November 23, 2009

Dear Parents,

The visitation for Tim Humes is scheduled for Monday, November 23, 2009 from 3-8pm. If your student would like to pay his or her respects to the family, we encourage them to attend the visitation with a parent/guardian. The visitation is for acquaintances of the Humes family. The funeral service for Tim Humes is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 11:00am. If your child had a close relationship with Tim, it would be appropriate for them to attend that service. The funeral is a private and more formal way for close friends and family of Tim’s to say their goodbyes and pay their respects.

Please explain to your student in advance what happens at a visitation or funeral and what things they might see. If your student is planning on attending the visitation, please have them do so for a short period of time. Remember this will be difficult for Tim’s family as well. Please make sure that your student is dressed appropriately for the services. That would include dress clothes, or nice jeans free from holes and a nice shirt or sweater.

Following the funeral, we would expect that your student return to school. There will be counseling support available if necessary. This situation for your student may be a loss. They may be experiencing typical stages of grief. The five stages of grief are:

1) Denial—At first we deny that this loss is truly happening

2) Anger—We are angry at the people involved in the situation that caused the loss

3) Bargaining—We try to bargain to come up with a way to make the loss go away

4) Despair—We become overwhelmed by our feelings and emotions

5) Acceptance—We begin to reach a level of awareness and understanding about the situation

Grief is a normal life process, and everyone goes through these stages differently. They may spend a long time on one stage, or move back and forth between stages prior to reaching acceptance. As parents talk to your student when they want to talk and more importantly listen. If you feel your student needs more help in dealing with this situation, please don’t hesitate to email or call the school. We are available to talk to your student as needed throughout this difficult time.

All requests to attend services must go through the attendance office prior to 8:00am on Tuesday.

Sincerely,

Matt Jeffrey