The Weekly Buzz
The Weekly Parent Newsletter for Van Wert Elementary School
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Thank you for a fantastic start this past week, and I encourage everyone to keep it going this week! Our scholars thrive when rituals and routines are consistent across classrooms. I’m asking everyone to continue sharing and modeling our daily rituals and classroom routines, so every child experiences a calm, supportive start to their day.
Alongside sustaining rituals, we will introduce a clear, student-centered approach to safety and drills. Our goal is to prepare calmly and confidently, while keeping students feeling secure and supported.
What I’m asking you to do:
Continue rituals and routines
Maintain consistent morning greetings, transitions, and classroom routines.
Use predictable signals and procedures to help students know what to expect (e.g., clean-up, line-up, attendance checks).
Reinforce positive behavior, supports and practices during routines.
School safety and emergency preparedness
Review the school’s safety plan.
Teach and reinforce safety expectations with students in an age-appropriate, calm manner.
Ensure clear pathways in your classroom, and that doors/windows are not obstructed during routines and drills.
Safety drills
Fire drills are conducted monthly, with a focus on orderly and quiet evacuations, as well as accurate attendance checks.
Other drills (lockdown, shelter-in-place, severe weather): planned and practiced at least twice per semester.
Roles during drills: teachers lead the class and supervise students; designated staff assist with attendance checks, hallway monitoring, and communication with the office; the office logs drill results and debriefs.
After-action reflection: brief, kid-friendly debrief with students that reinforces what went well and what we can improve.
Thank you for following these requests. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas to strengthen our practices, please share them with me or your grade-level team lead.
Again, thanks for a fantastic start!
Warm regards,
Will Zwingmann, Ed.S.
Principal
