By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

The Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon mall property, including the Watertown area.

Any high school student who will be graduating in the class of 2013 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,400 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

The application period is open now through Friday, Jan. 11.

Students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Arsenal Mall's management office. Applications also can be downloaded at the Simon Youth Foundation website.

The program has been awarding money for 12 consecutive years. In 2012, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.2 million to 378 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with Arsenal Mall to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” said J. Michael Durnil, the president and CEO of the foundation.

The 2013 scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post secondary education will also be given close consideration.

The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by March 1.

Simon Youth Foundation was established in 1998 and supports 23 Simon Youth Academies in 13 US states that give at-risk students the same education they would receive in a traditional classroom, while also offering the flexibility that their individual circumstances require.

The Education Commission of the United States has recognized the foundation with its Corporate Award for sustained and substantial investment in improving public education.

For more information, visit the foundation's website.

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Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

The Needham Public Health Department is reminding residents of the take-back safe in the Police Department where they can safely dispose of unused medications.

Residents can drop off unused prescriptions 24 hours a day in a mailbox-like safe in the lobby of the police station.

The town’s take-back program, established in 2010, was one of the first such programs in the Commonwealth, according to the department, and the goal is to keep adolescents and young people from getting their hands on prescriptions that aren’t theirs.

Below is the informational advisory on prescription drug abuse sent out by the department.

Needham Cares about Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest growing drug problem, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have classified it as an epidemic. “Prescription drug abuse” means taking a prescription drug that is not prescribed for you, or taking it other than as directed by your physician. Abuse of prescription drugs can produce serious health effects, including addiction. Commonly abused classes of prescription drugs include opioids (for pain), central nervous system depressants (for anxiety and sleep disorders), and stimulants (for ADHD).

Recent data indicates that 70% of people aged 12 and older who abuse prescription drugs get them from family and friends as opposed to a stranger, drug dealer, or over the Internet (Monitoring the Future, 2011).

For many adolescents, prescription drugs serve as a first initiation into illicit drug use: data from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time that year began by using a prescription drug non-medically. And prescription and over-the-counter medications are the illicit drugs that teens abuse most, with about 1 in 9 young people aged 12-25 using prescription drugs non-medically each year (NSDUH, 2010). Teens who abuse prescription drugs are far more likely to be using other substances as well: of those teens that abuse prescription painkillers, 81% have also used alcohol and 58% have used marijuana (Wu and Pilowsky, 2008).

In April 2011, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released “Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis,” which can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp. It is a multipart, multiagency plan with four areas of focus: education, monitoring, proper medication disposal, and enforcement.

Needham cares about preventing prescription drug abuse in our community. The Needham Coalition for Youth Substance Abuse Prevention (NCYSAP), the Needham Public Health Department (NPHD), and the Needham Police Department (NPD) collaborated in 2010 to bring a medication take-back program to Needham, one of the first such programs in the Commonwealth. Residents can drop-off their unused prescriptions 24/7 in a mailbox-like safe located in the lobby of the Needham Police department.

Visit our website for more information.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

The Needham Heights Neighborhood Association will host a meeting on Monday night to discuss the Microwave Development Labs Waste Site Cleanup Project.

Deputy Regional Director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Steven Johnson will speak about the history and current status of the project, which he has supervised since 1990, according to a release from the Neighborhood Association.

Johnson will also talk about the impact of the project on the Hillside Elementary School building in Needham Heights.

There will be a question and answer period at the end of Johnson’s talk.

The meeting is open to all residents of Needham, and will be held at the Needham Public Library on Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Nominations are due Feb. 1 for the Needham Exchange Club’s Community Service Award, which recognizes Needham High School freshmen, sophomores and juniors who are active in clubs and organizations.

Nominees should demonstrate service to the school or local community, leadership, persistence, collaboration and impact.

Every year, up to five students are recognized for their service.

Each student is invited to submit a brief proposal to the Exchange Club for a cash award of between $500 to $1,000 to be donated to a community or school-based organization or project they participate in. The Exchange Club picks one, and makes the donation in the student’s name.

Students or their advisors can apply for the awards here. Information on the Exchange Club can be found here or by emailing Michael Greis at mgreis@comcast.net.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Registration for Needham Youth Services winter programs will open on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall.

Programs include a babysitter training course, a self-esteem workshop for girls called Extreme Looks, and a peer tutoring program. There are also programs for parents, including suicide prevention training, and meetings for parents of teenagers to discuss topics fro teen stress and depression to how to be a better father.

To view the brochure, go here. Registration information is located on page 5.

Anyone with questions should call 781-455-7500x267.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Wednesday sentenced a former mortgage attorney from Needham to five years of probation, and ordered him to pay more than $600,000 in restitution for defrauding mortgage holders and lending institutions and running a Ponzi scheme, according to a spokesman for the United States Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.

David L. Spector, 52, pleaded guilty in May of this year to three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, according to a statement from the AG's office.

Spector admitted that between April and October of 2007, he conducted real estate mortgage refinance closings for properties in Plymouth and Lawrence in Mass., and Westerly, R.I., according to the statement.

During the closing process, Spector transferred the proceeds of the mortgages obtained by his clients to his attorney escrow account for the purpose of redistributing them to pay off existing mortgages and other costs associated with the closing, according to the release.

But he admitted that instead of properly distributing the funds, he took $601,692 to run a Ponzi scheme to pay his personal expenses, and to pay off earlier mortgages that he had never paid off, according to the release.

He filed change of address forms with mortgage companies that had not been paid off to keep his clients from finding out what he was doing, according to the release. The bills went to a post office box that he controlled.

The government requested that Spector receive 2 years imprisonment and full restitution, said Jim Martin, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.

U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. sentenced Spector to five years probation, with the first year to be served in home confinment; 300 hours of community service; and full restitution of $607,074.24, said Martin.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

The Needham Board of Selectmen voted Tuesday night to approve regulations for the town’s new off-site liquor licenses, according to Sandy Cincotta, town support services manager.

The historically dry town voted in November to allow the sale of alcohol at package stores, and the regulations include rules about the hours alcohol can be sold and the age requirements for employees.

Needham is now allowed six liquor licenses, and will get an extra two in 2018. No more than six at a time will permit the sale of all alcohol.

There will be an open period for applications for off-premise liquor licenses starting next year on Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. and closing Jan. 18 at 4 p.m.

Package stores will be allowed to sell alcohol from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday and holidays, according to the new regulations. No sales are allowed on Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The Board of Selectmen will have the final say on the hours for each individual store.

Convenience stores will not be granted liquor licenses. Food stores may only be issued wine and beer licenses, not all-alcohol licenses.

Employees directly involved in the sale of alcohol must be at least 21 years of age. Food store employees, however, who are over 18 but under 21, may handle, store or prepare alcoholic beverages, and may sell them as long as a manager who is at least 21 approves and authorizes the sale. A designated manager must always be present.

Alcohol deliveries must be made by employees who are at least 21.

No seating or tables are allowed in package stores. No consumption of alcohol is allowed within the store, except for sample tasting.

Package stores must maintain an updated employee roster that is available to the town.

Any employees who sell or handle alcoholic beverages must complete alcohol safety training, and must be recertified by a town-approved program once ever three years. New employees must complete training within 30 days. Employees must all watch a town-approved training video once a year.

The licensee must make sure that there is no loitering, disorder, disturbances or illegality on the premises. They will be held responsible even if they are not on the premises. The area surrounding the package store must be kept clean.

When deciding whether to grant a liquor license, the Board of Selectmen will consider the proximity to neighborhoods and other sensitive areas.

Alcohol-related signage will be limited, and will conform to town signage bylaws.

Stores that derive more than a quarter of their gross revenues from the sale of alcoholic beverages will not be allowed to advertise at local sporting events or school events, and will not be allowed to sponsor sporting teams where the uniforms carry the name or logo of the business.

Nips will not be directly accessible by customers.

For the full list of regulations, go here.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Jarret Bencks, Jessica Bartlett and Evan Allen, Town Correspondents

Massachusetts school children returned to classes Monday amid anxiety, some additional security and a hope for normalcy on the first full school day after the tragic Connecticut shootings.

On their first day back to school since the Newtown, Conn. massacre, some Boston students were greeted by increased police patrols, street workers, counselors and psychologists – all put in place to help them cope with the tragedy and to reassure them that schools are a safe place to be.

“What’s most important is that students maintain their routine and are safe and comfortable,” said Carol R. Johnson, Boston schools superintendent, at a press conference Monday morning. “To make sure that we help students stay focused on learning and also respond to any concern that may come up as a result of the situation in Connecticut.”

Principals met with teachers prior to the start of school Monday morning to review procedures and protocols on how to address violent events with students, particularly those in the elementary schools, Johnson said.

School administrators e-mailed flyers to parents over the weekend from the National Association of School Psychologists with tips on how to talk to children about violence. The same flyers were distributed to parents at schools Monday morning, Johnson said.

In Somerville, Friday's events were on the mind of Edite Gois of Somerville as she unloaded kids from a gold minivan at John F. Kennedy Elementary school.

"Everybody is scared," she said. "Every kid is talking about this, they know what happened and they are scared, too."

Gois, 50, transports children to school for Brazilian families in Somerville. She said security should be heightened at schools.

"Like at the airport," she said.

Deneen and William Scully walked their 10-year-old son to school Monday morning in Somerville. They explained Friday's shooting to their son over the weekend, but didn't go into too much detail with him, Deneen Scully said.

"We talked with him about it briefly and then we just kept the T.V. off," she said.

Somerville had two police officers in bright yellow jackets in front of the entrance of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville Monday, which is part of normal security at public schools in the city, police Chief Thomas Pasquarello said. There were no plans for increased security in Somerville because police already monitor the schools closely, Pasquarello said. Some of their measures include having police officers at entrances in the morning and afternoon, and a rotation of marked and unmarked cruisers patrolling school zones, he said.

"A lot of parents are happy to see to see police around this morning," he said.

In Hingham, officials at South Elementary School stepped up security slightly, locking side doors and closely watching front doors Monday as schools opened. A school official greeted students at the front door.

Karen Salon, a Hingham parent with a 13 year old boy, 10 year old girl, an 8 year old boy in Hingham Public Schools, said she was open and honest with her children about the tragedy, even letting them watch the President's address.

"My kids feel sad about the kids who were killed, but they didn't have any hesitation about going to school today and going about their lives."

In Needham, school officials and parents were striving for a normal day, after a planned early morning meeting among teachers and administrators to revisit security plans.

For Jay Moreschi, who walked with his kindergartender into Broadmeadow Elementary School in Needham, the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut weighed on his mind. A police car idled nearby.

“You just walk into school, and you see all the kids walking around the hallways. I must have seen 70 of them. It just makes you think, what makes me any different than someone walking in there that doesn’t belong there?’’ Moreschi said. “I see all the glass windows. What’s to stop somebody from coming in through the glass windows. It’s sad to think that way, but it’s almost like, it seems like Newtown is a similar community to Needham.’’

Over the weekend, Medford superintendent Roy Belson notifed parents that additional police and school security personnel would be on hand Monday. He said Medford would also "begin an upgrade of all our security cameras and electronic entry systems.''

"While our assessment is that our schools are safe, we have decided to take additional action steps to increase coverage and strengthen rules that will add an extra dimension to our security at all school buildings. We believe that these enhanced measures can be accomplished without compromising a conducive learning environment and a desirable school climate. However, of necessity, these actions will make it less convenient for entry and visitation to our school sites,'' Belson wrote.

In Boston, where police were expected to add patrols for a few days, school officials said they have good security in place.

Johnson said she is confident in the security systems already in place at the schools, but added that all of them will be reviewed in light of the massacre, including being buzzed in to a building and requiring people to sign in at main offices. Principals have also been asked to review all emergency drills, she said.

“Certainly we have procedures in place, as I think [Sandy Hook] did, so that teachers knew where to go, where to take kids, where to hide,” Johnson said. “But I think that none of us ever imagined ever having to use any of those procedures.

“This does cross a line that we have truly never seen before,” she added. “And it’s pretty traumatic for all of us to absorb.”

In Lexington, Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash said the district has been locking the doors 15-minutes after the start of school for the past two years after it received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools program.

But Ash said schools are not fortresses, and they are not prepared to stop someone who is prepared to die. Ash said that it sounds as if the gunman in Newtown shot his way into the building even though the doors were locked.

“I’m not going to kid you, what was really heartbreaking about what we saw in Newtown is it looks like they did everything right,” Ash said. "You could lock down your building, but if a person has a high enough powered weapon, they can blow a hole right through the glass."
Ash said Lexington used the federal grant to develop emergency plans for multiple scenarios, from a person with a weapon at a school to a hazardous materials incident in a building. Detailed blueprints of the schools were also made available electronically to emergency responders and staff were trained for emergency practices, he said.

But in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings, Ash said school and public safety officials are taking another look at their security efforts to ensure they are doing everything they can.

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Courtesy of Boston Archdiocese

Parents pulled up behind an idling police car to drop their children off on Monday morning at Broadmeadow Elementary School in Needham. Many were grim-faced and wary of a reporter, and Assistant Principal Robi Richards said that staff were trying to keeping a sense of normalcy – the police presence, she said, was the only thing that was out of the ordinary.

“We’re really hoping to make this a day that’s a beginning day for our children,” said Richards. “Right now, this is all about the children and the parents.”

It was an anxious return to routine. On Friday morning, a 20-year-old Connecticut man shot his mother in her home and then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where he shot and killed 20 first-graders and six teachers before turning the gun on himself, in the second-deadliest school shooting in American history.

For Jay Moreschi, who walked with his kindergartener into the school, the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School weighed on his mind.

“You just walk into school, and you see all the kids walking around the hallways – I must have seen 70 of them. It just makes you think, what makes me any different than someone walking in there that doesn’t belong there?” he said. “I see all the glass windows – what’s to stop somebody coming in through the glass windows? It’s sad to think that way, but it’s almost like – it seems like Newtown was a similar community to Needham.”

Moreschi, 43, also has a 3-year-old. He has not talked to either of his daughters about the shooting in Connecticut, he said, and they have kept the television off at their home. If their kindergartener has questions, he said, they will try to answer them, but only if she brings it up.

“We just told her to give her kindergarten teacher an extra special hug today,” he said.

Drop-offs went smoothly on Monday morning at Newman Elementary School in Needham, said principal Jessica Peterson. On Friday, she said, the principals of all the schools met with Superintendent Dan Gutekanst to discuss existing safety procedures and how best to talk to students about the tragedy in Connecticut.

On Monday morning, she said, she met with Newman staff to discuss the same issues, and will meet again on Monday afternoon to check in and see how the day went.

“My message to them this morning was that while this is really close to our hearts, and tragic, that we find the joy in what we do,” Peterson said. “The rest of the week, that’s our goal, is to find the joy, and be models for our kids of resiliency. That we persevere.”

The school is not planning new safety procedures, she said. The school already locks its doors after 9 a.m., and requires visitors sign in at the main door and wear a visitor’s badge. They just did a lockdown drill two weeks ago, she said, and all of the schools in Needham have security measures that are coordinated with the police and fire departments.

The guidance department, she said, has developed a script for teachers to answer questions from children, but will not be explicitly talking about Newtown.

“The message is that kids are safe, and sometimes sad things happen, but that kids are safe,” she said. “The adults in this building will make sure that they’re safe.”

That, said Needham Youth Services Director Jon Mattleman, is the most important thing that adults can tell children.

“The reality is, they are safe," said Mattleman. "This is an extreme and horrible case that will probably forever change the landscape of how we deal with buildings and schoochildren, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t go to school, that doesn’t mean that we don’t go to movies, to use another example, and live our lives.”

Mattleman said he has received calls from parents who don’t know what to say to their children. The best strategy, he said, is to keep conversations relatively brief, to avoid going into details about the shootings, and to reassure children that they will be okay in their school. It can help to talk to children about who they might talk to in school if they get anxious during the day.

And, he said, children take their cues from their parents – so adults need to be aware that if they are talking about the shootings on the phone with a friend, or watching news nonstop, their child is absorbing all of that information, too.

It is also important to remember, said Mattleman, that we may never understand why the gunman did what he did – and accepting that is part of coming to terms with the tragedy.

Everyone, said Mattleman, is grieving for Newtown.

“I think that with this incident, we don’t really know those families or those children. But a lot of us have had children. And so we know what their life might have been like,” he said. “We know that some people might have dropped off their kids and said, ‘Honey, please come right out of school because were going to dance lessons,’ or ‘We have soccer practice.’ So we all can identify with that as parents, and if not as parents, as people who were in a little elementary school with a nice principal and nice teachers.”

A vigil is planned at Memorial Field in Needham at 6 p.m. on Monday night.

As for what comes next, no one is quite sure.

“I think people are shaken, I think they want some answers,” said Board of Selectmen Chair Jerry Wasserman. “I do think that there has to be a lot more exploration of gun control. That subject has to come back up in Washington.”

Needham’s Town Meeting has in the past taken stands on national issues – this past summer, they voted for a resolution condemning Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that opened the door to SuperPACs. But Wasserman said it was too early to speculate about whether something like that could come up on the floor of the next Town Meeting.

The horror at the massacre in Newtown is unlikely to fade soon, especially in the town’s schools.

“I don’t think it’ll be something that goes away quickly,” said Peterson. “I think it makes us realize even more clearly how important our jobs are, to a whole new level. I think it’s just going to be something at the forefront of our mind.”

For information on how to talk to children, Jon Mattleman provided this article.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Brock Parker, Jarret Bencks, Evan Allen, and Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondents

Schools in and around Boston prepared to step up security, reassure parents and students and offer counseling and support as students return to class Monday for the first time since the shootings in Connecticut.

Officials in Medford, Natick and the city of Boston said they would step up security immediately, and several schools said they would review their procedures.

Natick school officials assured parents that a security plan is already in place, but they also said they would lock all front doors.

"Know that we have in place strong security systems in all eight of our schools. Our administration is well versed in handling lock down and crisis situations,'' Natick schools superintedent Peter Sanchioni said in an email Friday. "Starting Monday, the front door of all of our schools will be locked and staffed.''

In Medford, Roy E Belson, the Superintendent of Schools, notifed parents that additional police and school security personnel would be on hand Monday. He said Medford would also "begin an upgrade of all our security cameras and electronic entry systems.''

"While our assessment is that our schools are safe, we have decided to take additional action steps to increase coverage and strengthen rules that will add an extra dimension to our security at all school buildings. We believe that these enhanced measures can be accomplished without compromising a conducive learning environment and a desirable school climate. However, of necessity, these actions will make it less convenient for entry and visitation to our school sites,'' Belson wrote.

In Cambridge, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Young said in a prepared statement posted on the school district’s website that he convened an emergency meeting Sunday morning with senior staff to plan for the week. He said all principals will meet with staff prior to the start of school Monday to prepare teachers to meet with their students, and share ideas and strategies for developmentally appropriate responses to questions children might ask in school this week.

Young said district protocols call for exterior building doors to be locked, lockdown exercises have already been in place and during the current school year each class was equipped with an emergency procedures booklet.

But the superintendent said that even with the city’s safety measures in place, the school district still needs the communities help and support.

“We must heighten our awareness of situations that seem out of the ordinary and be active in reporting them to authorities,” Young said.

In Boston, police commissioner Ed Davis said Friday that he would increase police patrols.

"Although there is no connection to the Boston area, the shooting is disturbing,'' Davis said in a statement Friday afternoon. "Accordingly, we will be increasing uniformed police patrols in and around schools over the next several days.”

In an email to parents Sunday, Arlington Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Bodie said schools are planning to have as normal a school day as possible Monday, but counselors will be available at each school throughout the week. Bodie said the strong message to students will be that “they are in a safe environment with people who care about them very much and who are responsible for keeping their environment safe.

Police officers will be driving near Arlington schools during the day, Bodie said, but there will not be a police presence at each school all day. The superintendent said officials thought a police presence could cause more anxiety rather than alleviate anxiety.

But Bodie said a high level of vigilance will be followed by school officials and safety of the students is of paramount importance.

Thomas S. Kingston, the Interim Superintendent of Schools in Belmont, said there was "increased concern and regard" for school security.

'We do not discuss publicly our safety protocols or interventions because someone who might have ill intent could misuse such information. However, I do want to assure the public that we have heightened our vigilance, conferred with public safety officials, continually review our drills and procedures, and are doing all we can within our power to make sure our schools are as safe as possible,'' Kingston wrote.

Beverly Superintendent Marie E. Galinski said school officials there will be vigilant. "I have asked all of our principals to review all safety procedures with staff on Monday, December 17th,'' she said in a statement posted on a school website.

Framingham superintendent Stacy Scott said schools there are prepared for questions from students.

"Counselors and support staff will be in available in every school on Monday morning. The District Crisis Team has been activated and will be on hand to provide any additional support that is needed. School teams will review and reinforce safety protocols that are already in place in our school buildings,'' Scott said in a message posted on the school website.

In Needham, superintendent Dan Gutekanst sent an email to parents Friday assuring them that teachers would be ready for students' questions when they returned Monday. School officials say they want the day to be as normal as possible.

"The principals will meet with their entire faculty and staff early on Monday morning and before students arrive to discuss how to be prepared for students,'' Gutekanst wrote. "Each teacher will receive information and a script about what to do and/or say in the event a student raises a concern or questions about the tragedy.''

Addressing security, he wrote: "We review, plan, and practice emergency responses and protocols with students and staff throughout the year. We collaborate closely with the Needham Police and other public safety and health officials to review plans and procedures to maximize school safety and security. The principals know that attending to student and school safety is their first and most important priority.''

In Lexington, Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash said in a statement posted on the school district’s website that principals, school psychologists, guidance counselors and others would be available Monday and throughout the week.

On behalf of the school district, Ash said he sends his thoughts and prayers to the staff, students and families of Newtown Connecticut as they deal with the horrific tragedy.

“As we seek to comprehend and understand the horror of the event, we naturally think about how we can support children and families during this very difficult time,” Ash wrote.

Lexington’s School District has posted links to online resources for talking about school violence on its website.

Principals at Newton South High and Newton North High sent emailed announcments to the school communities over the weekend explaining the plans, assuring parents and students that security procedures were in place and offering tips on how to handle questions about the tragedy.

"Advisors and counselors will be ready to answer students’ questions after the moment of silence. We will also have counselors available in their offices for the entire day for any student who needs additional support,'' Newton South Principal Joel Stembridge said in an email sent Sunday.

Newton North Principal Jennifer Price sent a nearly identical message over the weekend.

"This type of tragedy inevitably makes us all re-examine our school safety. Please know that we have taken a number of actions over the last few years to make Newton South a safer place and will continue to work to make South as safe as possible,'' Stembridge's message said.

In Everett, the Immaculate Conception Parish is holding a prayer service Monday at 6 pm at the church.