Greeting O.L. Smith Community,
As we head into winter break I would like to share a few thoughts in hopes of providing our community with a better understanding of how our school addresses incidents involving students.
As adults, as parents, there is nothing more unsettling then to see children engaged in violent behavior. We are saddened, even angry, to see this and our natural reaction is to empathise for those involved and seek justice for those responsible.
When there is an incident at our school we can’t rely on one small piece of information or only talk to one person to determine what occurred. We must do a complete investigation that involves talking with as many witnesses as possible, the people directly involved, and then compiling that information to form a complete picture. We need to know how and why an incident occurred but even more important we want to learn what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Our actions are based upon that complete picture that we have once our investigation is complete. It would not be fair, nor would it be right, to base our decisions on public opinion or only a small piece of information.
My concern is that we as a school community will let all of our success and accomplishments be erased by a single incident posted on social media and shared in the press.
Social media exploits extreme actions, sometimes positive but unfortunately most often the negative. Many times what is placed on social media has no context and more troubling no concern for those who are the subject of the post. The local media has come and gone. They shared a story without having all the information and now moved on, unconcerned about how their portrayal of our school affects all of us who must continue to come here to learn, to teach, and be part of a community.
We don’t operate that way. We live, work, and go to school here everyday. We know each other, we say hello when you pick up your children, we chat when you attend school events, and wave when we see you in the neighborhood. The events that take place at our school don’t just happen and then go away, they become a piece of who we are and what we want our school to be or not to be.
I am proud to be the Principal of this great school. The staff, the students, the parents have all worked very hard over the last several years to make O.L. Smith a safe and welcoming place for all students. We have made great gains toward improving the culture and climate in our school and improving the academic performance of all students. It hasn’t always been easy and we still have much work to do but I am confident that by continuing to work together we will achieve our goals. All of us, staff, students, parents, and community members need to be a part of the plan to create the school that we all want for our students, your children.
I hope that you will have a very restful and enjoyable winter break. I look forward to seeing everyone when we return on Monday, February 24th.
Go Vikings!!
Zeina Jebril, Ed.S.
Proud Principal of O.L. Smith Middle School