Marie Murphy Chronicles
2 March 2018
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" ~ Abraham Lincoln
You Should Know...Marie Murphy School Safety
At Marie Murphy, we have six emergency drills/scenarios that we prepare for. Some will be familiar to you while others will contain new information. Please know that the Wilmette and Glenview Police Departments are wonderful partners in helping developing emergency protocol and review our emergency procedures every June. We do this annually to make sure we are up to date with best practices.
Bus Evacuation: We practice this drill first week of school. All students, even if they are not a bus rider, review bus safety and emergency evacuation procedures. The drill closes with students practicing a rear bus evacuation.
Fire Drills: We conduct a minimum of three fire drills per year. In the event of a fire, the alarm is triggered manually or automatically. Students follow their teacher to evacuate the building. We practice exiting the building using multiple routes of egress in case a normal route is blocked. Students congregate on the back blacktop where we account for all students. In the event of a real fire where we could not re-enter the building, students would be escorted by emergency responders to our reunification site. There we would coordinate a pick up effort to ensure all students get home safely.
Shelter in Place (Tornado) Drill: Practiced every early spring (taking place today, March 2), teachers lead their classes ot the safest, lowest part of the building, away from windows and doors. This is our T-Junction in the center of the building, as well as the guys and girls locker rooms off the gym. Students are led to these areas by their teachers and assume the position - kneeling down, head low, facing towards the wall and lockers, with hands, binders, laptops or books covering the back of their heads and necks to protect from falling debris. In the event of a real tornado, the township's tornado sirens would signal the need to shelter in place.
Suspended Schedule: Used when there is a situation in the hallway that requires students to stay in their rooms (power outage, injury in the hallway, skunk in the building, etc.), the front office simply uses the intercom system to announce a "suspended schedule" to everyone in the building. During a suspended schedule, the clock "stops". Instruction continues in the classroom, but no one leaves class and no classes transition to a new period until the situation is resolved.
Closed Campus: Used when there is a threat in the area, outside of the school. Examples could include a chemical spill on the highway, a robbery at Eden's Plaza, etc. As with a suspended schedule, teachers can be notified of "Closed Campus" status via the intercom system. A follow up email to the teachers offers information/rationale for closing the school. All doors are locked, all windows are closed, all blinds are drawn. No one may enter or leave the building. Staff not involved in direct supervision of students are positioned at doors around the school. Instruction in class continues, and the class schedule progresses normally. If the threat gains proximity to school, we can shift into "Lockdown" status. If the situation is resolved, we end our closed campus status.
Lockdown: Used when there is immediate danger to staff and students. Either the "Lockdown" announcement is made, or teachers can go into lockdown at their discretion. 911 is called. Teachers do a quick visual sweep of the hallway, gathering any student into their room, before locking their doors. Teachers then make the decision for students to "Run, Hide, or Fight". A "run" decision is made if the threat location is known and the teacher feels they can get students safely to the reunification site point. If the location of the threat is unknown, teachers will instruct students their locked classrooms to hide/fight. Doors can be barricaded, students arm themselves with anything to protect themselves, and we go silent. The lockdown does not end until either an emergency responder, administrator, or custodian unlock the door to the classroom.
Preparing for these situations supports our greatest goal and responsibility - providing for the safety of all students. Please be sure to ask your child(ren) about our safety protocol; being informed and prepared is critical in the achievement of this goal.
A Day In the Life at Marie Murphy!
Before School
By eliminating homework completion in the MPR before school, students have greater opportunities to develop interpersonal relationships. Yep...the MPR is a salon of thought-provoking discussion.
During School
After School
Marie Murphy Student Government Tackles the Avoca Center Question
Student Government, not to be confused with Student Council, is a club where students get a better understanding of the workings of local government and school board policy. This year, working with club sponsor Mrs. Stewart, 8th graders Emily V., Amelie P.-S., John F., Louis G. and Jake D. successfully completed their mock School Board Meeting at Wilmette Village Hall on February 26.
Focused around the topic of how the Avoca Board of Education should move forward regarding the Avoca Center property (located just west of Marie Murphy School), the students assumed the role of adults, grappling with a challenging real world problem. The Student Government members were articulate, professional and made Marie Murphy proud!
You can watch the video below to see the Student Government members in action by clicking on the link below!
7th Grade Celebrates Olympics with Ice Skating & "MIracle" Viewing Celebration
Spanish & French Build Connections with Preschoolers
Avoca West, Marie Murphy, & New Trier Join in Song for Winter Choral Concert
Upcoming Events at MM
March 3: Science Olympiad Pancake Breakfast
March 5: Board of Education Committee of the Whole Mtg
March 7: PTC General Membership Meeting
March 12: 7th Grade to Chicago Art Institute
March 17: Science Olympiad Regional Competition
March 19-20: Guys Volleyball Tournament
March 21-22: Parent Conferences; 1/2 Day Attendance
March 23: Teacher Institute Day; No School
March 26-March 30: Spring Break
Marie Murphy School
Email: palcerm@avoca37.org
Website: http://avoca37.org/mariemurphy/
Location: 2921 Illinois Road, Wilmette, IL, United States
Phone: 847.251.3617