April 20th, 2020 - Traduction française .pdf
Dear members,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to you today in the aftermath of the tragic loss of lives in Nova Scotia this weekend. As leaders in our schools and systems, so much of what we celebrate is fuelled by the vibrance of life and the connections among people. Violence like we saw this weekend takes that away from so many families and communities. The measurement of these losses is incalculable.
Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who have been lost, their co-workers, for some their students, and their communities. In a province our size, and with so many victims, this will be personal for many of you and will hit very close to home.
At times like this, and in the midst of the measures to cope with the pandemic at hand, it will be even more important to reach out to one other for support or to offer help. We have already seen information coming forth from the NSTU Group Insurance Trustees, the Regional Centres for Education, the conseil scolaire acadien provincial, and offers of support from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, in addition to community based supports through the Nova Scotia Health Authority and external entities like the Kids Help Phone.
Please, please, reach out to them in a way that makes sense for you.
The scope of this tragedy will affect every one of us differently from one end of the province to the other, especially under the circumstances of the pandemic. Listed below are some of the supports in place through the NSTU Group Insurance www.nstuinsurance.ca, PSAANS and other agencies.
It is always the right time to take care of one another, but it is never more needed than now.
We are thinking of all of you and are here to help in any way we can.
Tim Simony,
Chair