Friday, March 1, 2013


My name is Victoria Legacki and I am a second grade teacher at Hilltop School in Mendham Borough, New Jersey. Before moving to New Jersey in 2007, I was a first grade teacher (Miss Crocco- I was not married at the time) at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. My time working at SHS was amazing and I had the opportunity to be mentored by an outstanding administration and staff of teachers. The faculty at SHS was a tight knit group of professionals who truly were dedicated to guiding their students to strive for their best.
As you can imagine, the events of December 14th left me thoroughly devastated as they did for everyone that heard the news. My personal connection of knowing the staff and previously teaching in the first grade classrooms made the event hit so much closer to home. As the weeks passed I kept saying (as so many people have), “I wish there was something I could do to make this a little easier for the teachers of Sandy Hook School.”

In January, I had the opportunity to visit with many of the staff members and alumni of SHS. While having dinner with my old first grade team, I learned that some groups have come together to send lunch to the teachers at school. The teachers I spoke with said that this has really taken a huge burden off of their shoulders and made their days a little bit easier by not having to “brown-bag it” a few times a week. 
On my car ride home I thought to myself again, there must be something I can do and someway we can come together as educators to send our support and love to the teachers of Sandy Hook School. I contacted the school and they gladly welcomed the idea of lunch being sent to Sandy Hook. I contacted a local restaurant that is willing to deliver and set up the lunch for a reasonable cost.

Thinking of You Thursdays is a way for us to quietly show our support to the teachers in Newtown. They show up day after day and put their own anxieties and fears aside so that they can continue to create classroom environments that are safe and nurturing. Somehow they find the strength to be strong for their students and put their own fears aside. My hope is that Thinking of you Thursdays will give the teachers a small break- one day a week where they don't have to worry about packing their lunch and they can sit together as a team of teachers and heal.

Many members of the staff in Mendham contributed to the Thinking of you Thursdays lunch fund and we raised enough money to host a hot lunch for the SHS staff on Thursday, March 21st along with the help of the neighboring schools listed above. I am writing today to see if your school staff is also interested in sponsoring a luncheon for the teachers or combining with other schools to send a lunch collaboratively. The current staff at Sandy Hook School is approximately 100 people. The cost for a hot lunch (choices such as chicken marsala, eggplant parmigiana, lasagna…) along with beverages, plates, side salads and dessert is $10.00 a person. The cost for a cold lunch with sandwiches along with the other sides is $9.00 a person. The total cost for the luncheons would be either $900.00 or $1,000.00 for the staff.

Please take a moment to share this idea with your staff and see if there is a contact person that would be willing to be in touch with me to further organize this event. I will arrange the specific lunch date with Joanne (the head secretary at SHS) and assist with the ordering of food and payment to the caterer. 

Payments can be made directly to:
 Vazzano's Catering
Attn: Chris for the Sandy Hook Lunch Funds
416 Horace Street 
Bridgeport, CT  06606
*Or payments can be made over the phone with a credit card


Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I truly believe the teachers of Sandy Hook School are a remarkable group of people who deserve this small gesture to show our support and love for them during this time.

Sincerely,
Victoria Legacki (Crocco)
Second Grade Team Leader
Hilltop School, Mendham Borough, NJ
thinkingofyouthursdays@gmail.com

No comments:

Post a Comment