January 8, 2021
Dear Parents and Guardians:
I anticipated that my first
message of 2021 would be that of great hope for the New Year and relief that
2020 had finally come to a close. However, the events of this week have put us
in yet another place of stress, fear, and disbelief, on top of our already
fragile emotions due to the pandemic.
As educators, our first
priority is the well-being of our students. And I want you to know, as parents
and guardians, that our staff is here to provide your children with a safe,
welcoming, and supportive environment where they are free to process their
feelings and express their thoughts. The Hilton School District is a place
where we can all lean on one another, and grow and learn together.
We have many people in the district
who are available to help should you or your child need someone to talk to –
school counselors and psychologists, teachers, and administrators. Please do not
hesitate to reach out. I’ve also attached information that you may find useful
in helping children cope from the American
School Counseling Association.
After what I hope was a restful
and relaxing holiday recess, we were all jolted back to reality this week. In
the coming days and weeks, please find time to check in with yourself and focus
on your own wellbeing. Take a break from the news and reach for something that
centers and de-stresses you. Our parents and guardians are an integral
part of our Hilton Learning Community and most importantly, your children’s
lives. Please take care of yourself.
As COVID cases rise in our
community, I continue to receive questions as to why our schools aren’t going
fully remote. If there is a cluster of cases, we would shut down a classroom, a
grade level, or a building, but our goal is not to shut down the entire
district. Once again, we are not seeing evidence of contagion in schools
because people are masking, social distancing, and washing their hands. Seventy-four
percent of cases in New York State that have been investigated are being
transmitted in small group gatherings outside of school.
That said, we continue to work
on ways to provide additional layers of safety in our schools. We are working
on logistics for volunteer COVID testing for staff and students. And we, along
with districts around Monroe County, continue to advocate with the Monroe
County Dept. of Health and Dr. Mendoza to have our staff designated as
essential workers so that they can receive the vaccine sooner if they choose.
Having empathy for each other,
taking care of one another and working together as a team is the best way we
are going to make it through this trying time in history. And when we can
finally put all of this behind us, it will be the stories of how we coped,
helped one another and stayed strong that will prevail.
In good health,
Casey Kosiorek, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
