At the start of every month at Gotanda school we do some kind of emergency drill. Today we had a drill for earthquake safety.

One of the most important part of any drill is that we need to make it as realistic as we can. Students are encouraged to take it seriously and not laugh or chat during the drill.

Today we interrupted our phonics class with an earthquake alarm.

Students immediately climbed under the desks and covered their heads. Staff members shook the table and banged on them to mimic falling objects and encourage the students to stay calm and make sure no parts of their body were sticking out.

After the ‘shaking’ stopped student made fast lines, headed to the emergency stair exit and carefully made their way down. We then crossed the road to the nearby park which is our emergency meeting spot.

We spent a little time outside and discussed the kinds of things that we need to be careful of during an earthquake. What we should do if we’re by ourselves and the safest places to move to in the event of an earthquake.

The students behaved fantastically today. They protected their heads, moved quickly without running and didn’t play around on the stairs. All the staff were very impressed with how they handled the drill.

Well done everybody!

Prime Academic Preschool Gotanda

Alex