December 13, Resources for Talking to Children

Dear OVA Parents & Guardians,

This week, we return to school after a tragic and horrifying incident that occurred at the high school on November 30th. Someone brought a weapon into the school and hurt people.  We had to close our schools for the week to allow helpers like social workers, psychologists, and police officers time to help our community to heal.  Many people are sad and our Oxford community needed time to be with their families.  School is supposed to be a safe place.  OVA is a lighthouse and our goal is to provide a safe and secure place for students. It is not ok that someone hurts people and we are working hard to ensure that you will be safe at school. 

Today, we are back together in our lab and our hybrid locations because it is good for us to be together and for us to continue to learn together.  Routines are helpful to us in trying to feel safe and in healing. 

When something like this happens, it can feel hard to know what to say or how to act. It is important that we talk to each other. Situations like these often make us feel isolated, but the Oxford community will, through kindness and compassion, persevere through these times. When things like this happen, people have different kinds of reactions, such as shock, sadness, fear, and anger. Those reactions may come and go throughout the day, and even for days and weeks to come. We trust you as parents to engage and share this message with your students if you so choose. You have our support during these difficult days ahead. Our teachers and support team will continue to connect and check-in with students.

As a reminder, we need to respect the thoughts and feelings of each other. Everyone has the freedom to choose how they will cope with this situation. However, threats of harm against self or others should be reported immediately to a teacher, staff member, or through appropriate state platforms like Ok2say (8555-OK2SAY). 

Please be there for one another. I know we will get through this difficult time together. There are plans in place for those who need additional support. 

District Mental Health Resource Information:

Talking to Children About Violence - Infographic 

Hablarles a los niños sobre la violencia - infografía 

  • If you would like to connect with an OVA Counselor, please contact:

K-8: Ryan Moore (Please know that Mr. Moore was mistakenly identified as the Dean of Students at Oxford High School.)

[email protected]

401-227-5889

9-12: Amy Greenspan

[email protected]

248-291-7673

 

K-12: Lauren Hartz

[email protected]

248-213-6068

 

Academic plans for the remainder of the semester:

We will be reducing content and there are ongoing discussions about the possibility of canceling final exams. We will have more information this week. 


Sincerely,

Janet Schell
Principal
Oxford Virtual Academy|Oxford Schools Early College
Oxford Community Schools
248.969.5021

http://virtualacademy.oxfordschools.org