12 Jul 2020
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
You are likely to be aware of the tragic death of a ten-year-old girl in Gunnedah and the charging of a 14-year-old girl with her murder.
Legal proceedings limit what can be said about this matter.
The school offers its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victim, and this tragedy will devastate many people in our community.
Counselling is being arranged at the school during the second week of the holidays for students who feel anxious or otherwise affected by the young person’s death. Families of students in relevant year groups will be contacted by the school and information about attending these sessions provided. Further counselling for students will occur at school when Term 3 starts on 20 July 2020.
Meanwhile, if your child seems affected by this tragedy or wants to talk with you about it, please discuss with them how they feel and how you may be able to ease any concerns. You may like to seek advice about helping your child via the Kids Helpline Phone Counselling Service on 1800 55 1800 at any time.
Considerable mainstream news and social media attention to this tragedy will continue for some time; so, I ask parents and caregivers to consider talking with their child or children about thinking carefully before they make any related comments via those mediums. Not only are a police investigation and legal proceedings in progress, there are community members and families affected by the incident to consider.
Shane Kelly
Principal
Gunnedah High School