Dear King’s Highway Elementary 1st and 5th Grade Parents,
The Red Cross offers three programs for young students: Prepare with Pedro, Be Red Cross Ready, and Hands Only CPR. These programs provide information on fire safety, disaster preparedness, coping with emotions, providing immediate assistance, and the charter of the American Red Cross. The instructors are certified trainers for these programs. An overview of each program is provided below.
Prepare with Pedro: A 35–45-minute classroom-based presentation for 1st grade students. The presenters use a standardized curriculum that combines storytelling with physical and group collaborative learning activities. Students follow Pedro (a penguin) as he learns about how to avoid house fires and how to prepare for other types of emergencies, and what to do if one occurs.
Be Red Cross Ready A 50-60-minute interaction session that will be presented to 5th grade students. This is a more in-depth program that is based on the same fundamental lesson plan: preparing for, responding to, and coping with home emergencies, with a focus on home fires.
Hands Only CPR A program that explains how to perform CPR with only your hands. It is a simple six-step process that could save a life. And remember, bystanders are typically the ones that save the most lives in these situations. This class will be taught depending on the maturity level of the students.
The students are engaged and learn valuable safety measures that they are encouraged to share with their parents or caregivers. It can be considered a life-saving curriculum, given the number of home fires that happen in Pennsylvania. (Our state is among the top three in the country for home fires.) These programs were developed to support the Red Cross mission, which is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.”
The Red Cross will be hosting these classes at King’s Highway Elementary School on October 21st and 22nd. Please take the time to engage with your students after class to discuss the material—this benefits both you and them.
Thank you for your support!
Southeastern PA Red Cross Education Team
Any family that wishes to opt out should contact Therese Mitchell at Mitchellt@casdschools.org
