Milford Central School
Reminders from Mrs. Wenck
Friday, October 8, 2021
Good Evening,
It is my hope that this email finds you well and enjoying a pleasant start to a beautiful fall weekend. As you are aware, this has been a very difficult week for our students, staff, and entire community. The passing of any person always has an impact. The passing of a child, which seems to be so out of the natural order of things, takes an even greater toll on our emotions.
Truly, I wish to thank our staff for the care and concern they have provided to our students this week. I would like to thank the Board of Education for their support of our school and of the work of our Crisis Team. Finally, I would like to thank our community for their continued support during this challenging time. Thank you all.
I am aware that questions have been posed about the district’s plans for helping our students grieve the loss of a friend in the coming days. Please take a few moments to read the information provided below. Should you have any additional questions do not hesitate to contact my office at school.
After you have read the following, I encourage you to reach out to your own children. Hug them, kiss them, and reaffirm to them just how much they are loved. Spend some time this weekend and in the days ahead to just quietly sit, appreciate each other’s company, take a walk and breath in the beautiful fall colors that surround us at this time of year. Each day we get to enjoy our children is truly a blessing. Hold onto and embrace that thought.
Mrs. Romona N. Wenck
Remembering our friend and student, Kota Flood
Moment of Silence
On Tuesday, October 12, at 10:00am students in grades 6-12 will be allowed to move to the PAC for a "Moment of Silence" in memory of our student, Kota Flood. Teachers will be encouraged to share the information in homeroom, but please know that there will also be an announcement shortly after 9:00am for the purpose of sharing this information with our students.
* Shortly before 10:00, students who are in grades 6-12 and only those who wish to participate, will be allowed to move to the PAC. All other students are to remain in their classrooms.
* Upon arriving at the PAC, students will enter silently. Photos of Kota Flood will be scrolling on the large screen on the stage. In addition, some of Kota's artwork will be on display.
* Students will enter, walk to the front of the PAC, cross on the floor in front of the stage and exit up the opposite aisle. We will have staff available to provide support and direction.
* Once students exit the PAC they are to return directly to class.
* Any student who wishes to remain in the PAC for a few additional minutes will be allowed to do so silently.
Memory Box
During the three lunch periods on Tuesday, students who are interested will be allowed to report to the PAC to write out notes and cards about Kota that will be given to Kota's Grandmother.
Moving Forward
We understand that members of our community may be hearing concerns about the fact that we have not used the term, Suicide, when speaking about Kota’s passing. There are many reasons for this:
* First, permission about the passing of the student needed to be granted by the family.
*Second, we are a K-12 building, and are therefore much different from school buildings in larger districts. Sensitivity to that always needs to be taken into consideration.
* Finally, the members of the Crisis Team do believe that there will be a time and place for this. In fact, the team has already reached out to outside sources for information and training programs for both staff and students. It is the teams' intent to provide such training in the near future.
Currently, the team members truly believe that, right now, our students need to grieve the loss of a friend, and to do so without the additional burdens that accompany a death by suicide. We all need to be reflective of that and respectful of the decision that has been made by the Crisis Team.
In closing, I again want to thank our entire staff, Board of Education, and our community,for the support, care and concern that was so clearly demonstrated over these past few days. I again want to give a huge "shout of thanks" to the members of our Crisis team who did a wonderful job of supporting our students and our staff during a very difficult time.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this entire message. I would ask that you save it in a special folder on your computer for future reference.