Email shared with parents yesterday

Dear Faculty –

As we bring closure to the sad events of which we learned last week, this email was sent to all parents yesterday:

Dear SSIS Parents and Guardians,

I would first like to thank the SSIS community for its response to the sad news we received last week about the passing of one of our students. The messages of compassion that we have received from parents, the response of our teachers and students in caring for each other during these days—all of these have illustrated that SSIS is a wonderful community united together.

It is necessary, too, that we begin to bring closure here at the school. While friends and family will continue to grieve for a long time, we also must go on with the work of this year. We are mindful of our loss but also grateful to have each other as we move ahead.

Mr. Hendrickson has written the high school students and parents today with details regarding events later this week. I would just like to highlight some of them for the whole community.

Tomorrow, Wednesday 24 February 2016, the high school will hold meetings by grade levels (e.g. Grade 9, Grade 10, etc.). These are to allow our students a final time to reflect together about what transpired, talk about choices and alternatives that each of us have in decisions we face, and to support each other.

We plan a celebratory high school spirit assembly on Friday to mark the close of the MRISA basketball season and that of track and field. This event was postponed last week but is very important for our high school. Our boys took first place in the basketball tournament and the girls’ team took second. The final track and field tournament is on Saturday.

On Saturday, 27 February 2016, there will be a vigil held on campus. Any members of the SSIS community who wish to attend to mark the life of Mizuki are welcome, but the event is not open anyone outside the SSIS community. We will begin at 6:30 pm and those interested should contact the high school office for more details.

On Sunday we will remove the memorial in the high school and store the student writings and drawings for the family.

I hope that all of our families have found peace and the ability to speak with one another about this. If you feel that you need guidance yourself, or a chance to speak with a counselor, we are offering an opportunity for that on Tuesday, 1 March 2016, at 8:15 am in the SSIS Auditorium. If you have questions, or just need to talk to someone, you are welcome to visit us then.

Sincerely yours,

Mark Sylte, Head of School