Prayers for Peace
As the conflict in Israel continues to escalate, I know all have been impacted by the violence we are seeing, and the ongoing turmoil. The loss of innocent lives in Israel and Gaza is heartbreaking. As a school sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, our charism of “unifying love” and our mission that all may be one, guides us toward prayers for peace.
The safety of our OLP community is our highest priority, we will continue to closely monitor global events and local response, including maintaining contact with local law enforcements, and we will share any safety updates with you should they arise.
We also have at heart the emotional well-being of our students and know they are impacted by the wave of information and violent content they may see online, especially on social media. This can be a lot to process, especially when the content surrounds horrific real-world events. Our counselors, Assistant Principals, faculty and staff are all here should students or families need support. We have compiled resources internally, and have posted additional links on the parent portal. We also have attached a recent letter from the Superintendent of Schools from the Diocese of San Diego and a message from Cardinal McElroy.
We will continue to monitor global events and local response, social media, including maintaining contact with local law enforcement partners, and to share safety updates with you. Our counselors, assistant principals, faculty and staff are all here should students or families need support.
As always, we are committed to ensuring a safe, secure, and positive faith-filled learning environment for all our young women. We stand together with our parents as partners in education, modeling our Sisters’ charism of “unifying love” for all!
Dr. Lauren Lek
Head of School
Resources
Conflict in the Middle East: Letter from the Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of San Diego
Talk about What’s Happening (Resources from the ADL)
- We Stand with Israel
- Hamas Backgrounder
- Hamas Attack Draws Cheers from Extremists, Spurs Antisemitism and Conspiracies Online
- Questions, Complexities and Context: Insights into Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
In partnership with The Social Institute…Recognizing the impact of violent media and limiting exposure, we recognize the ethical challenge of staying educated and informed while protecting your mental health. We advise students and adults to consider limiting their social media usage in the coming days, updating settings on devices to limit exposure to content that hurts their mental health.
General Resources for Talking with Young People about Injustice (Resources form the ADL)
- How to talk to children about difficult news (from the American Psychological Association)
- Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate (English and Spanish)
- Helping Students Make Sense of News Stories about Bias and Injustice
- Tips for Engaging and Disengaging on Social Media
Resources about Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism (Resources from the ADL)
- 10 Ways to Have Conscientious Conversations on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Antisemitism Uncovered/Anti-Zionism
- Think. Plan. Act. Tools for Dealing with Antisemitic and anti-Israeli Incidents on college campuses
- Antisemitism Today (English and Spanish)
- Antisemitic Incidents: Being an Ally, Advocate and Activist
Resources from SDCOE
- Facing History and Ourselves – Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter
- Judy Pace – Teaching Controversial Issues: A Framework for Reflective Practice
- Street Law – Classroom Deliberations
- Constitutional Rights Foundation – Conducting a Civil Conversation in the Classroom
- SDCOE resource guide – Facilitating Dialogue with Compassion
