December 9, A Note from Mr. Bigelow

Dear Clear Lake Families,

We hope this email finds you and your family doing well. It was so nice to see so many of you last night at our event. Thank you for your words of encouragement, support and hugs. Our staff and I talked about how helpful it was to see all of our families and students. We will need each other more than ever as we move forward. 

If you haven’t already done so, please make sure that you spend time reading through the communication that was sent from our district via email earlier today. I would like to highlight some points from that email message as we prepare to welcome students back to school tomorrow.  

·        We will be acknowledging, in an age/grade appropriate way based on recommendations from trained mental health counselors and crisis response experts, why we have been closed for the last seven days. Our staff has been alerted that if students raise concerning questions, they need to engage the trained professional staff. If this occurs, the child’s family will be called.

·        Every district building will have law enforcement on-site. We encourage you to talk with your child about this so they are aware and prepared to see uniformed officers at their school starting Friday. Let them know they are there to protect them and help keep them safe.

·        Our staff is undergoing trauma-response training to be as prepared as possible to welcome our students back. They are using the best practices and data from trauma specialists and crisis response experts who have helped in our planning and training.

·        We have also heard from many people that therapy dogs have been a helpful tool for staff and students who have experienced similar trauma. Starting Friday, every school will have a team of trained therapy dogs in their buildings, and this will continue through the remainder of the school year.

·        For the time being, backpacks will not be allowed. We suggest sending snow gear in an open bag (tote/grocery bag) to hold their snow gear and other items. Our staff will be checking bags as they greet students at their classroom doors. Students may also carry their lunch box if needed. 

We are looking forward to having some fun with students next week. Our annual Holiday Shop, sponsored by our PTO, will return. Students will have the opportunity to shop for family members on both Wednesday and Thursday. Additional details will be communicated with you in the coming days. We will also be communicating Spirit Days that we hope our students will participate in throughout the course of the week. 

If your child is struggling with the return to school, please contact either myself or your child’s teacher so we can work with him/her to support their needs. We are here for you!

Take Care,

Brad Bigelow, Principal