Dear Parents:

Happy New Year!  We’re off to another exciting year here at Echo Lake Elementary.  We are focused on teaching and learning and the children seem happy to be back in school.  The boys and girls amaze me each day with their bright smiles and inquisitive nature.  I’ve never seen children express such an interest in learning and love for reading!  We are so proud of their hard work and commend them on an outstanding first semester. 

In December, we had our three-year comprehensive safety audit, and Mrs. Otey and I would like to share more about it with you.  We are hosting a Principal’s Coffee on February 18th at 8:30 AM in the Library focusing on School Safety and Internet Safety.  Mrs. Weidele, School Resource Teacher, and Mrs. Crouch, Media Specialist, will be sharing Internet safety tips for parents.  They will also share what the children learn during Internet safety lessons taught each year here at school, in both the classrooms and in the library.  More information will be coming home soon about this meeting.  If you have any questions about the safety audit or any other matters regarding Echo Lake Elementary School, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 527-4672 or jlbrinkmann@henrico.k2.va.us.  Thank you!

Safety is Top Priority at Echo Lake!

Each day the faculty and staff at Echo Lake Elementary School work tirelessly to ensure that all children and adults that walk through our doors are entering a safe environment.  All of our hard work has paid off, as we received lots of commendations during our recent Comprehensive Safety Audit.  This event, which took place on December 10, 2009, involved a team of six members from the community (including a fire marshal, retired school principals, a Henrico County police officer, and Central Office personnel).  This team of professionals spent the entire day meeting with teachers and administration, participating in a walk-through of the school, and reviewing our safety practices. We even had a fire drill while the team was here, so that they could see exactly how prepared your children are in the event of a fire!

The Safety Audit team was extremely impressed with our safety practices, and gave us many commendations, including the following:

• The development and support of the Watch DOGS program.
• Our accountability process during drills.
• The implementation of our new school-wide rules (Dolphin Code).
• Our dismissal process.
• Communication practices with parents regarding safety related issues (Connect Ed, PTA newsletters, and website).
• Our process for reviewing safety data and developing strategies to address trends.
• Our positive relationship with the DARE Officer and local law enforcement.
• Safety training and tabletop exercises that we do each year with the school faculty and the DARE Officer and the school’s safety team.
• Our school’s clearly defined school culture regarding safety issues.
• Our clinic attendant and safety committee’s overall medical preparedness (ex: comprehensive planning for field trips, bloodborne pathogen mini-kits located around the school, etc).

Of course, as this team does with all schools they visit, they provided us recommendations, as well. We welcome them since we always want to better our practices so that our school can be the safest possible place for your children to come to learn.    Some recommendations are as follows:

• Notify C & M of the new subdivision being built next to the school and the possibility of students walking to school through the back area of the school grounds.
• Continue communications with parents about safety practices and emergency response plans.
• Continue to pursue advanced CPR training for the entire staff.
• Develop  a partnership with the local fire station to assist with the safety planning process.
• Utilize plain language in drills instead of codes.
• Trim or remove the bushes near the front of our building for better visibility.
• Ensure that stairwells are kept clear at all times and are not used as storage areas.

We are so proud to say that safety is top priority at Echo Lake Elementary School!  Children learn best when they feel safe and secure in their environment.  When safety is ensured, quality instruction can take place so that your children can be well-prepared for the 21st Century!

Sincerely,

Jodie Brinkmann

Principal

Katina Otey

Assistant Principal