With the school year in full swing, students are falling into their school day routines of waking up, getting ready, and heading out the door. Whether they first head to their bus stop, car, or the sidewalk — they’ll soon be doing so while bundled up.
Yes, the winter months are here, and schools should ready themselves for the weather that accompanies them. Even though some areas in the U.S. — mainly the southwest and southeast — don’t get a ton of wintry weather, approximately 70% of the U.S. population live in snowy regions! This fact makes it imperative that school leaders take action to ensure a comfortable, safe, and communicative learning environment for their students.
Primex OneVue Sense™ and OneVue Notify® can help do just that.
Automated Monitoring to Help Regulate School Environments
As outdoor temperatures start to drop, indoor temperatures may tend to follow. This could be an issue, as studies have shown that students score better on tests when the indoor temperature stays at a comfortable level. For example, this Environmental Protection Agency award-winning group of student researchers found that test scores were 14% and 18% higher when taken in a classroom that’s temperature measured 72 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 61 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively.
This temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit is exactly in the middle of the suggested temperature range of 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit during winter months, as mentioned on the Institute of Education Sciences resource page. Additionally, a research review completed by the Penn State Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis found that the ideal temperature range for effective learning in reading and math is between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
To keep students comfortable and in an environment suitable for learning this winter, indoor temperatures need to be monitored to align with these studies and findings. Primex OneVue Sense Ambient Temperature and Humidity Sensors provide a quick and easy way to monitor a space’s ambient air temperature and keep tabs on its relative humidity. The on-sensor display will show measurements, and for remote viewing, the readings are also available within the web-based OneVue® software platform. This easy-to-use platform allows school administrators to keep an eye on all their monitored assets without having to be in a classroom or at the school.
To further help keep classroom, library, cafeteria, or even gymnasium temperatures maintained at a proper level, sensors can send alerts via text message, phone call, or email if an out-of-range measurement is recorded. This allows the appropriate staff to make corrections that will better regulate the ambient air temperature, whether that’s turning on the heat, air conditioning, fans, mobile heaters or coolers, or opening a window for a breeze.
Visual Messaging to Keep Students in the Know
While Primex OneVue Sense can help school staff maintain indoor temperatures, Primex OneVue Notify can strengthen the necessary communication to inform students about weather-related events.
OneVue Notify InfoBoard™ displays are visual LED message boards that can display either preset or customized messages throughout your school. The InfoBoard display comes standard with the following statements that can be displayed at the press of a button:
- LOCKDOWN
- WEATHER
- EVACUATE
- LOCKOUT
- ALL CLEAR
When connected to the OneVue software, users can compose custom messages for InfoBoard displays to congratulate special achievements, cheer on sports teams, or post any other integral information to students.
The visual communication aspect that these InfoBoard displays bring to a school adds another layer to emergency communication plans. In the event of a winter weather emergency while school is in session, administrators can share updates with students to help keep them safe and informed. If a weather forecast is particularly daunting, an early dismissal may be called and posted on InfoBoard displays. Students in loud environments where an audio message could go unheard — band rooms, cafeterias, auditoriums, etc. — will receive the visual message and stay in the know.
Comprehensive, Cohesive Technology for Full-School Optimization
Primex solutions are designed to work together, adding automated and communicative solutions to any facility. In addition to automated monitoring and mass notification, Primex offers a synchronized clock solution known as OneVue Sync™. Keeping all clocks — whether analog or digital — synchronized can improve schoolwide timeliness and keep classes on schedule, no matter the weather. All three Primex solutions are manageable through the anywhere-accessible OneVue software for ultimate convenience.
To learn more about how OneVue solutions can fully prepare your school for winter, contact us today.