Upton Update

We will be having our second lockdown drill of the school year on Monday. The teachers will discuss the process with their students, and I will make an announcement to let them know that it is just a practice drill.

Our professional learning morning for staff will take place again on Wednesday, December 3. This means that it is a late start for students. The first bell will ring at 9:20 a.m. with classes starting at 9:25 a.m.

Royal Oak Schools has partnered with Care Solace, a care-coordination organization focused on removing barriers to accessing mental health care. The collaboration provides school district families and staff with access to over 560,000 licensed mental health and substance use treatment providers, and connections to food assistance, shelter support, and low-fee/free health services.

You can reach Care Solace in any of the following ways:

Call 888-515-0595 anytime. Multilingual support is available around the clock. A Care Companion will walk you through finding providers, booking appointments, and following up to ensure the match is right.
Visit www.caresolace.com/royaloakschools and either search on your own OR click “Need Help?” at the top of the page for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
Ask your school's mental health professional or staff, or building administrator, to submit a referral for you.

On Tuesday, December 9 or Friday, December 12, your child will participate in HAVEN’s Helping Kids Help Themselves lesson. Helping Kids Help Themselves is a one hour lesson taught by educational specialists from the group HAVEN.

HAVEN is a non-profit organization that provides direct services to victims and families experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault. Helping Kids Help Themselves introduces young children to personal safety and body ownership through the use of a story involving a bird named Daisy. The program helps children identify, trust, and communicate their own feelings. The children will view a video and talk with our educational specialist about child sexual abuse in an age-appropriate manner. The presentation will focus on identifying “good touches” and “bad touches.”

The following safety rules are stressed:

∙ It’s O.K. to say NO!

∙ Try to GET AWAY!

∙ If someone has touched you or tried to touch you in a private area, tell a trusted adult and keep telling until someone believes you.

∙ It is never your fault.

∙ It is never too late to tell a bad secret.

On Tuesday, December 9 or Friday, December 12, your child will participate in HAVEN’s Gender Respect lesson. Gender Respect is a one hour lesson taught by educational specialists from the group HAVEN. HAVEN is a non-profit organization that provides direct services to victims and families experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault.

HAVEN’s Gender Respect program is designed to support children in the development of safe relationships by providing information to increase the understanding of risk factors associated with gender disrespect. Most bullying in schools is targeted at students who do not fit into a particular norm. The students will receive handouts and information that deal with gender disrespect in a sensitive and age appropriate manner. The students will also be taught that it’s never okay to be touched inappropriately by anyone and will be instructed to tell a trusted adult in the event it happens.