I thought I'd share the poem we will share today with students on our morning announcements. I hope you join me in taking time today to thank a veteran.
Veterans Day
by Cheryl Dyson
On Veterans Day we honor all,
Who answered to a service call.
Soldiers young, and soldiers old,
Fought for freedom, brave and bold.
Some have lived, while others died,
And all of them deserve our pride.
We’re proud of all the soldiers who,
Kept thinking of red, white and blue.
They fought for us and all our rights,
They fought through many days and nights.
And though we may not know each name,
We thank ALL veterans just the same.
Thank You to all who have served and are currently serving our counrty!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Successful Code Red Drill for Prairieland
I just wanted to update our parents on the success of the Code Red Drill we had today at school. All students did a great job and none of the students were frightened. As you know, we chose to use a less threatening scenario of “a dog loose in the school” so we could practice the skills, but not frighten students. We also did a lot of prep with the kids as far as what to expect.
Thanks to the teachers and staff for all of their help to make this a constructive experience. Also, a special thanks to the Normal Fire Department and the Normal Police Department for their involvement in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the drill. Great teamwork!
We intentionally conducted today’s drill during the noon hour, so we could assess our preparedness for a situation to occur when a large number of students were outside their classrooms.
• 1st and 4th graders were on the playground during the drill and they all did a nice job walking to the safe area in the fire station.
• Kindergarten and 3rd graders were in the lunchroom and continued eating lunch. However, we did lock the doors and turn off the lights (standard procedure for a code red). We also showed the kindergartners what the lunchroom looked like with lights out BEFORE the drill, so they wouldn’t be afraid. They did fine.
• 2nd and 5th graders were in classrooms and staff did a nice job turning off lights, locking doors, and having students sit quietly and out of the line of sight of a window.
As a follow up at school, we have a Safety Committee at Prairieland that will get feedback from the staff and then continue to refine our procedures for Code Red drills. We are also fortunate to have law enforcement personnel serving on this committee.
As a follow up at home, I encourage all parents to talk with their children about what to do in a variety of emergency situations at home, school, or in public. Some situations to discuss would include fire, tornado, earthquake (yes, I said earthquake), stranger danger, and code red drills at school.
I do think it’s sad that we need to practice a Code Red situation in school. However, it is a fact of life and our staff takes great pride in keeping our Cougars safe!
Thanks to the teachers and staff for all of their help to make this a constructive experience. Also, a special thanks to the Normal Fire Department and the Normal Police Department for their involvement in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the drill. Great teamwork!
We intentionally conducted today’s drill during the noon hour, so we could assess our preparedness for a situation to occur when a large number of students were outside their classrooms.
• 1st and 4th graders were on the playground during the drill and they all did a nice job walking to the safe area in the fire station.
• Kindergarten and 3rd graders were in the lunchroom and continued eating lunch. However, we did lock the doors and turn off the lights (standard procedure for a code red). We also showed the kindergartners what the lunchroom looked like with lights out BEFORE the drill, so they wouldn’t be afraid. They did fine.
• 2nd and 5th graders were in classrooms and staff did a nice job turning off lights, locking doors, and having students sit quietly and out of the line of sight of a window.
As a follow up at school, we have a Safety Committee at Prairieland that will get feedback from the staff and then continue to refine our procedures for Code Red drills. We are also fortunate to have law enforcement personnel serving on this committee.
As a follow up at home, I encourage all parents to talk with their children about what to do in a variety of emergency situations at home, school, or in public. Some situations to discuss would include fire, tornado, earthquake (yes, I said earthquake), stranger danger, and code red drills at school.
I do think it’s sad that we need to practice a Code Red situation in school. However, it is a fact of life and our staff takes great pride in keeping our Cougars safe!
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