EASTHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 200 Schoolhouse Road ~ Eastham, MA 02642 April 10, 2019 Dear Eastham Elementary School Families and Staff, ‘We would like to take this opportunity to address the unsubstantiated and blatantly injurious allegations made against wo of our 3rd grade teachers Tamsyn Shaw and Coreen Olson. Since the publishing of the article in the Cape Cod Times, we have received an outpouring of emails and letters written by past and present students and parents applauding the two teachers for the wonderful experiences they had during their time in 3rd grade, The ‘general theme shared by everyone, staff and colleagues included, is that Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Olson are consummate professionals, passionate and dedicated to meeting the needs ofthe whole child. "You are truly a gifted teacher!” “You are kind and compassionate!...“Respectful and responsive!” Over and over again, people have offered support ‘and encouragement to these two teachers who have a combined $3 yrs, of teaching experience, making a positive impact on over 1500 children, We strongly believe that Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Olson were unfairly weated by the article printed and that there is absolutely no evidence of bullying, public shaming, humiliation, or abuse. On the contrary, these teachers consistently create and maintain a safe physical and intellectual environment where students are trested with fairness and respect. They create a climate which fosters risk-taking and builds students’ confidence to tackle challenging work. From an evaluative perspective and according to the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation Rubric, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Olson have exemplary ratings. Their strong performance spans an entire career and four different principals, As we begin to move forward, it is important to know that both the administration and teachers realize the significance of partnering with families and students to ensure that they feel socially, emotionally, and physically safe at school. When concems arise and are brought to our attention, we make every effort to listen and to respond in an appropriate and timely way. When this group of parents eame to voice their concerns about present teaching practices, which are used throughout Eastham Elementary and the Nauset Region, we quickly devised a plan and process for responding. We met several times with teachers to discuss ways to address the issues. The conversations were very productive as everyone took the opportunity to honestly reflect and to brainstorm ways to make reasonable adjustments to classroom management strategies, Again, we fully support Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Olson and applaud their continued professionalism and genuine care and concern for every child, Sincerely, Te Canna BDC ‘Tom Conrad, Superintendent Bill Crosby, Princips