St. Michael Catholic School Responds to Sandy Hook Shooting

Prayer and safety will be of the utmost concern Monday at St. Michael Catholic School.

In the wake of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT that left 20 children and six adults dead, the weekend brought national mourning and prayers for those impacted. St. Michael area residents expressed their words of support over the weekend.

St. Michael Catholic School Principal Jenny Haller issued a letter to parents Sunday night informing them of the school's plans and intentions as students return to school Monday.

"We want you to know what we have done and will be doing at school to address this event," Haller wrote. "We did not make any announcements on Friday regarding the shooting in hopes that your family would be able to handle the matter first in your own way."

Students will be reminded of safety procedures such as lock downs and locked doors, and the office policy of only admitting people into the building that are known, Haller's letter stated.

Staff have been instructed to keep things age-appropriate and highly sensitive.

"We have no intention of speaking in detail about the nature of the event," Haller wrote to parents.

"Prayerful intentions" will be made for the community impacted by the shooting, keeping in mind the age of St. Michael Catholic School's students, she wrote.

"For the community of Newtown, CT, the students, families and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary, that God may comfort them and bring them peace during such a sad time," Haller wrote. "Being mindful that we have a wide age range (K-8) gathered at that time, we will speak in most generic terms."

Haller also suggests parents who have completely sheltered their children from the situation to at least offer a simple explanation because it is "highly likely that the topic will come up in less structure environments that we cannot control such as the bus, playground, lunchroom," the letter states.