Cranford Schools Host Grief-Informed Schools Parent Academy This Week
The presentation is aimed at sixth grade parents, but all are welcome.
CRANFORD, NJ – Cranford Public Schools is hosting a Parent Academy this Wednesday, January 11 about their Grief-Informed Schools program.
The district partnered with Imagine, a non-profit organization from Mountainside that helps families cope with loss, to launch the program last year, according to Gayle Colucci, the district’s Coordinator of Culture and Climate.
Grief for a loss, added Colucci, does not necessarily mean death. “It could mean the loss of a friendship or relationship,” she told TAPinto.
According to Imagine’s website, “A world where grief, trauma, and loss are transformed into resilience, empathy and compassion, where children coping with loss grow up emotionally healthy and able to lead meaningful and productive lives and where no child grieves alone.”
Colucci said that last year’s sixth graders learned went through the program and were taught how to notice if their friends show signs of grief and how to help their friends through those emotional times. Those current seventh graders are now considered Peer Leaders and this year’s sixth graders will participate in the training.
Last year, the district funded the program, but this year it was funded by the Cranford Jaycees. On September 13, 2022, the Cranford Board of Education approved a $3,750 grant from the Jaycees that included the Grief-Informed Schools program for parents and students, as well the Bullies to Buddies program.
Colucci said there are also plans to train the district’s counselors and educators this year, so the program can be sustainable in future years.
While the program is aimed at sixth-grade families, all parents and guardians are encouraged to attend, added Colucci. The presentation will be from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hillside Avenue School. Attendees are asked to RSVP here.
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