Hello Watkins Glen School Community!
Below is a modified version of the communication I sent out to staff the morning of 5.25.22.
As I reflect on the week that was, I would like to address the tragedy that took place Tuesday afternoon at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas. There are no words that make us feel better after such a tremendous tragedy. Therefore, I am choosing to focus on gratitude.
- I am grateful for our fine arts department and our students that performed on Tuesday evening. They put on a great show, which was a welcomed distraction, placing the spotlight on our most precious resource, our students.
- I am grateful for the WGCSD Governance Teams that made the commitment to the School Resource Officer Program many years ago.
- I am grateful for the decision makers that decided to partner with the Village of Watkins Glen to keep the SRO program in place after it was eliminated from the New York State budget.
- I am grateful for the Board of Education that expanded that program from one full-time officer to two full-time officers a few years ago.
- I am grateful for the training, military experience, and depth of knowledge of our School Resource Officers.
- I am grateful for our current Board of Education that recently extended our contract with the Watkins Glen Police Department for another 5 years.
- I am grateful for the Mill Creek Center that is just minutes from our school buildings. They are always willing to see our students when in need.
- I am grateful for our proactive school community that report any issues that make them feel uncomfortable.
- I am grateful for the staff of WGCSD that take our safety protocols seriously by teaching our students what to do and how to behave in the event of an emergency.
While my gratitude cannot bring back the lives that were lost, it gives me hope that we can do our part in our corner of the world to prevent anything like this from happening at WG!
Clearly our District has a long-standing tradition and commitment to school safety, and for that I am extremely proud. However, dealing with school violence can be a challenge. It can cause a range of feelings across the emotional continuum. If your child is struggling with this or any difficult topic, please contact your child’s main office, and we will do all we can to help.
As the details about this horrific incident are released, our building and district safety teams will review our current protocols and revise them as needed. We will learn from this terrible event.
WG hearts go out to the families of the victims of Robb Elementary.
I hope this is the last time that I will be communicating with you about this topic.
If you see or hear something, say something. Stay vigilant.
Thank you for all that you do to keep our students safe.
Lets stay together WG!
Updates & Reminders:
I want to remind our families that we do not have school on 5.27 due to the use of our last emergency day. Also, we will not have school on 5.30 in observance of Memorial Day.
I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend.
Respectfully,
Kai D’Alleva
Watkins Glen Central School District
Superintendent of Schools