Typically, the Community Notes is full of all the many and varied happenings in the school. This week, most of that is missing in this missive (though the school has been a busy place these past four days). But today, our bandwidth is slim and time is precious. And thus a brief and more singular Community Notes.
The war raging in Israel and Palestine has ushered In a time of great grief; now more than ever we must hold true to our belief in the inherent dignity of human life. We affirm and reaffirm here and in our classrooms that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have no place in our school community and such behaviors will be interrupted and confronted vigorously. We seek to build and perpetuate community spaces of care, love, and connection; hatred undoes that work. And, that will not stand. I write these words as a testament; we have had no reports this week of disparaging behavior. I feel proud to work alongside of educators who share that same purpose and take the same initiatives to respond when called upon. The team here this week has worked tirelessly to protect the routines in school as usual this week so that students feel supported by predictability when the world feels so entirely unpredictable.
Some of you have wondered, “My child feels safe and cared for while in school, but is the school campus safe?" Our doors are always locked and we ask that all visitors enter and exit through the same door (the front door). We have cameras installed at all major entrances and can see who is coming and going from monitors in our main office. All visitors must sign in at the office and interact with staff before they enter the school. During arrival and dismissal, multiple doors of the school are open and staff is always assigned to those doors; these entrances close and lock at 8am. As Dr. Guillory shared yesterday, when news of a threat emerge, we rely on our support teams in law enforcement to do the labor of establishing validity and providing additional security.
Others have asked, “What has it been like in classes?” Complex conversations in Middle School have been happening this week. Our middle school students, while still very young, are much better equipped to manage extremely complex conversations and have had opportunities in class, during our active ModelUN, during a planned lunch group, and in other spaces to unpack the terror and now war raging in Israel and Palestine. In these moments we see the depth of the humanity innate in these young people and have been touched by their worry for others, need to understand, and compulsion to help. The teachers of our youngest learners are well prepared to engage in developmentally appropriate conversations when necessary. For the most part, our elementary students aren't sharing their worries or fears publicly; they are also much more willing and able to ask for and receive help from adults (none of that middle school “I’m too cool for support’ swagger has settled in yet).
Quite a few of in our community have shared how exhausted they have become so quickly. While driving into work and back home again this week, my own daughter has heard me listening to news podcast after news podcast, each trying to explain to me what is happening in Israel and Palestine in real time all the time. She keeps her headphones on for the most part, but I can tell she is checking in on me. Finally she put her head on my shoulder and whispered, “This much news can’t be good for you…” And she was right. How has your media intake been? Intense? Have you noticed a new exhaustion flooding your body? Maybe in your back? How is your jaw? Clenched? How are you sleeping? Are you able to rest? These mediations might provide some relief and comfort, allowing you to reconnect after a disconnect:
They might be worth a try if the practices can provide some quiet for you.
Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, said, "Our own life has to be our message." In times of chaos, pain, grief, and fear it is hard to connect with that "message" and to the quiet life inside each of us. Let me remind you that each of you is a passionate, loving, compassionate person with the capacity to do incredible things for the greater good. I see it unfold here in this community each and every day. I believe that the deep pain and anger we experience, especially now, is an expression of the incredible love we each have the capacity to feel. May that love keep you safe, keep you centered, keep you in beloved community, and keep you connected to the message of your own life.
May joy come to all those who know grief. And may this school be a light of possibility in dark times.
