A Note from the Principal:
Dear SJE Parents,
Yesterday we had a lockdown drill at school. There are two levels to our lockdown drill. The first is a “secure in place” situation. We use secure in place when there is no danger to students or teachers, but a situation exists where students need to stay in their classrooms (for example: a student or teacher becomes ill in a hallway and needs medical attention). Our annual secure in place drill was held on December 3rd.
The second level is an actual lockdown. In this situation, students and teachers are notified of the lockdown via our P.A. system. Teachers close and lock their classroom doors, cover the windows in the doors with paper, and remain silently in the classroom until an all clear message is sounded. This is a challenging situation for our students and teachers. It can be frightening, particularly for our youngest students, but it is important that we review these skills. Yesterday’s drill was an actual lockdown. Our students did a wonderful job of remaining quiet and hidden in their classrooms throughout this ten-minute drill.
Following the Easter break, along with our monthly fire drills, our students will practice exiting the building. In the case of an actual intruder situation, our teachers will need to make a determination of whether it is safer for their students to stay in the classroom or to run from the building. At our final drill of the year, we will practice exiting the building.
Our teachers practice with the students before the actual drill. You can help us by reviewing the need for safety drills at home, as well as reassuring your students that there is no need to be afraid during our practice.
It is unfortunate that we need to practice for these types of situations with our students . However, we are blessed with so many resources from our local police and fire departments, to resources provided by the State of Wisconsin Department of Justice, all designed to help keep everyone in our school community safe.
Wishing all of our families Easter Blessings,
Mary Laidlaw Otto
