May 10, 2012
Dear Families,
At the start of the school year, I sent a detailed letter outlining the school’s plans with regard to the survey distributed in June of 2011. I am proud to share that the school continues to make steady and significant progress. Our work is ongoing, and I am extremely grateful for the support, ideas, and know-how from several key staff, faculty, trustees, PTO, Boosters, and families to assist the school as it continues its work in phases.
This spring, the school focused on safety. Using input from our superintendent, school safety coordinators, and local police, the school is moving toward a secure school model. While the front of the school is typically monitored by Mrs. Kohl and/or me, there are invariably times that she and I are not present at the entrance of the school. This presents a concern, and in an effort to address this concern, the school has been piloting the locking of these front doors. This allows the school to always know who is in the building at all times. Toward the end of this month, the school will install a buzzer system for greater convenience for Mrs. Kohl and me.
We have discussed this new procedure with students and have asked that they not open the doors for anyone, highlighting that this will ensure that faculty and staff will know who is in our building at all times. We have given students a signal to use, as we know (and love!) that our students’ natural inclination will be to show a spirit of courtesy by opening the doors to all who wish to enter. This signal (extended index finger, indicating “just a minute”) allows our students to acknowledge the presence without compromising our safety measures.
In addition to keeping the front doors locked, the upper school will now be dismissed from classrooms, cutting down on activity at the entryway during dismissal. Upper school students and their teachers will keep watch for students’ rides from the fifth and seventh grade classrooms. Lower school dismissal will remain the same.
The school wishes to emphasize to you that this new protocol in no way indicates that we wish to exclude or keep out our wonderful families and volunteers. While we certainly will miss the doors open on beautiful days, we feel more confident with this new safety measure. Please be assured that my office door will remain open and that I welcome any questions, comments, and concerns.
Thank you for your support as we strive to be the best we can be!
Sincerely,
Carrie Wilson, Head of School