Dear Parents and Guardians,

These past 9 days since the devastating tragedy in Tumbler Ridge have been emotional and gut wrenching for all of us, and particularly for the families, school, and community of Tumbler Ridge.  I am writing to you again today with some additional information about our school district response to the incident and to outline some of our safety protocols.  I have also attached a letter to you from Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care.

In my previous letter to you, I wrote about how we need to reassure our children when we, ourselves, may be struggling to make sense of this horrible tragedy. I talked about limiting exposure to news stories and social media, acknowledging our children’s feelings and for us to listen more than speak. The importance of routine, empathy and compassion are critical during times of distress that an incident like this causes. I also shared several resources for you to consider if you required some additional support:

·       Saanich Schools – Mental Health & Wellness Hub

·       Canadian Mental Health Association

·       ERASE

·       Healthlinkbc: Helping Children with Grief

·       Kelty Mental Health

·       Learning through Loss

·       Foundry Virtual BC - Foundry BC App

During these past 9 days, we have provided our staff with suggested, age-appropriate language to use with their students if questions or concerns arise in class or hallways. Our counsellors, youth workers and administrators have received additional information as they typically work more closely with students who may be experiencing increased concerns or anxiety. They have also received significant training in trauma-informed practices. Those who may be experiencing increased anxiety include the 2SLGBTQIA+ community due to some of the hurtful rhetoric that is currently circulating on social media. Our focus on Mental Health & Wellness as part of our Strategic Plan emphasizes the importance we place on providing students, parents/guardians, and staff with a wide variety of resources to support healthy, social-emotional growth.

In Saanich Schools we are fortunate to have strong, collaborative relationships with several community and provincial organizations including Safer Schools Together, Beacon Community Services, MCFD as well as our local police services (RCMP – Sidney / North Saanich; Central Saanich Police; Saanich Police). This team-approach to supporting students is a critical part of the work we do in Saanich.

As part of what we do to provide a safe learning environment, we run the following school-based drills every year:

6 Fire drills
3 Earthquake drills
1 Lockdown drill (in conjunction with police services)
1 Hold & Secure drill (in conjunction with police services)

Parents and guardians are an important part of our school district team.  My hope is that this email has provided you with some additional information about how we strive to provide some of the best K-12 education in the province. Thank you for being part of our school community, where we continue to work together in making our schools places of caring, belonging and engagement – for everyone.  Your child’s Principal and Vice-Principal are available should you have any questions about your particular school’s operations.

Sincerely,

DAVE EBERWEIN (he/him)

Superintendent & CEO, Saanich Schools