Dear Kew-Forest Community,

The news cycle about local, national, and global events arrive in a steady stream from a variety of media sources, much of which is unavoidable for adults and young people who rely on or have access to digital devices. Racial violence, school shootings, climate disasters, and wars are happening with a terrifying frequency that can leave us all feeling bewildered and overwhelmed. To be able to navigate their own emotions in a healthy, safe, and productive way, children/students need a sense of safety from adults in their homes and schools. They will look to us for support and answers. When emotions are high, it can be hard to think about what to say or how to say it. Therefore, we hope this page is a helpful repository of resources as you guide your child(ren)/students in processing what is happening in our world. As new resources become available, we will update the page. 

On-Campus Support: Kew-Forest is fortunate to have three qualified and experienced counselors who know our community: Ms. Ariana Goldklang (agoldklang@kewforest.org) in the Lower School, Ms. Jaclyn Garfinkel (jgarfinkel@kewforest.org) in the Middle and Upper School, and Mr. Alex Polk (apolk@kewforest.org), Kew-Forest’s Director of College Counseling, who also serves the Middle and Upper School. These individuals are available for in-building conversations and will be vigilant for signs of distress amongst our students and colleagues. Parents, please feel free to reach out to the appropriate school counselor, classroom teacher, division head, or advisor if your child is not coping well and/or you need guidance. True to our partnership in caring for your children, we will reach out to you if we hear or see something you should know about.

Guidance: There is no perfect formula for talking to young people about tragic events. Experts remind parents and educators that their approach should be age appropriate. The general advice for children of all ages is first to find out what they already know about events in the news, and to use straightforward and direct language to discuss and answer questions about these events. In addition, it is essential to give children time and space to express their emotions so their fears and concerns may be heard. Finally, we recommend shielding the youngest children from media exposure and reminding older children to access news coverage from more than one source. Given that photos and/or videos of prisoners and violence are already online, being mindful of media exposure is more important than ever. You may consider talking with your child(ren) about the accounts they follow on Instagram and Tik Tok where they may stumble across such images.

Please see the links to resources on this page by topic that you may find helpful in talking with your children. If you find any additional helpful resources that can be added to our list, please let us know. 

Sincerely,

Tiffany D. Trotter
Head of School