Bulldog Bark
North Lake Middle School Weekly Newsletter
HOME OF THE BULLDOGS
WEEK OF May 23rd, 2022
2202 123rd Ave NE
Lake Stevens 98258
425-335-1530
Office Hours: 7:30 - 3:30
* Information for our upcoming ALICE drill *
Dear North Lake Families,
Next week we will be conducting an emergency response drill for students and staff using the ALICE protocol. Please review the following information to learn more about ALICE. This drill will allow students and staff members to practice for the unlikely event of an intruder in our school. Teachers and school staff members will guide students through the process in an age-appropriate manner to minimize their fears and avoid confusion. In the upcoming months, we will practice different scenarios and ALICE responses.
Traditional, staff and students were trained to “lockdown” in emergency situations where their safety was threatened. This included locking school and classroom doors, turning off lights,
covering windows, and hiding under classroom furniture. Tragic, violent events in schools throughout the country have shown that lockdowns are not always effective, and can often result in a greater number of injuries and loss of lives versus other response options.
Why ALICE?
Schools are some of the safest places for our children. However, just like practicing monthly fire drills, it’s essential that staff members and students know how to respond in a very unlikely event of a dangerous intruder or other emergency situation.
ALICE protocol is being adopted by K-12 school districts, colleges and universities and government agencies throughout the country because it provides numerous proactive response options. The five steps of ALICE are not linear. As the situation develops,m it is possible that students and staff members will need to use more than one option in varying order. The number one goal of ALICE is to keep students and staff members safe and away from harm.
Most dangerous intruder situations last between three and five minutes. Typically, first responders take longer than that to respond. Research has shown that school staff members have stopped violent threats twice as many times as police intervention. ALICE training equips staff with strategies to better prepare for life-or-death encounters.
What should parents do before an emergency?
Parents can assist greatly by helping with preparation before an emergency by doing the following:
Ensure your child’s school has accurate contact information so you can be reached in case of an emergency. Keep information current by notifying the school office staff of any changes as soon as they occur. Multiple contact sources are helpful, including cell, home, and work telephone numbers and email addresses. Local emergency contacts should be provided in the event you cannot be reached.
When visiting your child’s school,m follow all visitor guidelines and obey parking and traffic signs.
Talk to your child about the kinds of drills a school conducts and the reason for those drills. Remind children of the importance of staying calm and following instructions. It’s also a good idea to reinforce these lessons at home by preparing your family for emergencies.
What should parents do during an emergency?
During an emergency situation, school and district officials must act quickly under the direction of law enforcement and first responders and follow established protocols to safeguard students, secure schools, and communicate accurate information in a timely manner.
Parents will receive an automated phone call and email alerting them about the emergency. They will also receive a second automated phone call and email once the emergency situation has ended. Later this fall, parents will receive instructions to sign up to also receive this information via text message.
Information will also be shared on the district website and mobile app, as well as the district’s Facebook page (lakestevensschools) and Twitter (@lssd) pages.
Keep your phone lines open and don’t immediately drive to the school. Roads must be clear for first responders.
As difficult as it may be, avoid contacting your child during an emergency. Depending on the situation, this can further compromise their safety, overload cell systems, hamper the ability of the first responders and cause delays in releasing official, accurate information.
If you have questions, please let me know. As always, the safety of your child is our u utmost priority, so it’s essential that we all know what to do in emergency situations through continued learning.
Sincerely,
Brad Abels
NLMS Principal
* * * * 📢 DANCE TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT ‼️‼️ * * * *
The North Lake dance is next Friday, May 27th from 1:30 to 3:00 PM.
THEME: Come As You Are
SNACKS: $1.00 each
Parents will need to pick their students up after the dance.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Join the PTSA ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
NLMS Families,
PTSA is an organization dedicated to supporting a positive culture and climate throughout NLMS for all our students, staff, parents, and the surrounding community. We are always grateful for our new members and this spring we are looking for all new board members to start fresh in the fall for the 2022-2023 school year. With the support of our PTSA members and board, it helps us continue to provide informative and useful programs just as we have done in the past, and look forward to continuing in the future! We provide grants for teachers who are interested in developing new classroom programs, exciting after-school clubs, student store activities, etc. We will vote in the new board members at our PTSA meeting in the late spring. Look for more information to come...DTBD.
If you are interested in holding an NLMS PTSA Board Member position, please contact Karen Tadio at northlakeptsa@gmail.com
In accordance with RCW 49.60, the Lake Stevens School District does not discriminate in employment and schools. The Lake Stevens School District provides Equal Educational and Employment Opportunity without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, handicap/disability, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, creed, religion, age, veteran or military status, use of a trained dog to guide or service animal by a person with a disability and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and designated youth groups. The district complies with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations to include, but not limited to, Title IX, Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, RCW 49.60 “The Law Against Discrimination,” and RCW 28A.640 “Sex Equity,” and covers, but is not limited to, all district programs, courses, activities, including extracurricular activities, services, access to facilities, etc. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures should be directed to Lake Stevens School District, 12309 22nd St. NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258, Attention: Title IX and Civil Rights Officer, John Balmer, (425) 335-1500, John_Balmer@lkstevens.wednet.edu or ADA Compliance Officer and Section 504 Compliance Officer, Miriam Tencate, (425) 335-1500, Miriam_Tencate@lkstevens.wednet.edu.