1 March 2018
Dear Bayside Parents and Guardians,
As you know, there was a lockdown at our school today. Thank you to everyone for the support. We understand this was an extremely trying day for the community of Bayside Middle School.
For your information, here is a description of today's events that will be shared with students in the morning:
On Thursday, 1 March, we received information from students that there was a suspicious person on the lower playing field. We expect students to report any suspicious incidents to any adult.
Police advised Bayside School to go into lockdown. During this time all students and staff remained hidden and quiet until advised otherwise. We have practiced our lockdown drills throughout the school year and today, we were so proud of our students for the way they managed themselves for 3 1/2 hours!
Once the police had searched the school and the exterior perimeter, and determined that we were safe, we were then advised to move into a hold and secure. Finally, we were allowed to use the washrooms, go to our lockers and to be signed out by a parent in the multi-purpose room.
Police have advised us that no suspect was found but they will continue to do their investigation. Bayside continues to be a very safe school.
School will be in session tomorrow, Friday, 2 March. Central Saanich Police will be on site as the school day begins tomorrow morning. Homeroom teachers will have conversations with each of their classes to discuss the events of today. This will be a good opportunity for students to express their feelings and concerns supported by teachers.
We recognize and acknowledge that many students will need to debrief and work through what they experienced at school today. We will have district and school counsellors on site available to meet with any student who wishes to speak with them. We want to support all students through this, and we expect that they may need supports in place not just tomorrow, but next week as well and perhaps even beyond. We plan to follow up with any student who requires time to process what happened today.
We appreciate the tremendous support of our school community as we work to ensure the safety of everyone at Bayside.
Sincerely,
Bayside Middle School Administration