To the Editor,
I would like to applaud the work that Tara Zimmerman and Rachel Hastie, Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) Family Navigators do for our community. In addition to their regular duties helping families navigate educational, mental health and community services, they have been hosting the series “Coffee and Conversation.” The almost monthly event is held at Gettysburg College on Friday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The women have brought in the various people that help run and keep GASD safe for all the students. Past speakers include GASD School Police Officer, Crisis Team Members, Food Service Director, and Licensed Therapist from Elevate Mind, LLC. Tara Zimmerman and Rachel Hastie are helping our community understand all the disciplines that are necessary to help GASD students grow into happy and productive members of our community.
During the Coffee and Conversation events I’ve learned the history of our GASD Police Officers and how they work with students, staff, and parents. I learned why the milk tastes different this year and the thought that goes into planning the students’ lunch so the lunch can be served as quickly as possible while providing tasty meal choices. Then the conversions regarding students’ mental health covered all sorts of topics from diagnosis to available support.
I am looking forward to future Coffee and Conversations and learning more about the resources available to the families and students of GASD.
Sincerely,
Julieta Booz
Gettysburg, PA