Carpool
When entering and exiting the property please use right turns only. This will minimize the traffic on Stonewall Road and help us to maintain positive public relations with our neighbors.
With an enrollment of nearly 520 students, it is important that we maintain procedures that insure the safety of all children, parents and staff members at All Saints. All of our procedures have been designed with this in mind. Secondly, we have organized the carpool system in a manner that enables us to keep Stonewall Road clear of traffic so that we do not disrupt the activities of neighboring businesses and residents. The following is a list of annual reminders that will help us maintain an arrival and dismissal system that is safe, efficient and courteous.
Parking:
~It is important that parents park only in those areas identified for our carpool system.
~Parents are asked not to park directly in front of the school building since this area is designated a fire lane and is also used for the Pre-Kindergarten dismissal and arrival. Beginning this week, access to this area will be restricted by traffic cones.
~Those volunteering in the school during the day are asked to park in the far end of the parking lot nearest Cardinal Bank. Please refrain from parking in the lot across from the priests’ parking area (Lot #2) since this section is reserved for parish staff use.
~When arriving for afternoon carpool, parents are asked to refrain from parking on Stonewall Road and other areas of the property. For the safety of the children, it is important that each family participate in the school organized carpool system. Similarly, parents are asked not to park beyond section one of the carpool area. Though doing so does allow for a quick departure, it is not fair to the hundreds of parents who patiently participate in the carpool each day, nor does it communicate a positive message to the children. (From time to time, occasions may arise that require special exceptions. In these situations, please contact the office so that arrangements can be made for you to pick up your children at the front of the school during dismissal.)
Arrival & Departure:
~When entering and exiting the property please use right turns only. This will minimize the traffic that sometimes occurs on Stonewall Road and help us to maintain positive public relations with our neighbors.
~Please be sure that your carpool number is clearly displayed in your windshield. This is particularly important on inclement weather days when a staff member reads the numbers and forwards this information to the front office so that students may be called individually for pick up. If you have not received a carpool number, please contact the school office for assistance.
~In that our carpool system brings together many people, it is a time for discussion and community building. However, once dismissal actually begins, we ask that parents wrap up conversations so that complete attention may be directed to the children and so that we might avoid any unnecessary delays.
~When arriving for afternoon dismissal, parents are reminded to use great caution when exiting their vehicle. We recommend that parents not open their doors until the next row of cars has arrived in the adjacent parking spaces.
~For the safety of all involved, drivers are asked not to exit the carpool lines unless directed by a staff member to do so. Teachers only wave drivers forward after verifying that the adjacent lanes are clear of pedestrian traffic.
For safety ~ Parents are reminded to refrain from using cell phones while operating their vehicles in the parking lot. With the many students, parents and staff walking across the blacktop at dismissal, it is important that parents not be distracted when driving their vehicles.
For efficiency ~ Some of the traffic challenges of recent weeks have been the result of cars left unattended in the carpool lanes. Parents are asked not to delay in returning to their automobiles after picking up their children so that the exit from the parking lot may begin promptly and efficiently.
Carpool/Parish Office Courtesy – Each afternoon as the school prepares for dismissal, important meetings and discussions take place in the parish office. Some of the meetings are particularly sensitive, such as in the case of parish staff assisting a family in the planning of a funeral for a loved one. Out of respect for the ministries that operate out of the offices, parents are asked to closely supervise their toddlers to insure that any games or noise outside the parish facility are not disruptive. Everyone’s cooperation in maintaining an atmosphere of respect and consideration is appreciated.
Parents are urged to form carpools whenever possible to transport children to and from school. Each driver is assigned a number that is kept in the front windshield of the car for identification purposes. Students are expected to memorize this number for ease in recognizing their driver. In the event that there are several carpool drivers for one family, all use the same number.
During morning arrival between 7:50 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. the following procedures are followed.
For those arriving from the city, particularly by way of Stonewall Road, cars turn onto the property at the entrance adjacent to the Knights of Columbus facility. Upon entering the property, cars loop around the perimeter of the rear parking lot and students are dropped off within the area behind the two school wings. Students enter the facility by way of the rear doors of the new breezeway. Drivers then exit the rear parking lot by way of the same driveway adjacent to the Knights of Columbus. Drivers make only right turns onto and off of the property. Parents with Pre-K students are asked to use this option every day. A staff member will escort each Pre-K student from his/her car to the Pre-K classrooms.
Those arriving from areas of the county may turn onto the property at the Stonewall entrance in front of the church. Upon entering the property, cars immediately turn left and loop around the parking lot in the pattern marked by traffic cones. Students are dropped off in front of the handicapped parking area. Students then enter the facility by way of the front doors of the new breezeway. Drivers exit the front parking lot by way of the Center Street/Route 28 exit.
No children may be dropped off prior to 7:50 a.m. unless escorted to Extended Day by their parent/guardian.
School staff and safety patrols monitor both parking lots to insure the safety of everyone involved in the carpool. Except for Pre-K parents, either zone is available to arriving parents.
Afternoon carpool which takes place from 3:00 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. is also monitored by staff and safety patrols. Each school family receives a carpool number that they are asked to display during afternoon carpool. These signs are used during rainy day dismissals, daily for Pre-K and when a student is brought to his/her parent’s car by a safety patrol.
During afternoon carpool, cars turn onto the property from Stonewall Road and proceeding to the right, park facing Center Street. Students line up by class in the courtyard in front of the church. When each parking area is called, parents in that area walk to the lines using the sidewalk that approaches the courtyard from the right. After picking up their children, they return to their cars by way of the sidewalk on the left side of the courtyard. During this procedure, parents are required to turn off all car engines. Parents unable to leave their automobile because of health concerns or young children are encouraged to request a patrol escort for their children by holding their carpool number out their car window. After each parking area of cars is filled, drivers follow the direction of the teacher on duty and proceed either left to the Stonewall Rd. exit or right to the Center St. exit.
Afternoon Dismissal…New Traffic Flow for 2009/2010 ~ In an effort to enhance student safety, we have reviewed our dismissal procedures and wish to announce a revision related to the flow of traffic. While we do not anticipate that this change will require any additional time, we are confident that it will provide a safer environment for parents and students crossing the parking lot to return to their cars during afternoon dismissal.
The new procedure is as follows:
Once the three bays of the parking lot are filled, arriving vehicles will be directed to enter the school property by way of the back parking lot, using the entrance located between the Knights of Columbus Hall and the school cafeteria. Cars will proceed around the side of the new building and wait in line in the driveway adjacent to the entrance of the new school wing. When additional space becomes available in bay one, drivers will be directed by a teacher to park in this area. (A detailed map of the revised dismissal procedure will be distributed during Orientation.)
Please note: To accommodate this new procedure, short term visitor parking at the front of the school will be unavailable beginning at 2:00 p.m.
Students who attend after-school care facilities off-site gather in the new breezeway entrance and are taken to their day care vans by a teacher or safety patrol.
Students who are not picked up after 20 minutes are escorted by a teacher to Extended Day.
On inclement weather days, students report to classrooms 1-8 according to their carpool numbers. In order to facilitate indoor dismissal, the first bell rings at 2:45 p.m. at which time students are dismissed to their assigned rooms. Carpool numbers are called over the public address system. When a student’s carpool number is called, he/she proceeds to the old breezeway and meets his/her carpool driver in the parking lot.
Students who choose to ride bicycles to school must enter the property via the driveway adjacent to the Knights of Columbus building or the path adjoining the faculty parking lot. Upon entering the property all students must dismount and walk along the edge of the driveway/sidewalk to the bicycle rack located behind the school. All students must wear a helmet and follow the guidelines established by the city and state.
Students who walk home from school will be escorted from the facility by a staff member. Any students needing to cross Stonewall Road will be supervised during the crossing.
Students who remain after school for activities such as band, yearbook, or schola, report directly to the moderator’s room or gather in the music room where they are supervised until the activity begins. When the activity adjourns the teacher/moderator escorts the students to the front door of the school where they meet their parents. If students have not been picked up within 10 minutes, the teacher/moderator escorts those remaining to Extended Day.
If there is a change in your arrangements for dismissal, please notify the homeroom teacher in writing. Students will not be released to other drivers or allowed to walk home without parent permission. Parents who wish for their child to walk or ride a bicycle home must submit a note to the homeroom teacher and school office.
Parents may not park on Stonewall Road or surrounding areas. All parents/guardians are expected to participate in the school organized carpool system. For the safety of all students and personnel, the cooperation of all parents is required.
Under no circumstances may parents or visitors park behind the school building between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
On days when inclement weather occurs during dismissal, students will be dismissed using the carpool system in a different manner than it is regularly used. Here are some points to keep in mind on these “indoor dismissal†days.
- Park in the parking bays as usual.
- Display your carpool number in the middle of the windshield of your car so that it can be read from either side.
- A teacher will take down the number and relay it to the office.
- As the dismissal begins, the receptionist will call the numbers she has received over the intercom. She will start with numbers from bay 1 and call the other bays in turn.
- Students listen in their rainy day rooms for their numbers to be called, then proceed out the old breezeway to meet their carpool.
- Parents are asked to stay at the end of the row of cars where they are parked and meet their children as they cross the driveway.
- Carpool numbers should be given to patrols only after a teacher has read it and only if you are unable to leave your car as is done during regular carpool.
- To avoid confusion be certain your children know their carpool numbers.
As of December 2, 2009:
In an effort to improve upon the rainy day dismissal process, in the event of inclement weather, we are implementing the following procedures beginning today.
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- Cars arriving in the overflow lot via the rear entrance will be directed to park in Section I of the front lot, similar to the process used each afternoon. Once these cars are all parked, a call will be made for all remaining students in the building to exit and proceed to their cars. For this reason, teachers will not be collecting carpool numbers from cars in the overflow line.
Due to the business of the closing of a school day, any parent wishing to check out their child/ren at the end of the day must do so by 2:45 p.m. (Parent-Student Handbook, p. 23). In accordance with this policy, the office staff will no longer call students to the office after 2:45 p.m.
These are two strategies that we believe will improve the efficiency and organization of the existing dismissal process. Additionally, a faculty committee has already been at work identifying a new model to be used on inclement weather days. Once finalized and approved, this plan will be communicated to parents via the weekly letter.
In the meantime, please know of our commitment to improving upon the existing process. Thank you for your continued patience as we work through the details of a new plan.
For the safety of students and families participating in the dismissal process, parents are asked to refrain from bringing pets through the carpool lines. This will reduce the potential for allergic reactions among students and allow for an efficient and safe dismissal from school.
