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.
~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.
~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.
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.
ENTERING THE PARKING LOT
- Bays will be labeled with signs that will read BAY 1, BAY 2, BAY 3, BAY 4, BAY5.
Families with last name beginning with (A through Moore) will park in the front parking lot by the church, those families with last names beginning with (Morad through Zelada) will park in the back parking lot. Please read attachment “dismissal bays” to make you aware which bay you will park in.
BAY 1 – carpool families
BAY 2 –
BAY 3 –
BAY 4 -
BAY 5 -
- Bay 1, Bay 2, Bay 3 – will enter the front parking lot from Stonewall Rd. (closest entrance to Rt. 28) by the church.
- Bay 4 and Bay 5 – will enter the back parking lot from Stonewall Rd. (entrance by the Knights of Columbus building).
- Bay 1, 2, and 3 will park facing their car toward the school building (front parking lot)
- Bay 4 will park their car facing the soccer field and bay 5 will park facing the school building.
- Those cars arriving late will line up in the following areas and wait for direction from the teacher on duty to enter the late arrival bay: Late arrivals for the front parking lot will line up along the grass area (closest to Rt. 28) facing the direction of the new church; late arrivals for the back parking lot will line up along the grass area by the soccer field facing the wooded area. LATE = once students have begun to load their vehicles.
- Parents of pre-K students and patrols will park by the new church.
DISMISSAL OF CARS
- Older siblings of pre-K students will meet them by the parish office and walk with them to the parked car.
- Once you have picked up your child/ren, please proceed to your car and get ready for dismissal.
- When all cars are loaded, 2 teachers and 2 patrols will clear each lane in each bay and start dismissing cars. As the first bay and 5th bay are dismissed, a teacher will direct the “late vehicles” to park in those bays.
Click to enlarge map:
§ Dismissal Bays~ http://www.allsaintsvaschool.org/index/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2010/04/Dismissal-Bays.pdf
A few reminders:
- Parents will pick up their child/ren as always. (Walk through the line picking them up from the grade level line).
- Please pick up your child/ren and return to vehicles as quickly as possible.
- Teachers will release the bays when all cars have been loaded.
- FOLLOW THE TEACHER’S DIRECTIONS…
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.
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.
- Parents will be asked to stand directly in front of the row of cars in which their vehicles are parked.
- Students will exit the building in an orderly fashion and look for their parents standing at the front of a row in their assigned bay.
- Students will walk directly to them across the parking lot.
- Faculty members will be present to monitor this process and there will be an assigned staff member on both sides of the building to gather and supervise those students who do not immediately see their parents.
- Dismissal of bays will proceed as usual when all cars have been loaded.
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.
