, 2012 through Sunday, December 9, 2012. A percentage of your purchase made through www.bn.com/bookfairs will be contributed to our Bookfair. Here’s how: • Be sure to use the web address above (www.bn.com/bookfairs) to do your online shopping. • When you’ve finished selecting your purchases, click on your cart and begin the check-out process. On the payment page, there will be a section at the bottom that states Check Here If This Is a Bookfair Order. When you check the box, type in our bookfair ID number 10927846 in the required entry field. • If you already have a BN.com account with a default payment method, you will only see a Checkout Summary screen. To add the Bookfair ID to the payment page, you will need to click on the Change button on the right-hand side of the Payment Section. This will take you back to the payment page, where you can enter our bookfair ID number 10927846. • After placing your order, you can log back into your Order Summary Confirmation to check to see if the Bookfair ID number is listed on your order (10927846). If it is, everything was done correctly! • If you do not see a Bookfair ID number (10927846), or if you realize that you placed your order without using our Bookfair ID number, please call Customer Service at 800-962-6177 as soon as possible. Provide your order number and our Bookfair ID number, and the representative will manually add your order to our Bookfair sales total. • Please note that the purchase of some items such as gift cards, textbooks, magazines, etc. is excluded from Bookfair sales totals. For more information, check the FAQs on the www.bn.com/bookfairs home page. Please feel free to forward this email to any family and friends who would like to support our Bookfair as well. Thanks again for supporting our Bookfair! Sincerely, Anthony Rizzo Assistant Principal, IA

New Instructional Days Added due to Hurricane Sandy

As per the Chancellor: Following the loss of instructional days due to Hurricane Sandy, all schools will hold full-day sessions from Wednesday, February 20, through Friday, February 22, which were previously scheduled as part of mid-winter recess. Elementary schools, intermediate/junior high schools, and D75 schools will hold a full-day session on Tuesday, June 4, which was previously scheduled as a shortened clerical day for these schools. A parent/guardian letter explaining the changes from the Chancellor will be sent home tomorrow.

HURRICANE RELIEF FUNDRAISER AT PS/IS 178Q

Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff: As we are aware, Hurricane Sandy had a massive impact on the state of New York and the rest of the North East. We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic losses, and the losses of people’s homes and belongings, and we would like to participate in a fundraising effort. As a school community, we would like to make a monetary contribution to the American Red Cross, which provides immediate relief to those in need. We would be grateful for your assistance in donating items for a snack sale (i.e. fruit snacks, individually wrapped cupcakes, juice boxes, sun chips, water bottles etc.). If you are interested in participating, please begin bringing the snack items on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. Students can bring the items to the office and mark the item, “Hurricane Sandy Snack Sale.” Our Student Council will hold the sale on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 during Parent-Teacher Conferences from 1:00-3:00 PM behind the gym and will continue during all three recess periods on November 15th. We will sell any remaining snacks during subsequent days. All proceeds from the snack sale will benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief. The funds will be deposited into the School’s General Funds account and we will issue a check to the American Red Cross and specify ‘Hurricane Sandy Relief.’ Alternatively, you can visit www.redcross.org, www.nyc.gov/fund or call 311 to donate independently. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is also managing a collection of donations, which will be distributed to relief organizations related to Hurricane Sandy. Thank you for all of your efforts.

Welcome Back

Dear Parents/Guardians: Welcome back to school! We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in the process of transitioning back into normal routines in your lives. This was an unprecedented weather event for New York, and it impacted our community greatly. All New York City Public Schools were closed the week of October 29th – November 2nd, and as you are aware, we were one of only 65 schools that were closed on Monday, November 5th due to a power outage at our school. We thank you for your ability to stay abreast on the communication from the school and the NYC Department of Education website. In addition to the Mayor’s “Robo Call” to every student’s home, our school communicated via School Messenger, the School Blog (http://holliswoodschool.blogspot.com) and through Class Parents. I thank all of you who were able to assist in our efforts to reach every home. We understand that many families were without power or a land line. It is important to provide the school with your most current telephone numbers and email addresses so that we can make sure that you receive all the communication regarding school closures or delayed openings. You can also call 311 to find out specific information about our school. During the time of the school closure, many students were probably seeking instructional supports and guidance. The following link includes grade packets that your children can complete at home in the event that school is closed: http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/learnathome. You may wish to print out the resources on this website and create a grade-specific binder for your children at home. Mr. Rizzo and I will be meeting with our Student Council this week to discuss a fundraiser to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. We will keep you updated on our progress. As your children transition back into class today, our guidance counselors and teachers will be sharing thoughts and facilitating conversations regarding the impact of the hurricane, and we will work with any student who needs one-on-one support. Thank you for your ongoing support and best wishes to all of you. Sincerely, Jennifer C. Ambert, Principal

PS/IS 178 re-opens on Wednesday, November 7th.

SCHOOL RE-OPENS ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. We are thrilled to report that power and heat have been restored at PS/IS 178, so we will be open to students on Wednesday, November 7th. As a reminder, the building is closed for students for Election Day tomorrow. Thank you for all your patience and cooperation during this trying time. We look forward to greeting your children on Wednesday.