Dear St. Joseph Elementary School Families,
I hope that you all had a wonderful week! As you may have noticed, I was away from school on Wednesday through Friday for the Diocese of Oakland’s yearly Principals Retreat in Santa Cruz. Thank you to all of you for the well wished you extended while I was away. My time at the retreat was reflective, inspiring, rejuvenating, and collaborative. I did miss our St. Joseph community while I was away though, so I am looking forward to seeing everyone again next Tuesday, after the long weekend!
We have an important event next week – Drill Day. You should have received two informational communications from us about Drill Day, one in mid-September and another last week, both in email and hard copy form. Our Drill Day this year is scheduled for Friday, October 18
th
and will begin around 1:30pm. Please check the communications we have sent home in recent weeks for important information and directions.
I do want to take this opportunity to share with you a little bit about why this day is so important. We do this drill because your children’s safety is always our first priority. In every decision we make every day, we are always considering our students’ safety. Drill Day allows us to prepare in the event of an emergency – earthquake, fire, or other – that would require you as parents to come to school and pick up your children. By participating in Drill Day, our staff, students, and parents are able to stay up to date on how we would release students to parents in an orderly, efficient, and safe manner. This is crucial, because in the event of an emergency that may otherwise feel a bit chaotic, we can remain calm and know that we have clear procedures to ensure our students’ safety.
This is our second year of participating in a school-wide Drill Day. Last year, the drill was very successful, and we are confident that this year it will go even more smoothly as we make minor changes to our process. You can expect a survey from us after Drill Day, so that we can figure out how to improve and make the process better and better each year. Thank you for partnering with us this upcoming Friday during the drill. I am aware that for many of you, this requires taking time off work, and I am so very grateful for your willingness to do this as we partner together to ensure the safety of your wonderful children.
Peace and Blessings,
Ms. Francisco
