All Things CLASS

Hello CLC members,

I am writing to you all today in hopes that you are all safe. Our CEO and co-founder of the CLASS Tool, Bridget Hamre, wrote a letter to you all today. I hope that reading it shows where we stand, signals to you that we are here for you, and that some of the resources we shared will help you during this difficult time.

• When Bad Things Are Happening - Learning for Justice
• Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News - PBS
• Going Back to School After a Tragedy - Child Mind Institute
• Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting (for adults) - American Counseling Association
• Taking Care of Yourself - TraumaSmart

I am so grateful for this community and want to be sure to support you in any way that you need it, especially right now. Please never hesitate to reach out. I'm thinking of you all and holding you in my heart. 

Best,
Allison

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Allison Bloomfield
Charlottesville VA
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Allison , thank you so much for this information, I am sure that in the communities that we serve in Head Start, it will be very helpful. I think that parents forget that children experience trauma in different ways and express it differently . I remember when they had the trials for Derek C. who killed George Floyd, my daughter called me and just cried, ( mind you she is 25 years old), but even she did not know that she was carrying that weight, and when the announcement was made about his sentence, it was like a weight off of her and she could "breathe again", if only for a short time. Unfortunately in this country we are on a revolving door of the senseless violence that happens everyday.  Also most parents are soo busy trying to make a living, that they forget the children really need them in these times, when all the news reports are blasting these tragedies all over the different forms of communication that we use. I am very appreciative of this forum, we need to have one in every state to combat the ugliness in this country. I am going to forward this information to the teacher I serve, so they can pass it to the families we serve. Again thank you.

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KatherineThomas
VenturaCA
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Hi @Katherine Thomas,

Thank you so much for your message. You're so right, there is so much more to be done. The children do absolutely need us during these times especially. I am hearing young adults speak out about incidents in their schools that are still with them today, even if they were practice drills. It is all so incredibly heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing the resources as well, I hope they help the teachers you work with. Especially during these times, we all need one another. 

Best,
Allison

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Allison Bloomfield
Charlottesville VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2022 13:35
From: Katherine Thomas
Subject: Another Morning Heartbroken - a message from Bridget Hamre

Allison , thank you so much for this information, I am sure that in the communities that we serve in Head Start, it will be very helpful. I think that parents forget that children experience trauma in different ways and express it differently . I remember when they had the trials for Derek C. who killed George Floyd, my daughter called me and just cried, ( mind you she is 25 years old), but even she did not know that she was carrying that weight, and when the announcement was made about his sentence, it was like a weight off of her and she could "breathe again", if only for a short time. Unfortunately in this country we are on a revolving door of the senseless violence that happens everyday.  Also most parents are soo busy trying to make a living, that they forget the children really need them in these times, when all the news reports are blasting these tragedies all over the different forms of communication that we use. I am very appreciative of this forum, we need to have one in every state to combat the ugliness in this country. I am going to forward this information to the teacher I serve, so they can pass it to the families we serve. Again thank you.

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KatherineThomas
VenturaCA
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