May 29, 2022

Dear Families,

Happy Memorial Week-end!

As we have been trying to wrap up our school year at NMFA, with educational, fun and engaging activities, we have been surrounded by tragic news stories. It is so hard for any of us to know what we should say and what not to say to our students, your children. I will share below letters I have received from the Executive Director, Wendy Swanson-Choi, (from our Authorizer, NEO) and the Commissioner of Education, Heather Mueller. I am also including resources for parents and children.

From the Executive Director, Wendy Swanson-Choi, of NEO...

"As information unfolds about the horrific school shooting we are all reminded how precious our students and teachers are and to never take a moment for granted.

We are also reminded of the importance of your leadership, whether you serve a school as an MDE official, board member, leader, teacher, mentor, other staff member, and/or as a volunteer.

When we visit the schools that your work supports, we observe firsthand how through your leadership and work you help prevent bullying and support all children to find acceptance and recognition in a safe and supportive, nurturing school environment where they can learn and grow toward meeting their hopes and dreams.

NEO Advisor Willie Jackson forwarded these resources that the MESPA sent out yesterday and I am passing them along in case they are helpful.

Thank you for all you do and for your precious leadership impacting the lives of so many children in ways we will never be able to measure.

From the Commissioner of Education, Heather Mueller...

May 25, 2022

"School Leaders,

My heart is broken. Students should not go to school and lose their lives. No family should send their loved one to school and fear they won’t return. While this tragedy occurred in Texas yesterday, the loss of life of any student or educator in a school is felt in every school across the country. Yesterday, we may have lost the person who cures Alzheimer’s, a future Nobel Prize winner, or a person who would have lived and worked in our community. All of our trajectories have changed forever.

I am weary of the sorrow, and I am mad. “Sorry” isn’t enough. Our students, families, staff, and communities deserve better. Schools are more than the building. Schools are the people who are there every day to build relationships, learn, and teach. The safety, health, and wellness of our students and staff should be our utmost priority. We need to meet these moments with action. The lives of our children are not political games or strategies. We need to provide support to our schools.

The mental health of our students is not ancillary to our students’ learning. It is of equal importance to academic learning. There was a time in education where the only focus of what happened in schools could be summed up in a song – “reading, writing, and arithmetic”. We used to believe that what happened outside of the school building had little to no impact on what happened inside the school building. The hub of support for families and students was the community, and community-based resources were the first to know and respond to students and families in need, and the school was a support to that response.

Today, our schools have become the hub of support. They tend to be the first to know when students and families are in need, provide immediate supports when possible, and connect families and students to community-based resources. Everything that we have learned, everything that we know, about education through research and evidence-based practices clearly articulates that what happens outside of the school building has an impact on what happens inside the school building. While the content of the “reading, writing, and arithmetic” song is still true, the time of siloing and isolating the academic learning of students from their mental health no longer exists. Frankly, siloing and isolating students’ academic learning from their mental health is a relic practice that has no place in education.

My commitment to action to all of our students, families, educators, and communities is to continue to do my job and center our students by working to build an education system and structure that meet their needs. When we know better, we must do better. We shouldn’t be sorry, we should be better. We should expect better. We have known better for a very long time, and our students can’t wait any longer for us to figure this out.

As always, I know that this work is not done alone. It is in partnership with all of you. I continue to be deeply grateful that you show-up every day and lead on behalf of your students, families, staff, and communities."

Heather

Heather Mueller, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Education

Resources for Coping with Tragedy
Support for students:

· Helping Children Cope with Tragedy (pdf) Spanish version here.

· How to talk to your kids about the Uvalde school shooting (article)

· Texas School Shooting: How to help kids get through unspeakable horror (article)

· Helping Children Cope with Terrorism (infographic)

· Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (article)

· Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate (article)

Support for adults:

· Coping in the aftermath of a shooting (article)

· Coping with reactions to school shootings (article)

Be safe, kind, responsible and practice GRATITUDE!

Mrs. Kranz