January 19th, 2024
Dear Kenwood Families,
Happy Friday! I wanted to thank you for your support as we shifted to our eLearning day earlier this week. We recognize that this was not an easy shift, but I was impressed by the number of students who were able to attend on-line. We were certainly excited to welcome back our students in person on Wednesday. This coming week we will have an early dismissal day on Monday, January 22nd at 12:50pm for teacher professional development. As a reminder with our cold weather please be sure to have students dress appropriately for any outdoor recess. The temperature at which recess will be inside is 20 degree Fahrenheit which includes the wind chill.
Erin’s Law
Kenwood School is coordinating services with the Rape Advocacy, Counseling and Education Services (RACES) to assist with teaching the Erin’s Law for this school year. The Erin’s Law requires schools to teach students age appropriate techniques to recognize child sexual abuse and to tell a trusted adult.
Kenwood School is using the Second Step: Child Protection Unit curriculum in your child’s classroom in collaboration with the Rape Advocacy, Counseling and Education Services (RACES). The Child Protection Unit program teaches children important personal safety skills and helps our school be a safe and supportive place where everyone can learn. These lessons will be taught over this school year. RACES’ educators will be teaching the third lesson in your child’s classroom on one day between January 31 - February 2.
In these lessons, students will learn the following specific skills to help him or her stay safe from dangerous or abusive situations:
Always Tell a Trusted Adult: Students will learn how to always ask a trusted adult (such as a parent, guardian or person in charge) first before going somewhere, doing something, or accepting something from someone. They will also learn to report to a trusted adult if a situation feels unsafe.
Touching and Personal Body Safety: Students will learn about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches. They will also learn how to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, that a person should never touch his or her private body parts unless it is to keep them healthy, and to tell a trusted adult if someone breaks these rule. It also enforces ideas around not keeping secrets and remind all students that if they have experienced anything unsafe or unwanted that it is not their fault and it is important to tell a trusted adult.
Assertiveness: These lessons will also teach students how to ask a trusted adult for help, tell a trusted adult about an unsafe situation, and be assertive to leave any unsafe situations.
If you have any questions or concerns about the RACES curriculum, please contact Ellen Schultz, School Social Worker at Kenwood School for more information. Contact may be made by leaving a message at (217) 351-3815 or emailing at schultel@u4sd.org.
If you DO NOT want your child to participate in these Erin’s Law lessons, please contact your child’s teacher by Friday, January 26. All students will participate in these lessons unless we receive contact from a parent.
Thank you for helping us make our school a safe and supportive place where everyone can learn.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Trevor Nadrozny
Principal