A message from Dr. Gainey

Trailblazer Parents,

Here is a message from Dr. Gainey, our Interim Superintendent of WCPSS.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding school saftery here at BRES.  Safety is our top priority.  Thank you, Mrs. Graf

A message from the Superintendent about school safety

Dear WCPSS students, parents and community:

Our hearts remain heavy today as we continue to extend our thoughts and prayers to the community of Newtown, Connecticut, in light of Friday’s tragic events.

I want to assure all families of the Wake County Public School System that safety and academic success are our top priorities for every student.

WCPSS has taken numerous steps to enhance school security at every school site and to strengthen emergency response planning and preparation. These measures include:

• Site-specific school safety plans
• Crisis-response measures
• Annual training and regular drills
• Law enforcement presence and close monitoring of schools
• Full-scale drills with law enforcement and emergency responders

In addition, our WCPSS security team and district leaders are reviewing emergency operations plans and procedures in light of this tragic incident. At the school level, principals will be reviewing their site-based crisis plans and protocols with their school staff members.

As we assess school safety, our schools and district-level staff will be reviewing not only our crisis-response planning and training, but also day-to-day security at our 169 schools.

We know that during this time, children may be worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. To assist parents in speaking with their children about these concerns, we have posted guidelines from the National Association of School Psychologists.

The well-being of every student is of the utmost importance to me, to our 18,000 employees, and to our school families. Let us continue to work together toward our common goals to ensure that every school is a safe, engaging learning environment that brings out the best potential of every student.

Respectfully,
Dr. Stephen Gainey
Interim Superintendent
Wake County Public School System
Download a copy of Dr. Gainey’s letter >>
Read our previous blog post, For parents: Reassuring your child in times of crisis >>

Banks Safety and Security

Trailblazer Parents,

The BRES school community expresses their sorrow to families and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary and the Newtown community.  Today, we welcomed back our students with smiles and hugs.  We also found comfort in following our normal routines for the day.  In the wake of the events of Connecticut, our students may have questions about the events or may want to share their thoughts.  If your children express anxiety  or concerns about safety, we will address it on an individual basis and not through whole class discussions.  Please do not hesitate to contact our school counselor, Esther Wu (919-890-7325 or ewu@wcpss.net), our school psychologist Lisa Occhipinti (919-890-7342) or me (919-890-7330 or cgraf1@wcpss.net) with questions and concerns.   

I want to share that safety and welfare of our students is our number one priority.  Wake County Public School System has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan in place.  Every school also has its own emergency plan.  Staff and students are familiar with their roles and responsibilities during an emergency, and practice them through drills.  Our school staff and district-level staff work in collaboration with WCPSS security, local law enforcement and other crisis-response agencies to provide a safe learning for our students on a daily basis. In some emergency situations, it may be necessary for a school to be on lockdown. 

Below is information regarding lockdowns:

What is a lockdown?
A lockdown is a precautionary measure in response to a threat directly to the school or in the surrounding community. In a lockdown:

• All school activities are moved indoors.
• Depending on the type of lockdown, interior and exterior doors on campus are locked.
• No one is allowed to enter or exit the building.
• Parents may not come to the school during a lockdown.
• Parents are also discouraged from calling the school directly. Additional calls hinder the ability of staff to respond to the primary task: keeping everyone safe.

There are three lockdown codes at WCPSS:

• Code Red – used when there’s a direct threat to the school or in the immediate area of the school
• Code Yellow – used when there’s a danger in the surrounding community, i.e. police searching for a criminal suspect in the area
• Code Green – used once the lockdown has been lifted

How will I know if my child’s school is on lockdown?
Once a lockdown is put into place, police and school administrators work together to first ensure the safety of everyone on the school campus. Once the situation has been stabilized, a phone message, email and/ or paper letter will be sent to parents to inform them that the school was placed on a lockdown, the nature of the incident, and about how long the lockdown was in place.

In larger emergencies, such as a Code Red lockdown or lockdowns that affect numerous schools, WCPSS will take the following steps to notify you:

• dispatch an emergency phone message
• update the WCPSS Facebook page, Twitter account (@wcpss) and the WCPSS home page
• notify and update the local media as the situation develops.

Emergency phone messages are sent to phone numbers that parents have provided to the school. Letters are usually sent home with students at the end of the day, or the following day if the lockdown happened close to dismissal.

Our hearts go our to the families and the community involved in this tragic incident in Connecticut.  Ms. Livengood, our school staff and I will continue to take measures daily to maximize constant supervision of our students.  Take care, Mrs. Graf

Banks Boomers perform at Crabtree Valley Mall

I am here with the Banks Boomers preparing for our performance at 5:00 p.m. We have our Boomers on the risers and are getting ready to spread holiday cheer to the busy mall shoppers!

Student Assignment Update

Trailblazer Parents,
The information below is from the WCPSS website regarding the newly passed student assignment plan.

Board Adopts 2013-14 Student Assignment Plan

The Wake County Board of Education adopted a Student Assignment Plan for the 2013-14 school year during its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 11. Under the plan, every student will be assigned to a school based on his or her home address. To offer continued stability for families, the plan includes minimal reassignments, as well as the opportunity for students to stay with their current schools if they are happy there. The plan offers sibling priority and families also will have options for traditional-calendar schools and year-round schools. Beginning December 12, 2012, any student who enrolls in WCPSS for the first time, or moves from another Wake County address will be assigned to a school based on this new assignment plan. Updated maps and an address look-up tool will be available soon for parents to preview their base school assignments. View a brief video explaining the plan - (YouTube - 3:00min) WCPSS will host four upcoming information sessions on the plan: Thursday, December 13 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Salem Elementary School, 6116 Old Jenks Road, Apex   Monday, December 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wildwood Forest Elementary School, 8401 Wild Wood Forest Drive, Raleigh   Tuesday, December 18 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. East Garner Elementary School, 5545 Jones Sausage Road, Garner   Wednesday, December 19 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Joyner Elementary School, 2300 Lowden Street, Raleigh Visit our WCPSS internet website to view more details on the plan, view Frequently Asked Questions, see a list of key dates,and more.

Banks Movie Night a Success!

What a wonderful night tonight! We had a great time tonight at our PTA sponsored movie night. We held our December PTA meeting tonight as well. A big thank you goes out to the PTA for supporting this event. Thank you to our Trailblazer students and parents for coming out and spending the evening with us here at BRES. Check our pictures of our full house tonight:

Banks Boomers Perform at Crabtree Tomorrow Night!

Come one, come all to the Banks Boomers caroling performance at Crabtree Valley Mall tomorrow evening beginning at 5:00 p.m.  Our Boomers were invited to carol at stations across the mall.  The Boomers will meet upstairs across from Sears.  Please be sure to wear a white shirt and jeans.  Students can also add holiday hats or winter wear to their outfits.  The new t-shirts are in!  Ms. Loftin passed out the t-shirts to all students who prepaid today.  She will bring the t-shirt to the mall for students who have not yet had an opportunity to purchase their shirts.  Take a look at the t-shirt below!

Just in time for our Crabtree performance and our second Winter Program on the 19th!

BRES Girls on the Run Participants Celebrate End of Season with a 5 K

This Saturday our Trailblazer participants in the Girls on the Run program will take part in the Reindeer Romp 5 K at the Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary. Our BRES coaches are excited and our girls are even more excited to run in this race.

GOTR registration is still open until January 4th for students who may be interested in the second semester expire nice. Please email Ms. Blair for more information at eblair@wcpss.net. We are in need on one more coach as well. The coach position is open to any interested parent or teacher! If you love to run, walk, exercise and promote well being, this is an opportunity for you!