Emergency Response & Safety Drills
Lowell School
Dear Families,
On Tuesday, February 13th, Lowell School will conduct emergency drills to familiarize students with different alarms and appropriate responses. These drills are an essential part of our comprehensive approach to school safety. Our state-of-the-art schools have complex security systems with alarms programmed for various emergencies. To ensure everyone is prepared, our guidance staff and teachers will preview the emergency procedures with students next week, explaining what they will hear and how to respond. Please note that these drills will not involve any live acting or simulated emergencies, but instead, listen to the alarm and follow the procedures. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Attached is the PowerPoint presentation for the students, which includes a song for the youngest ones. Additionally, there are several videos for you to watch and hear, providing an accurate representation of what your children will experience.
If you should have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at 617-926-7770 or stacy.phelan@watertown.k12.ma.us
With gratitude,
Stacy
Shelter-in-Place
Lockdown
Evacuation
A.L.I.C.E.
All Clear
A Little Song About Lockdown Drills
Resources for A.L.I.C.E. Drill
What is A.L.I.C.E?
What is A.L.I.C.E.?
Alert: Get the word out using clear concise language, describing the location of the event.
Lockdown: As a starting point, continue to lock down students in secure areas.
Inform: Keep staff and students informed, thereby allowing for good decision making.
Counter: Apply skills to barricade, and if necessary, distract, confuse, and gain control.
Evacuate: Reduce the number of potential targets for the shooter, and reduce chances of injuries.
WPS does not practice counter with our preschool or elementary aged students. We believe our most valuable skill at this age level is listening to your teacher.
School-based Critical Response Teams CRT provide a constant flow of information to everyone inside the building. This empowers staff to make decisions to safely evacuate the building based on that information.
An important goal of the A.L.I.C.E. program is to evacuate to a safe place. It is also critical to note that A.L.I.C.E. is not a step-by-step drill, but students and staff should choose what strategy is best for their unique location and situation.
A.L.I.C.E. in Watertown Public Schools
A.L.I.C.E. training is an important part of ensuring the safety of our students, and practicing this program is critical. School safety requires collaboration that involves the entire community. Watertown's Critical Incident Team involves police, fire, public health, DPW, facilities, IT, WPS, and the town manager's office.
A.L.I.C.E. trainings are a coordinated effort with the Watertown Police Department and WPS. These trainings are led by the principal of each building in coordinated effort with WPD and our School Safety Officers (SR0s). At the high school, Assistant Principal Brian Brewer takes the lead on these trainings, in collaboration with Principal Giacobozzi. All school administrators also work in cooperation with school mental heatlh staff.
While the topic of safety can be uncomfortable to discuss with children, A.L.I.C.E. is designed to prepare students for emergencies, if they occur. Our elementary schools have developed a common theme for teaching younger children about drills - "Always Follow and Listen to Your Teacher!"