B utte Falls School D istrict #91
P.O. Box 228 • 720 Laurel Avenue- B utte Falls, O R 97522
(541) 865-3563 • fax (541) 865-3217
Be Safe. Be Respectful. Be Responsible.
February 28, 2018 KJIHGFEDCBA
Dear Butte Falls Charter School Parents (and Students) and Com m unity M em bers,
In last m onth's new sletter I shared w ith you som e inform ation about our continuing efforts to ensure
the safety of our students and staff. It is tim e to update you on this and several other item s of interest.
M aintaining a Safe Teaching and Learning Environm ent. The recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida,
rem inds us that our first responsibility is to be prepared to respond w henever an em ergency arises on
our school cam puses. Part of that preparation is practicing how to secure our classroom s and our
schools. Each August w e bring our em ployees together to update them on any changes to our facility
and to ensure w e have updated our security and safety procedures. These include practices for securing
each room on cam pus, notifying law enforcem ent if needed, directing our students to safety w ithin the
buildings, and evacuating the school. D uring the year w e have 9-10 fire drills, several lock-dow n/lock-out
safety drills, and 1-2 earthquake drills. W e have continued to upgrade our security m easures w ith
im proved fencing, additional locks, im proved security cam eras, and additional cam pus supervision.
Safety: If you see som ething, say som ething. O ur best safety practice, how ever, involves our
relationship w ith our students and w ith you. Because w e are a sm all com m unity, w e have a network of
partners w ho know w hen som eone is having a difficult tim e or is experiencing a change in behavior.
W hile w e are respecters of privacy, the nature of our w ork is to help students grow and m ature
academ ically and socially. W hen a student or form er student is struggling em otionally, that is usually
seen by som eone — a fam ily m em ber, a peer, a school em ployee, a com m unity m em ber. It helps us serve
our students and keep our school safe if you share concerns you m ay have about a student or
com m unity m em ber w ho m ight be struggling w ith life. W hile w e m ay not be able to directly assist that
person, w e m ay be able to help find resources forthem . You m ay direct such concerns to Principal
D ianne G orm an, to a school em ployee you feel com fortable talking w ith, or to m e. The m ost im portant
thing is to find a w ay to let us know of the concern. Thank you for w orking w ith us to help our students
safely succeed.
The Seismic Retrofit is Underway! If you have a student in grades K-6 the biggest distraction they have
experienced this w inter has been tw o snow days and one chilly day w hen the boiler had problem s
heating the building. W hile w e can't do m uch about the w eather, w e have repaired the boiler and our
school rem ains a safe and w arm place to be. If, how ever, your student is in grades 7-12, then they have
been experiencing the Great Butte Falls High School Seismic Retrofit Project of 2018. The D istrict
received a $1.5 m illion grant to seism ically upgrade the m ain academ ic building and the gym nasium to
increase student safety in the event of an earthquake. Ausland G roup is the prim ary contractor for this
w ork.