Maercker D60 Community,

The 2023-24 school year is off to a great start and it has been wonderful to walk through our schools and see rooms full of students so eager to learn and grow together. Our teachers and staff have reported an incredible energy in our classrooms and we will carry that on through the rest of the year!

I wanted to check in on an issue that is always top of mind for anyone involved in schools, and that is school safety and what to expect in an emergency situation. We are dedicated to providing a safe, secure, and supportive environment for our staff and students. When issues do arise, we have systems in place to address them including communication to our community.

Your children participate in drills throughout the year so they and our staff are prepared in the event of an actual emergency. Your child’s principal will send notification of a drill in advance so you are aware. As parents and community members, you also need to know what to expect in case of emergency.

First and foremost, district and school staff will be responding to the crisis first and checking in with anyone involved while working with the appropriate first responders. We will gather all of the relevant information and respond accordingly, which will include communicating information as appropriate until the situation is completely resolved.

We will communicate quickly with accurate information and provide as much detail as possible, but keep in mind that there are situations where privacy issues related to children under 18 and ongoing police investigations may prevent us from being able to share certain details. We will use communications channels such as email, social media, text messages, and phone calls for different emergencies and provide updates throughout the process.

You can help by remaining calm and being patient during events as it does take time to gather and verify information with emergency responders. As a parent with three children in K-12 public schools I know how stressful these situations can be. However, coming to the school and/or calling the school while an emergency is occurring takes important resources away from responding to the emergency. Also, your child may not have access to their cell phone, or may be directed to silence it and not use it depending on the situation. Again, we will send regular updates until the situation is completely resolved.

We do often have emergency responders in our buildings for non-emergency reasons so please do not jump to conclusions if you see police or fire department vehicles on campus. If you ever have any questions about something you have seen or heard, please contact your child’s school to get the facts.

Keeping our students safe is an essential part of being able to support their overall education and development and we take the responsibility of caring for your children incredibly seriously. I am dedicated to maintaining strong two-way communication with our community and creating a stronger system of support for everyone in our schools. The principals will be discussing this topic in more detail at their first Parent Coffee of the year on Wednesday, September 13, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., at Maercker School.

Feel free to contact me with further questions and thank you for your trust in our school district,

Dr. Sean Nugent

Creating opportunities for families to connect with school principals is so essential, and Maercker D60 will be hosting combined parent coffees as a way to discuss important topics on Wednesday, September 13 and Wednesday, October 11. These events will be held at 6 p.m. (prior to the PTA meetings) at Maercker School on September 13 and at Holmes on October 11.

Topics:

• September 13 - Principal Introductions and School Safety and Security

• October 11 - The Importance of Social Emotional Health

Principals are also looking for input from you on what topics you would like to discuss in future sessions. Click the button below to provide your input!

Join Wildcat friends and family at Ty Warner Park on Friday night for food, fun and fitness!

Registration options:

• TIMED 1 Mile WILDCAT DASH race - registration fee includes timed 1 mile run/racing bib and optional race t-shirt
• RACE ONLY registration - single runner for 1 mile race, no t-shirt
• Also available:

Back to School BASH ONLY - FREE event, RSVP only to join in the fun without the run. Everyone at the Bash is able to join the kids run (un-timed), family walk, and all the fun activities.

Daily attendance is so important for students and their learning! Did you know that missing 10%, or about two days per month over the course of the year can make it harder to learn to read?

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school, and themselves!

What you can do to help:

• Schedule dentist and doctor appointments outside of school hours or select afternoon appointments that do not require your child to be marked absent for the day.
• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Avoid planning family trips, vacations or other special events during regularly-scheduled school days.
• Do not send your child to school sick or with a fever. Students must be fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medicines before they can return to class.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, please reach out to their teacher or the school social worker.