Le Cahier Bleu

Le vigil de l'ecole

Miramar North School est vraiment une super ecole. Suite aux atrocites commises a Christchurch le 15 Octobre, une veillee a ete organisee a l'ecole. Voici le compte rendu que nous a envoye la principale, Mrs Adams.

Le 21 Mars 2019 - Tags: adan


Children spend a huge part of their time at school, so it was important that we gave them a framework within which to share their thoughts, opinions, emotions and feelings. A calm, loving and expressive vigil, without too much detail, was a good place to start.

The children were so calm and well behaved during the vigil, many well aware of the tragedy which unfolded over the weekend; children read stories and poems; some older children cried during the vigil but knew it was ok to do so, their teachers quickly calmed them and they returned to the vigil.

The boys suggested the Haka to conclude the vigil, and they did it in style. During the day children talked openly with their teachers and friends and this is likely to continue for the next week or so.

They need their routine to begin processing such a traumatic event. Teachers have built in a lot of talk time in the days ahead.

Feedback from the parents at the Vigil was very positive. Parents appreciated the delicateness of the message being communicated to the children. They were happy their children were in a lovely, caring environment. They appreciated the opportunity to pay their respects in a familiar setting.

Many stayed behind to share a cuppa. All of us just trying to come to terms with the enormity of the weekend and for moving forward. We too draw strength from our community.

At the Home and School Picnic this Sunday at 3pm, there will be a chance to once again pay our respects. Dave George, our green plan person, would like to plant 50 trees. Some of these will be planted by classes and some at the school picnic. Dave will have a few spades for anybody who wants to be involved. I thank Sarah Macintosh and the staff for putting the vigil together so quickly. We loved the children’s poems and singing.

In terms of moving forward: The staff and I have talked about how to adjust our programs to ensure we rebuild confidence and resilience for those who need it. We also discussed how and what to give to people who have suffered. Sending class made Diversity Dolls is a good start. The Home and School picnic this Sunday at 3pm will give us another chance to talk and mull over ideas. On a safety note, we all agreed that we needed to refresh our Lockdown drill however we’ll wait a while before doing this. Lots to work on.

- Benoit -