Dear colleagues,
It has been another heavy week as we all do our best to support students and each other while caring for ourselves during times of continued violence and tragedy near and far. Mere hours after sharing this message with our community last Friday, another shooting after school left one of our own staff members injured. In the week since, a guilty verdict in the Deshaun Hill case in Minneapolis and the release of graphic video of five police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death in Memphis leave us all reeling and looking for answers.
I know that staff across the district have been coming together in various ways to process these events and start looking for solutions. Please know that you have my support as you navigate these complex issues and emotions in whatever ways you need to. We all need time and space to feel, to talk and to grieve, individually and in community. I continue to meet with teachers, principals, community leaders, students and others with an open heart and listening ears. I want to hear from as many of you as possible; please watch for a survey and invitation to a virtual safety meeting in the coming weeks.
It’s hard to know what today, tomorrow or the next day will bring and how it will affect our students and ourselves. Please keep leaning on each other and utilize the resources available from the Office of School Support and Sand Creek Employee Assistance Program if you need additional support.
During hard times, it is even more important to look for the light. There is so much to celebrate in Saint Paul Public Schools every day. Last week, we honored all of our paraprofessionals for everything you do during Paraprofessional Recognition Week. Thank you. We also learned that six SPPS educators were nominated for 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, congratulations! On Friday, we announced a new partnership between the University of St. Thomas and Maxfield Elementary, which will become a Collaborative Learning School next year. You can read more about this new partnership here.
There is no job more important than ours. The challenges facing our young people are bigger than any one of us can solve alone. Never forget that what you do matters and makes a difference. No matter your role, your presence and influence cannot be undervalued. Please continue to reach out to your students, colleagues, school and district leaders so we can all work together and be the mentors and role models that our children need, now more than ever.
In Partnership,
Joe Gothard, Superintendent
