Schools

5 THINGS: Response, Reaction to Newtown

Looking to help out? Looking for resources? Follow some of these links.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In contrast to our usual Five Things column, which is usually somewhat flippant in tone, I’ve decided the piece would serve as a good way to link to the various information and stories that we and others have published in response to the Newtown elementary school shootings.

If you have information about events or helpful links to add, please do so in the comments section. You can also e-mail me at Stephen.greenwell@patch.com.

And finally – I’m generally pretty forgiving when it comes to what people want to leave as comments for these articles, but frankly, there is already one comment thread with debate on things like gun control and who knows what else. If you want to go down that alley, just go over to that thread instead. Thanks.

Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

LOCAL RESPONSE AND RELIEF EFFORTS

  • Tonight, in front of the University of Rhode Island’s Robert Carothers Library from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Center for Nonviolence and Peace, along with the Student Affiliates in School Psychology, will be providing candles to light in remembrance of those lost, and cards to sign and send to Sandy Hook. (Information courtesy of Joseph Armendarez.)
  • College students in the Northeast, including several from the University of Rhode Island, are helping raise support for Sandy Hook families via a letter writing campaign.

LOCAL SCHOOL RESPONSE

Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

From Kathy Sipala, the superintendent of the Narragansett School system:

Provided for you here are links to two resources that will hopefully prove helpful to as you prepare to send your children to our schools tomorrow morning.  Our message at school will be one of safety and calm while we also recognize and provide support for any students who are feeling particularly vulnerable.

We are confident that we provide a very safe environment for your children and hope that all of them are with us this week. Please also know that tomorrow and in the weeks to come we will be reviewing all of our procedures relative to lock downs and shelter in place to see if there are any improvements that we can make to our system.  

May you all find peace within your families during this season and may the families of Newtown in some way experience the compassion and love that so many are feeling for them today.

Good information on how to talk to kids of different ages about tragedies:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The South Kingstown School System also sent along similar information via its listserv. Both local districts have “lockdown” procedures in place, and do drills related to them, during school hours.

PIECES ON NEWTOWN, CT PATCH

  • For a full list of all of their articles, or if you want to bookmark one page for future reference, click here.
  • Coverage of President Barack Obama attending the vigil service.
  • The first funerals for victims are set for Monday and Tuesday.
  • [VIDEO] A music scholarship is being created in the name of one victim.
  • In wake of the shootings, a resident talks about being “Newtown strong.”

PIECES ON NARRAGANSETT PATCH

  • From Cheryl Butler, how she has reassured and thought about her own eight children after the tragedy.
  • Mel Turnquist tries to make sense of the incident, and writes about how she wishes she could think of something else to write about.

OTHER EVENTS TODAY

  • The South Kingstown Housing Authority meets at 5 p.m. at the authority’s office.
  • The Narragansett Town Council has a work session in the large boardroom with the Narragansett School Committee from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on next year’s budget. This is followed by a regular council meeting at 7:30 p.m.
  • The South Kingstown Town Council is having a work session with local legislators at 7 p.m. at town hall.
  • The South Kingstown Recreation Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the Neighborhood Guild.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here