Parent University
Talking to Children About Current Events
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Greetings CHCCS Staff and Families,
Earlier today, protestors and some rioters breached the U.S. Capitol, causing both the House and Senate to be evacuated. As a result, the Electoral College certification was interrupted, the Capitol was placed on lockdown, and one life was tragically lost. Since this is an ongoing situation, we will continue to monitor these events and we will work to support you in any way needed.
Age appropriate resources will be provided to teachers and staff as these events may be discussed in your child’s classes tomorrow. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or principal with any questions or concerns that may arise. Please know that we take the physical, social, and emotional safety of our students and staff very seriously. Your school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists and mental health specialists can also provide mental wellness resources and support as needed.
Below is a list of resources that have been compiled by our team. I hope you find them useful in your conversations tonight and in the coming days.
Resources for Engaging in Discussions with Children
How to Talk to Your Child About the News
Explaining the News to Our Kids
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
Whether you choose to engage in discussions about these events in your home or classroom or not, we ask that you consider the following:
- Acknowledge that the events have happened and may be ongoing;
- Give students the grace and opportunity to disengage and take a break when needed;
- Provide students with an opportunity to write down their thoughts and feelings;
- Validate the need to process through this and be inclusive of diverse perspectives and emotions;
- Redirect any comments that may be contrary to our core beliefs; and
- As our Community Code of Character, Conduct and Support states, “...model behaviors of respect, responsibility, trust-worthiness, fairness, and caring that empowers all stakeholders to participate as active citizens in our community.”
Thank you for partnering with CHCCS as we engage in dialogue that fosters a welcoming, supportive and unified educational setting and community.
Sincerely,
Nyah Hamlett, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Parent Resources
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Video Resources
Video Resources
CHCCS Parent Webinars: https://www.chccs.org/parentwebinars
Looking for great activities to do at home with your child? Seeking ways to hold discussions with your student? Enjoy the videos below and check regularly for more videos on how to engage with your student at home.
Videos
- Shanice Harrington, CHCCS teacher at Seawell Elementary shares tips for "Learning with Ease" while we are home.
- Carolyn Sierra, CHCCS teacher at McDougle Elementary shares tips for "Developing Vocabulary Skills" without using devices.
- Alexis Richardson, an educator from Cabarrus County will share "How to Make Family Games Educational".
- Roslyn Moffitt and Carla Marlin Smith, CHCCS held a conversation for families, "Let's Talk: A Conversation About Parenting in a Time of Racial Unrest, Uncertainty, and Trauma".
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Academic Resources
Academic Resource Lists
Let's Talk: Frank Discussions: In a time of Racial Unrest, Uncertainty, and Trauma
Resources:
Readings for Adults
- “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” by Corrine Shutack
- “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah Jones
- "Before the Mayflower" by Lerone Bennett, Jr
- "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- “Explaining White Privilege to Broke White People” by Gina Crosley-Corcoran
- "How to be an Anti-Racist" by Ibram X. Kendi
- "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson
- "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
- "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo
- "Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice"
- "Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America" by Jennifer Harvey
- "What White Children Need to Know About Race" by Ali Michael
- "White Fragility" by Robin Diangelo
- "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son" by Tim Wise
- "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Books for StudentsElementary
- "All the Colors We Are / Todos los colores de nuestra piel: The Story of How We Get Our Skin/ La historia de por qué tenemos diferentes colores de piel" by Katie Kissinger
- "Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship by Irene Latham & Charles Waters" Sean Qualls & Selina Alko
- "Crown: An Ode to the First Cut" by Derrick Barnes, Gordon C. James
- "The Day You Begin" by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael Lopez
- "Hair Love" by Matthew J. Cherry
- "Hands Up" by Breanna J. McDaniel
- "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers, Keturah A. Bobo
- "Let’s Talk Race" by Julius Lester
- "My Name is Sangoel" by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illus. by Catherine Stock
- "Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story" by Ruby Bridges
- "Ruth and the Green Book" by Calvin A. Ramsey, illus. by Floyd Cooper
- "Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story of Racial Injustice" by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins and Ann Hazzard
- "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats
- "Undocumented: A Workers Fight" by Duncan Tonatiuh
Teens
- "After Tupac and D Foster" by Jacqueline Woodson
- "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendon Kiely
- "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
- "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
- "How It Went Down" – Kekla Magoon
- "Piecing Me Together" by Renee Watson
- "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- "This Book Is Anti-Racist" by Tiffany Jewell; illus. by Aurelia Durand
Movies
- 13th (2016) – TV-MA
- American Son (2019) – TV-MA
- BlacKkKlansman (2018) – R
- Clemency – (2019) - R
- Do the Right Thing (1989) - R
- Eyes on The Prize (1987) – PG-13
- Fruitvale Station (2013) - R
- The Hate U Give (2018) – PG-13
- The House I Live In (2012) – Not Rated
- Hidden Figures (2016) - PG
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016) – PG-13
- If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) - R
- Just Mercy (2019) – PG-13
- Loving (2016) – PG-13
- Remember the Titans (2000) - PG
- See You Yesterday (2019) – TVMA
- Selma (2014) – PG-13
- Walkout (2006) – TV-14
- When They See Us (2019) – TV-MA
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Crisis Resources
Crisis Resources
This a list of important phone numbers for parents/caregivers to utilize during a crisis. In cases of an emergency always call 911.
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Childcare Resources
Childcare Information
To receive information about local options for children from infants through age 12, call the hotline at 1-888-600-1685.
More information can be found on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services/ Division of Child Development and Early Education website.