School Lockdown Practice - Thursday

 

 Re: Safety precautions at Beddington Heights School

 

The safety of all students and staff of Beddington Heights is of great importance. To that end, we have been working to establish appropriate safety measures for the various situations that may occur and affect our staff and students.

Fire drills are a long-standing expectation of everyone who congregates in a setting such as a school. We are required to have a minimum of six fire drills each school year. Our students and staff treat each drill as though it was the real thing and we are very proud of their performance during those drills. Teachers keep class lists with them during all drills and attendance is always taken. Parents or other visitors are expected to evacuate the building when the fire alarm is sounded.

It is a reflection of the changes in our society that we must add variations to our safety drills. We are going to practice a drill known as a “lockdown” on Tuesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.. The teachers will be instructing students regarding their role during a drill of this kind.  No one is allowed to enter or leave the building during a lockdown procedure.

Our staff will be providing students with the following directions for our lockdown drill:

-          There will be an announcement from the office to notify students and staff of internal lockdown

-          All students will come in to a classroom with a locked door

-          Staff and students wait quietly until the drill is over

 

As we continue to refine our school safety procedures, other safety precautions we now have in place include:

• Locking Exterior Doors, with the exception of the main door for office access
• Walkie-Talkies – have been purchased for communication when children are out in the school field
• A Fan Out Procedure – has been established to ensure clear and swift communication with parents in the event of an emergency.
• Visitors – are expected to register at the office
• Volunteers – must complete a security clearance and wear nametags at all times
• Substitute Teachers – are provided with emergency information upon entering the school.
• Teachers are trained in first aid and have thoroughly reviewed emergency plans with the children.

If you feel that your child might become anxious or nervous during this drill, please provide them with the reassurance that lockdown drills and fire drills are regular parts of increasing safety for students in all schools.  We appreciate your support in these very important matters. If you have any questions, please give me a call.

 

Yours truly,

 Brian Hebert

Principal

School Evacuation - Jan 5, 2015

Please be advised that we had an unscheduled fire drill this morning at Beddington Heights School. The alarm sounded at 11:10 a.m. and originated from the pull station by the upstairs boys’ washroom.  Due to weather conditions, we moved students to our evacuation location at St Bede School. Unfortunately this involved students travelling to the evacuation location without coats and outdoor shoes.   This was necessary as we were not aware of whether we were facing a real fire. 

This alarm was previously tested, and appeared to be fully operational in December of 2014. Should this have been a prolonged evacuation, teachers would have been contacting you using the student information that is contained in their emergency backpacks. If there are any changes to your emergency information please let us know as soon as possible.

It should be noted that students of Beddington Heights represented our school well while at St.Bede’s. They also observed fire drill protocol and exited the building in quick and efficient manner and it looks as if they have learned a lot from our previous drills. Due to the fact the drill happened during our lunch break we realize this may have caused some scheduling concerns for families.  We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

If you have any further question please feel free to contact us.