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St John The Baptist Primary School, Portadown

Important Parent/Guardian Letter

13th May 2024

Dear Parent/Guardian,

It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you of the sudden and unexpected death of one of our pupils.

Salam has been with us since primary one.  She has always been a popular, happy and smiling little girl who brought ‘a breath of fresh air’ to the classroom. She will be deeply missed.

As a school community, we are truly heart-broken and our thoughts and prayers are with her family and extended family circle.

As you will understand, this is a very difficult time for the whole school community.  Trained staff from the Education Authority Critical Incident Response Team are in school to offer critical incident management support and advice to staff in their support of pupils. I have also attached a leaflet from the Critical Incident Response Team which provides advice for parents about ways to support their pupils at home over the coming weeks.

It is possible that some pupils may raise questions or concerns in the weeks to come.  Please be assured that these will be dealt with sensitively and with compassion.  Salam’s death is a huge loss and it is widely felt, but for the welfare of our pupils, we are trying to keep the school environment as normal as possible.

With this in mind, we have made the decision to keep school open as usual.

If you have any concerns regarding your child, please contact me immediately.

I know you will want to join us in expressing our sincerest sympathies to Salam’s family at this sad time and assuring them of our continued prayers and support in the coming days.

Yours sincerely,

Anne Marie Coleman

Acting Principal