Stop-Think-Stay Away!

Electric Safety Lesson at Sweetsir.

On May 20th, the Town of  Merrimac Light Department provided a special presentation on electric safety for our students in grades k-2.  Students enjoyed the opportunity to see the big trucks, safety gloves, and tools up close.

Thank you to Ray Gouley, Safety Consultant, and Francisco Frias, the new General Manager, who visited along with line men, Mr. Jennings and Mr. Saunders!  
Mr. Gouley stressed the importance of calling the Department anytime help is needed (even to retrieve kites, or spray a bees nest around power lines).  Students were encouraged to share the following safety tips with their parents:

• If you ever see power lines on the ground-"Stop- Think- Stay Away!"  Call the Electric Light Department immediately for help anytime wires are knocked over.
• Electricity can travel, so never spray water guns, silly string, or hornet/bee spray near the wires.  
• Only birds that fly can safely touch wires, hence many squirrels met their demise upon touching the ground.... The electricity in power lines is extremely dangerous, and fast moving, so never retrieve toys (such as kites or parachutes) from them. 
• During storms, stay away from tall trees and poles that could conduct electricity.
• Do not use electronics (including battery operated phones and video games) during thunder storms.  
• Call the Town to check where underground wires are located before digging any large holes.
• Always stay behind the coned area when trucks are present.  Ask workers for help if needed. 
• To ensure workers safety, remind parents to keep their eyes on the road (do not use cell phones) while driving.

CALL FOR HELP
 Mr. Saunders encouraged children to peek inside
the bucket.  The crew are happy to use it to
retrieve toys that land in the wires.

DIG SAFE

Before digging, always call the Town
to ensure no lines are present.

Stop, Think, Stay Away

Ray Gouley, from the Merrimac Light & Water Department, gave safety presentations to students in grades k-2 on November 27th.  "Stop, Think, Stay Away," is the key phrase students learned to help them remember what to do if they encounter potentially dangerous situations.  

Students enjoyed watching a video featuring the character 'Mr. Ouch'.  We hope you will ask your child to tell you about 'Mr. Ouch' and review these tips Mr. Gouley covered during the presentations:

• Texting while driving leads to distracted drives; so cross the street with caution. 
• Do not play on or near electrical boxes (often they are green).
• Never go near a downed electrical wire.  Stay away and tell an adult to report it immediately.
• You should call the Department for help if kites, or other objects, get stuck in the wires.
• Do not put anything in a light socket. 
• Never put a utensil in the toaster.
• If cords are worn, tell a grown up so they can be replaced.
• Keep hair dryers, and other electrical appliances, away from water. Stay away from cords in the bathroom.  
• Curling irons are one of the most common cause of house fires.  They should be placed on a ceramic plate to cool.

Safety Practice

Once outside, teachers take a head
count to ensure all are safe.

Sweetsir Cafe seconds after a practice fire drill.

This was the view of our cafeteria seconds after the fire drill sounded on November 14th.  Watching 75 second graders exit quickly and smoothly out the cafeteria doors was impressive!  This was part of our safety plan to practice drills during different part of the day, so students and staff will be prepared in the event of a real life emergency.  

Our school is fortunate to have great support from the Merrimac Fire Department and the Merrimac Light & Water Department who visit several times a year to provide educational workshops for students.  On November 27th, students in grades k-2 will learn about electric safety during a presentation with Ray Gouley, from the Town Light Department.  Last month, several firefighters brought the ESCAPE smoke trailer for students to practice crawling out of a room with simulated smoke (click on labels in the right column to read posts regarding previous visits). The students really enjoy when these community members come by to speak with them.

Recess Safety & Lunchtime Manners

Sweetsir Playground

Students recently attended a school-wide assembly on 'Recess Safety & Lunchtime Manners'.  They were shown a slide show featuring students using polite behavior in the cafeteria and playing safely on the equipment.  Topics included: using two hands on the monkey bars; going one at a time and feet first down the slide; looking to be sure the coast is clear before descending the twisty bar; and putting toys away as soon as the bell rings.  Please ask your children to tell you about the assembly and remind them to follow the same safety rules while using the equipment outside of school hours.

Parents, since there are many cars traveling around the building during dismissal we ask that you not allow your children to play on the grounds at that time.   Your family is welcome to enjoy the playground after 3:20pm or any day school is not in session.   

DANGER ZONE

Bus drivers can not see anything in the danger zone area pictured above.  Please teach your children to stay at least 4 feet away from buses at all times.  To cross the street, go at least 4 feet in front of the bus and stand still as you look at the driver.  Wait until he/she gives the 'thumbs up' gesture to signal it is safe to cross.  Remind them if they drop something while crossing, do not stop to pick it up.  Continue to cross, then ask the bus driver to help retrieve it.

As I rode the mid-day kindergarten bus today, I realized this is a procedure we need to practice, practice, practice.  The new buses do not have the safety bar that use to swing way out in front of the bus as a reminder that the driver can not see directly in front of the hood.  Parents, please talk with your children about the above danger zone and model how to wait for the "thumbs up"signal  (more than once today, I saw a parent help their child on the bus then run back across the street without checking to see if the driver could see them).  Picture how difficult it is for a driver to monitor forty children behind them, while also keeping track of who is crossing in front of them.

Is your child protected online?

With technology rapidly advancing, children are often more tech savvy than their parents.  On more than one occasion, I have had to call a parent and inform them their child accidentally stumbled upon an inappropriate adult site or YouTube video, and then shared explicit information with classmates.  The embarrassed parent is usually shocked and surprised to learn how easily this can happen.  Most parents I have spoken with are digitally naive.  They do not realize how accessible inappropriate information is or how easily it can be to install filter controls.

A generous relative recently gave my children an ipad.  While they were thrilled, I was a little apprehensive about loosing more control over their online activities.  While the Internet can be an amazing educational resource, like most parents, I worry about exposing them to information too advanced for their age.  Up until this point, I've been able to closely monitor their online activities by placing our desktop computer in a common area of the house.  Casually walking by, allowed me to easily monitor online activities.  I also installed parental control software to filter adult content and limit time usage.  When they were younger, I spent time exploring sites such as webkins and mooshi monsters before allowing them access.  Usually, the choices they made were fine.  However, after a few minutes on a virtual second life site, I placed a block and declared it off limits when visiting the friend who recommended the site.  Parents must decide for themselves what is within their comfort zone.


Technology continues to evolve as my children grow, making it challenging to stay a step ahead of them.  Fortunately, an Internet search allowed me to learn about parental control tools for handheld devices.  Apple has features for free on the settings tab of iphones, ipods and ipads.  Restrictions can be placed on app purchases, safari access, and media content.  My favorite discovery was the feature to ban explicit music.  However, there are limitations.  Having an avid teen reader in the house, I was disappointed to learn  ibooks do not have ratings, so the restriction setting is all or none. (If anyone has a tip for book filters, please let me know and I will update this post).  As parents, it is essential we continually explore ways to keep children safe.  Staying abreast of the latest technology is not easy, but if we share what we learn with each other we may be able to shield our children a little longer.
For more information about apple controls:  http://www.appleparentalcontrols.org/

NetSmartz is an online resource from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  The site features age appropriate games and videos along with resources for parents: http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents 

Mr. Ouch

We are very fortunate to have safety prevention programs provided 

by the Merrimac Light and Water Department! 

Earlier this month, the Merrimac Light and Water Department provided a valuable safety presentation for students.  Ray Gouley met with kindergarten, first and second graders to discuss potential dangers associated with common household items such as space heaters, hot curling irons, hair dryers and toasters. Students watched a safety video featuring 'Mr. Ouch' who taught them to 'Stop, Think and Stay away' whenever they spot electrical dangers.  Children were told to tell an adult and encourage them to call the Department if they see downed wires or encounter unsafe electrical situation.

Mr. Gouley also gave us a set of LED colored lights which were used at the PTO Santa Breakfast.
(Tip: the new LED lights are the brightest and use the least amount of electricity).

Stay away from the 'Danger Zone'

First Student Bus Company's outreach educator, Cheri Gibbons, provided a special safety presentation for students in grades k-2.  In this picture, she is explaining about the 'danger zone', which is the area around the bus that the driver can not see you.  Our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Sarah Angell, used red and yellow tape on the floor to create a visual of the danger zone.  Students learned a number of safety tips, including the importance of looking for the 'thumbs up' signal from the driver before crossing the street.

Parents can help reinforce bus safety rules by reminding children to stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop, and modeling how to look for the driver's signal before crossing in front of the bus.  Never cross behind the bus since it is part of the danger zone.

Note:  A bar swings out over the danger zones in front of the bus when the stop sign is out.   Look for the driver's signal and then walk beyond the bar so the driver can see you.

Help Merrimac Win Fire Prevention Grant

As you can see from the posts below, the Merrimac Fire Department provides valuable Fire Safety and Prevention Programs for all four of our elementary schools.  Please help them receive grant funding to support this work.  Click on the link below to complete a 10 question quiz and help them earn $10,000!!!  The deadline is October 31, 2011.

http://www.befiresmart.com/merrimac-fire-department

Fire Prevention Assembly

On Thursday, October 5th, Merrimac Firefighters Michael McLeieer and Scott Maker visited the Sweetsir School to teach students in grades k-2 fire prevention safety tips.  Students learned the importance of having smoke alarms and knowing emergency exit routes.  In the event of a fire, they learned everyone must 'get out and stay out'.  In the picture above students are pointing up to where the 'bad air' goes.  Below, Jake the fire dog gets ready to demonstrate how to crawl under smoke.  

We are very fortunate to have access to such comprehensive fire prevention programs.  In addition to this assembly, the Merrimac Firefighters will be back later this year for a special program aimed at preschoolers.  On alternate years, they visit our school with the 'Escape Smoke Trailer'.  Students meet in the trailer, which is decorated to look like a room inside an actual house, and experience a simulated smoke exercise.   Children practice crawling under smoke and out an escape route.  This year, the Merrimac Fire Department brought the Escape Smoke Trailer to the other elementary schools within our district. Students at both the Bagnall School and Page School benefitted from the experience.

"Change Your Clocks; Change Your Batteries!"

A great way to remember to change your smoke alarm batteries is to do it twice a year 

when you change your clocks for day light savings.  

Mrs. Shea just bought new batteries for her home smoke alarms, you should too!

Excellent Drill Today

Since the weather was so beautiful today we decided to hold a practice firedrill. Lt. Ellis, from the Merrimac Fire Department, came by to assist us.  Once the alarm sounded, the children exited the building quietly and quickly.  As soon as they reached their designated areas, teachers counted students and held up signs to indicate they had everyone.  Visitors and volunteers who were present also exited quickly and waited outside.  Myself and a few other staff members walked around the building and communicated via walkie talkies to ensure all children were safely outside the building.  As I looked around today, I was truly impressed with how efficient and smooth everything went!  Feedback from Lt. Ellis was very positive.  We will have several more practices this year so that all children become familiar with our emergency procedures.

Have you held a practice firedrill for your household lately?  It is important young children are familiar with how to use emergency exit routes (i.e., a bedroom window).  Families should also identify a designated meeting place outside, such as a tree or neighbor's front porch.  While the weather is nice, I encourage you to consider having a practice drill at your home.