Hello Georgetown School Community! What a special week we had this past week with so many special celebrations of learning and accomplishments of our students and educators! It was so nice to see so many families in our schools again celebrating your children and it was truly a wonderful way to end a rather crazy school year. Congratulations to all of our hardworking students and I hope the final week of school before a much needed and well deserved summer vacation will be fun and a chance to end the year on a high note! Next Friday is the last day of school and it is an early release day.

The boys varsity baseball team is playing in the semi-finals of the state tournament. Join me in wishing them well and we are Royally proud of them for their success this season SO FAR!

I am writing to share some information about the status of the football investigation which I promised I would do when I had new information to share.

I know there are many questions and strong feelings about the length and cost of this investigation and no one is more frustrated than me. My plan was to discuss the results of this investigation with the community long before the close of the school year; however, I was recently informed that the report is not expected to be completed and released until June 20th at the earliest. At that time, we will be able to discuss the results but many people have suggested that I address the questions and provide information about the process and the expectations as soon as possible.

Whenever there has been a difficult situation like this, I have held a meeting via zoom or in person at the MHS to discuss it. So that is what I am going to do. I am scheduling a zoom meeting on Wednesday night June 15th from 6:00-7:00 pm. I would only ask that people who attend do so with an open mind and questions will be respectful. This is a chance for me to provide information, clear up some misconceptions and for you to ask me questions that I am able to answer.

The zoom link is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82565870271?pwd=ckFnQm9YcUovbHpVWjBaTEh2MXlMUT09
Meeting ID: 825 6587 0271
Passcode: 752555

If there is specific question or topic that you would like me to address, feel free to send me an email at jacobsc@georgetown.k12.ma.us

in advance of the meeting. I have also attached a copy of the presentation I did for the School Committee for your information as well.

I look forward to seeing you soon and hope you and your children enjoy the rest of the year. I wish you a peaceful, relaxing and fun summer break!

Carol

The Georgetown Peabody Library is working to develop a new long-range plan that will serve as a blueprint for service enhancements for the library for the next five years. A critical component of the process is gathering information and ideas from the Georgetown community to establish priorities and develop a focused direction. You can find the survey here: https://bit.ly/3m2bhjE

Physical copies of the survey will also be available at the Library, Senior Center, and Town Hall. Please complete this survey by Friday, July 1, 2022.

I want to follow up on the post I from yesterday to let you know that we had a good day in the schools in the aftermath of the tragedy in south Texas yesterday. I am in the process of convening a meeting of our Safety Committee comprised of administration, police and fire officials , school committee members and myself to review and discuss our safety protocols and reaffirm that all safety precautions are in place and sufficient. As a precaution, today the Georgetown police provided a presence in all school parking lots throughout the day and SRO Officer Ford was on duty in our schools with backup from Sgt. Rodden from the GPD. Our counselors were available for students and staff with questions, concerns and anxiety in response to this tragedy. Our goal today was to offer support where needed and to reassure students that they are well cared for and that school is a safe place.

In the post last night, I included links to some resources but for some reason they were not live. I have included them below for your information and use. Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to speak with one of our professionals to assist you in speaking with your child. We are here to help.

https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/mass-shooting
https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-cope-frightening-news/
https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/shooting-aftermath
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-parents-and-teachers

Hope you enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend!
Carol

https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/mass-shooting
https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-cope-frightening-news/
https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/shooting-aftermath
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for-parents-and-teachers

Have a wonderful evening everyone and enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend!
Carol

Dear Georgetown School Community,

We are heartbroken to hear about the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and the Uvalde community who are dealing with this tragic situation. We recognize that this is recent information and acknowledge that news and details of the incident will evolve in the coming hours and days.

We want to assure you that safety is our highest priority and that our schools all have safety and emergency plans that the administrators, staff and students are trained to follow. These plans were developed by school and district administrators in collaboration with Georgetown Police and Fire Departments. We have a police presence in our schools with our school resource officer and we will continue to be vigilant with our safety protocols regarding the security of our buildings. While it is impossible to plan for every emergency situation, we are confident in the plans we have in place.

We expect your children/students may hear this news and have questions or concerns. We understand that some of our students may need support to process this horrific event. As a district, our school and guidance counselors will be available at our schools to support any students struggling to process the events. While our staff will assist our students, it is important for them to know that we are committed to keeping them safe as well.

As these conversations arise with your children tonight or in the coming days, here are some resources to support your conversations:

• Helping Children Manage Stress in the Aftermath of a shooting
• Helping Children Cope with Frightening News
• Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting

We hope that you will help us in reassuring your children that we have many safety protocols in place. Our staff will continue to work closely with our students and families when they are experiencing difficult situations, and we always encourage all members of our community to speak up when they have a concern. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your school principal or jacobsc@georgetown.k12.ma.us. We are all here to help.

When events like this occur, it shakes all of us and it hard to believe that these tragedies continue to happen. This is a very challenging time for our young people and we will do everything in our power to support their social and emotional wellbeing and sense of safety while in our schools.

Sincerely,

Carol

Click here for the survey

Click here for the entire report.