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Freshwater School District Announcements & Downloads:
Freshwater School Parent Notification System
Dear Parents,
Keeping you informed is a top priority at Freshwater School District. That’s why we use the ALERTNOW Notification Service which allows us to send a telephone, cell phone, text or e-mail message to you providing important information about emergencies or school events . We use ALERTNOW to notify you of school delays or cancellations due to inclement weather, as well as emergency updates and various other important reminders. In the event of an emergency at school, you can have peace of mind knowing that you will be informed immediately by home phone, cell phone, text and email .
What you need to know about receiving calls sent through ALERTNOW:
• Caller ID will display the school’s main number when general
announcement is delivered.
• Caller ID will display 411 if the message is a dire emergency.
• ALERTNOW will leave a message on any answering machine or
voicemail.
• If the ALERTNOW message stops playing, press any key 1-9 and
the message will replay from the beginning.
The successful delivery of information is dependent upon accurate contact information for each student, so please make certain that we have your most current phone numbers. If this information changes during the year, please let us know immediately.
Please return the form sent home to your child’s teacher by Friday September 12, 2011. Note that the primary phone number will be the only number called for standard and non-emergency calls. If you wish to receive text messages, please use your cell phone as your primary number; the emergency numbers will only be used in an emergency, and all will be dialed simultaneously. Thank you for your cooperation and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We are very have ALERTNOW as a tool to improve parent communication and look forward to having the ability to deliver real time information to you and provide awareness of the status of your child in an emergency.
With Warm Regards,
Thom McMahon
| Smart Phone & I-Touch Devices Banned at School
Effective immediately: Smart Phones, IPod Touches and any other device capable of Internet access, recording or uploading video or displaying music videos are no longer allowed at Freshwater School without prior approval.
Dear Parents and Guardians;
Freshwater School has always made it a top priority to keep children physically, mentally and emotionally safe while at school. We also strive to be sensitive to the needs of parents and students. Communication is a vital tool for parents and the invention of cell phones made keeping in contact with children a vital, if not mandatory part of parenting teens.
In an effort to accommodate parents, Freshwater School District adopted policies relating to the possession and use of cell phones at school. District Policy allows possession of cell phones for students in 7th & 8th grades if they are "......turned off and in the student's backpack." This policy is in place to accommodate a parent's need to contact after school or in emergency situations outside the regular school day. They are not to be used at school at any time. Freshwater Middle School 7th & 8th Grade students are also given the "privilege" to listen to music during specified and appropriate times of their school day.
As you are aware, keeping children safe from inappropriate media influences is an on-going battle and technology is not making the task any easier for parents or schools. Technology has gone beyond the standard cell phone and we are now having to deal with so-called "smart phones and IPod-Touch" devices at school. The concern with these new technologies is the student's unfiltered access to Internet content. The school Internet connection has a sophisticated filter installed that monitors student use and denies access to inappropriate Internet sites. These new devices bypass the school filter and give students access to the Internet via third-party providers such as Verizon, AT&T, etc. They also give access to unsecured neighborhood Internet connections. It leaves school's with no control over the content students view.
These same devices are also capable of recording video at school which, in turn, can end up on the Internet on sites such as Facebook and YouTube. There are many parents at school who do not want their child's picture taken let alone posted on the Internet. Another concern is the viewing and sharing of music videos, some of them very inappropriate.
Therefore, Smart phones and IPod Touch devices are not acceptable at school. Middle School students may still listen to music on Nano or MP3 devices, as long as they are approved devices.
Thank you in your valued and necessary support of the quality educational environment at Freshwater School.
Mr. McMahon, Superintendent/Principal
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