Families of Salida Middle School-

With safety in mind, Salida Middle School will be completing a Reunification Drill on Wednesday, August 26th. Reunification is the process by which students are reunited with their parents after an incident or emergency.  

On this day, students in grades 6th through 8th will be released at 2:00 p.m. Buses will run their normal routes for those students, but parents should expect them to arrive home early. Parents of 6th through 8th graders who pick their children up should be here at 2:00 p.m. sharp. Our 6th through 8th grade walkers will be heading out at 2:00 p.m. as well and parents should expect them to arrive home early. Salida Boys and Girls Club will be opening at 2:00 pm on this day for our 6th-8th grade students.

For our 5th graders participating in the drill, parents or someone on their emergency contact list will need to pick them up. Staff will be working with the Salida Police Department to make sure this process is as efficient and orderly as possible. At approximately 2:15-2:30 pm, an app message will go out to 5th grade guardians letting them know that they should come to the school to pick their child up. At this point, the guardian or an emergency contact listed in Infinite Campus should come to SMS and head to the main doors with their ID ready. We'll cross reference the person picking up with the information we have in Infinite Campus. The child will then be "reunited" with their parent or their emergency contact and they'll be free to go home. 

I appreciate everyone working with us on this drill. We frequently are doing evacuation drills and lockdown drills within our building, but it is imperative that staff and parents know how to do a reunification as well. Longfellow Elementary as well as Salida High School will also be participating.  If an emergency ever should happen, we want to get our students back to those who love and care for them as fast as possible.    

Ways you can help:

• If you have a 6th through 8th grader, have a plan for the 2:00 p.m.early release on Wednesday, August 26th.  Boys and Girls Club will open at 2 pm to accommodate.

• If you have a 5th grade student, have a plan for who will be responsible for the pick-up, ensure they are listed in Infinite Campus as an emergency contact,  and remind them to have their picture identification.

• ALL parents should have someone on their emergency contact list who doesn't work for the school district or is an emergency responder.  In a true emergency, they will often be focused on the care of our school community.

• If you have questions please contact me and we can set up a time to speak over the phone or in person

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We appreciate your support in keeping our community and school safe.

Michelle Saab, Principal