Dear Friends,
Safety has a broad definition in today’s society and even more so in public settings.
Throughout my meetings with community members and parents, this topic is certain to
arise. The term “safety” encompasses many topics ranging from life-threatening
crisis situations to name-calling and other behaviors.
Prior to my joining the Chartiers Valley School District, the district proposed to increase
school safety and security presence and practices. I am quite proud to announce
that we are working towards meeting these goals. We have established a district police
department. While only made up of one person, this “department” opens up opportunities for the district to garner local, state, and even national resources. The district is
continuously developing specific safety and security curricula to educate students on
traffic safety, stranger danger, digital citizenship, cyber safety, and drug and alcohol
awareness.
Proudly, the school district has received grants which defer the costs of some of these
programs. These grants have funded our emergency preparedness application, reunification application, Navigate Prepared, surveillance equipment and specific school police trainings.
As you may be hearing in the media, promoting social and emotional intelligence is a focus in contemporary educational settings. Research shows the importance of working with youth to build character and resilience in an effort to improve mental wellbeing and overall safety.
Here at Chartiers Valley, we have placed an emphasis on the social/emotional wellness of our students. We understand that students of all ages encounter stressors whether from school, social interactions or other pressures. Our goal is to assist our students in dealing with these stressors with emotional resilience. For example, when one makes a mistake how do we learn from that mistake? When we earn a grade that is not what we expected, how do we “fix” the
problem? When we are not included socially or fail to make the team, how to we rebound from those letdowns?
- Step 1: Teach students to identify their stressors. It’s important that students learn to identify how they feel and why they feel that way.
- Step 2: Identify what students normally do when presented with stressors.
- Step 3: Brainstorm alternative ways to respond to stressors.
- Step 4: Practical application and maintenance of coping skills.
In addition to incorporating this process, Chartiers Valley was the first district in the region to be trained on how to develop threat assessment teams. These are teams of teachers and professionals who collaboratively utilize systems of support inside and outside of schools to identify and assist those students needing social and/or emotional support.
Our district social worker Ms. Demchak works with students and families in all grades to assist in the school-to-home connection. Also, counselors and teachers have incorporated mindfulness classes throughout the elementary schools as we look forward to building aspects of that curricula into our secondary schools.
While we may never rid the world of all wrongdoing, it is my hope that these proactive measures and practices will have a positive impact on our students both now and in their futures.
While we celebrate
National Safe Schools Week
this week, I encourage you to have conversations with your children about safety and what you as a family can do to encourage safe and positive practices at home and at school.
Sincerely,
Johannah Vanatta, Ed.D.
