Dear Saint Columbkille Families,
The faculty and staff at Saint Columbkille Partnership School want to recognize the pain and suffering caused by recent tragic events. We have been feeling the loss of our time together with our students in the classroom even more than we were a few weeks ago. It is stated in the mission of Saint Columbkille that "we are committed to the education of children of all backgrounds in an environment that cultivates respect, mutuality, and care." During the school year, we have many opportunities to build on this statement by facilitating conversations focused on social justice issues using our social studies, literacy, and religion curricula.
Usually, we are able to have rich classroom discussions involving a variety of topics, that have now become more challenging over Zoom. We know many families are looking for resources to help start conversations about race and other social justice issues in their homes, and we wanted to provide a starting point.
Literature can be a powerful tool to introduce these conversations to children and honor the dignity of each person. Reading books builds respect and empathy by exposing children to different perspectives. Diverse experiences validate the complex emotions children may be experiencing at this time and can assist children in labeling and processing those emotions. In order to support this continued growth at home, teachers will be choosing books that address social justice issues and recording read alouds that will be sent to families via email. We hope that these videos and the messages expressed in them can help guide conversations in your home.
We will continue to pray for you and your families. We pray that we may continue to find the strength to stand up and speak out against racism so that peace and justice may exist for all.
Yours in solidarity,
Saint Columbkille Partnership School Faculty and Staff