Dear Parents,

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we begin another academic year. Please know we are here to provide your son the best possible experience, and that we care about your son and value the gifts and talents he brings to our community.

 

I wanted to share with you some of the faculty in-service that was competed prior to orientation. While, in some ways, it is an odd topic with which to begin our first newsletter of the year, we want you to know that safety and security are a top priority for us. Obviously, we have a crisis plan in place that is practiced with the students and faculty several times a year. Each year, we tweak it to reflect “best practices.” One of our faculty in-service days was dedicated to ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) training for all faculty and staff. Many regard ALICE training as the new gold standard in security protocol. Our Dean of Students, Kris Mitchell, spent several days last spring becoming an ALICE-certified instructor. He conducted a training session during our in-service. Additionally, each faculty member will complete an ALICE training during the next two months which, when completed, will make Calvert Hall an ALICE certified school.

 

We also had a member of the Archdiocese Youth and Child Protection team review protocols for protecting young people. Each faculty member will now complete a training, sponsored through the Archdiocese, to further educate themselves on child protection. Finally, one in-service session was dedicated to the new national program called “Stop the Bleed.” Trauma surgeons and nurses taught our faculty tourniquet and wound care.

 

All of this is in addition to the many security protocols that are already in place. For new parents, we have an off-duty Baltimore County police officer, who is armed, on campus. You likely see him in the morning at the main entrance and walking the campus later in the day. Also, we ask all visitors to check-in at the main office. When signing-in, your driver’s license will be run through the child sex offender registry, and then a nametag will be printed so you are identified as a visitor on campus. If you have any questions about campus security, please feel free to call me.

 

Again, I apologize that this is the subject of our first Monday Minute letter, but the safety and security of your son is of paramount importance.

 

Welcome back! If there is anything I can do to help make this a better year, please let me know. See you soon!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Charles Stembler

Principal