Safety, Stairs and Backpacks

Dear DeSales Family,

As I sit down to write to you today, it seems as if winter may be planning to make its first real appearance for this year.  I know that is hard to believe, especially with that bust of 60+ degree temperature we just enjoyed.  How do I know that winter is getting ready to rear its head you may ask, well, Mr. Rich spent time today making sure that the school’s snow plow was ready to go and that our ice solvent was in good supply.  With these harbingers of impending winter weather, I would be remiss if I did not take an opportunity to review a few perennial safety concerns as well as address a more recent safety concerns that have been discussed, middle school stairs and backpacks.

Ø  Please remember that all of our little ones walk through the parking lot in some form or fashion and they do not always look before moving on.  As a rule make sure that you enter and exit the lot through the designated lanes and that you adhere to a maximum speed of no more than five miles per hour.

Ø  Please allow some extra time for students to get into class in the morning as they are wearing a few more clothes, and so is everyone else in the school.  If you have never seen an elementary school hall the day of a first real snow, it looks as if a tornado has hit with kids and clothes everywhere.

Ø  With the previous in mind, please be sensitive to the time of teachers immediately before and after school.  The time is designed for daily preparation and brief student questions.  Unfortunately, they often do not have time to accommodate drop-in parent conferences.  It is always best to either call, e-mail, or drop a line to schedule a conference.  As a school, it is our goal to reply to all communication, at the latest, in 24 hours.

Ø  Please remember that passing a school stopped school bus, even with a permanent divider in the road is illegal. 

Ø  Finally, in the rare case that DeSales Catholic School is going to close because of inclement weather we will publicize this on all major television stations and, in all instances, if the Lockport City School District is closed because of inclement weather, DeSales is closed.

At our October Home School Association meeting a question was raised asking why stairs between the first and second floor of the middle school were one directional and, in a word, the answer I gave was safety.  However, I think that a little more insight into that statement may be warranted.  Several years ago parents came to the administration and were concerned about the traffic of students on the stairs and the safety of younger students that may be on the stairs at the same time.  While it does not happen all the time, but often enough, we have instances where students as young as four-years-old are in the hallways during passing time for the middle school.  After investigation it was decided that it would be in the best interest of all of our students to make the stairs unidirectional and, after further study, the “up and down” stairs found their current home.  Since then it is my understanding, there have been fewer instances of students falling down the stairs and an easier flow of traffic in the middle school; which is the current concern. 

Finally, backpacks and their weight.  Many of you, like I, cringe when you see a little one carrying a backpack that is wider than they are.  I am sure some parents have even weighed their child’s pack and are shocked by the sheer poundage that is being carried.  Please rest assured that this is also something that we are concerned with, as well as have actually weighed backpacks for the students to show them just what they are carrying. 

After looking at this for some time we have found that while our middle school students have two minutes to get to their lockers and move from class to class, they are, on average, spending one to one and one half minutes socializing instead of taking advantage of the time to lighten their pack loads.  As a result of our discovery we have increased teacher presence in the hallways and “forced” students to go to their lockers and carry no more than two classes worth of books in their packs.  When a child shows up to class with more than that, or what looks like an overly full pack, they are sent to their locker to lighten the load.  However, we cannot do this alone and are asking for your help.  Over the next few weeks we are going to try a series of tests to see if students even need their packs or are able to successfully cope without them.  During this time please talk to your sons and daughters and encourage them to take advantage of the time that is allotted to get to their locker.  There is no location in the building that cannot be reached in the allotted passing time and, with limited exception, also get to their locker.  All teachers are working on organization skills with our students, but we need your help, so please reinforce these skills at home. 

As always, thank you for all of your help because without your help DeSales would not be the school that it is.

In His Name, 

Scott