Newsletters
and Articles of Interest
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Perspective Newsletters
Fall 2002
LEARY SCHOOL OF VIRGINIA
Page 5
 First
and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome new students and staff,
to welcome back our returning students and staff and to wish everyone a productive
and successful school year.
We began this year with several new initiatives. We have initiated a school-wide
literacy program in conjunction with the Junior Great Books program, whose staff
will be providing ongoing training with staff at both Leary School of Virginia and
Leary School, Prince George's County. In addition, we are piloting a substance abuse
program that includes a classroom instruction component as well as treatment groups
for designated students. We are also improving our instructional technology at both
campuses by adding a student network at the Virginia campus, designing and installing "mini-networks" at
both campuses to be used for statewide achievement testing and purchasing 25 new
computers to add to the instructional program.
To accommodate the needs of our growing elementary-aged population, we have also
added to our playground equipment with additional swings and freestanding playground
units.
Regretfully, however, the events of October have caused us to turn our attention
to a more fundamental school function: the school's responsibility for the safety
and welfare of our students and staff.
We are fortunate to be a relatively small school, which allows us to know our students
well and frees us from the more daunting task of protecting huge school populations
with which large public school systems must contend.
Like other schools, however, we have responded to this most recent threat to safety
by suspending outside breaks, field trips and off-campus work study. Our recreation
therapist has set up an area with board games and entertainment to help keep our
busy students engaged during their regularly scheduled break times.
Along with heightened vigilance on the part of our staff, we have sent a letter and
memo to all parents letting them know what we are doing and inviting their help and
suggestions in the process.
Students and staff must feel safe and secure to maintain a school environment conducive
to learning and growth and while school officials are to take the lead with school
security, all members of the school community have a responsibility to each other
and the school to practice safe procedures and to report any potential problems to
staff.
Although we were commended for our safety and security procedures at our last site
visit from District of Columbia Public Schools and we do work very hard to provide
a safe and secure environment, the sheer randomness and senselessness of these recent
sniper attacks has prompted us to review our regular safety procedures.
The National School Safety Center in California (NSSC) offers comprehensive information,
strategies and statistics to aid schools in combating school safety problems. The
NSSC was established by Presidential directive as a partnership of the United States
Departments of Justice and Education. It is now a private non-profit organization
serving the schools. Among their programs is National School Safety Week.
Both our schools and the Job Site program will be participating in activities associated
with National School Safety Week (October 20-26) and we are asking our staff safety
committees to form a student advisory board to assist us in reviewing our current
safety strategies and updating our safe school plan.
The National School Safety Center can be reached by phone at 805-373-9977 or on the
internet at http://www.nccs.org.
Francesca Creo, M.A.
Director of Programs
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