Spring Safety Week

 

IMPORTANT: Safety Drill Reminders

We are going to have our School Safety Week next week, so wanted to give you the information ahead of time.  All staff need to review safety procedures for themselves, and classroom teachers/specialists need to review the procedures with their students for the SEVERE WEATHER and LOCK DOWN drills this week.  I will review each of our drills (Hold, Secure, Evacuation, Severe Weather and Lockdown) on the Raider Report this week as well.  We will try to do a fire drill next week as well.

NOTE:  We now need to do TWO severe weather drills each year.  Starting next year, we will do one in the fall, and one in the spring.  This year, I will be asking you to practice (on your own) during the severe weather week, and one other time before the end of the year.

Severe Weather

Next week is designated as Severe Weather Awareness week, with a statewide Tornado Drill on Thursday, April 10th.  While we will not be doing an all-school practice at that time, staff are asked to do the following:

Please review:

• Classroom teachers: On Thursday (April 10), at your own chosen time, review the overhead message: Shelter for tornado. Go to your tornado shelter area. In addition, review the crouch position (crouch low, head down, protecting the back of the head with their arms), and visit your classroom's severe weather (tornado) location - 2024-2025 and the Tornado Review procedure.  The state tornado Drill is at 1:45, but teachers/specialists can choose to do their review at any time during the day.

• Specialists: review your location with your students
• Note: I will review lunch/recess procedures on the Raider Report next week: students will go into the hallway between Deanna's and Ryan's rooms, and near the elevator if needed.

Lockdown Drill

Classroom teachers and Specialists: Talk through the drill with your students, sometime this week

• Discuss with students that sometimes there are times when our school will have emergency situations like a fire drill, needing to stay in the classroom for a medical situation, or other emergency situations.

• Explain that this announcement would say: Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight. You do not need to explicitly discuss active shooters, but most importantly, remind them when a lockdown occurs, all students need to listen carefully and follow the instructions of their teacher.

• Remind students that if they are in the hallway/bathroom, they need to quietly find a classroom door that is unlocked (if they can’t get into their own classroom).

• Please record your drill here: Lockdown Drill Documentation

• Optional: Here's the I Love You Guys presentation.

Building Safety

As always, continue to:

• keep outside doors closed/latched
• keep classroom doors locked so they can be quickly closed and secured
• keep an eye on entry doors (by front office) to make sure they are closed - they sometimes get propped open
• follow up with anyone in the building that does not have a badge or visitor sticker

Thank you to everyone for your diligence to this informaiton and these practices. It is always our hope that we will never have to implement any emergency procedures, but if we do, it's important that we are ready.