Carpool Procedure
As our school community comes together to provide a safe carpool experience and our carpool protocol makes this possible. Staggered arrival times and designated entrances and exits help with congestion and get you on your way quicker. Your patience with our staff and with each other will be appreciated as we make every effort to keep carpool running smoothly.
We will monitor what works and what does not and make adjustments as needed.
- Existing Families will use their previous carpools tags.
- New Families Carpool numbers will be distributed during opening conferences.
- You will receive 4 carpool tags for your use, and to give to a nanny or grandparent who picks up regularly.
- Please post your hang tags from your rearview mirror.
Carpool Specifics:
Preschool drop-off and pick-up are at the top of the hill. Elementary drop-off is at the bottom of the hill, and elementary pick-up is split between the bottom of the hill and the field. Families with both preschool and elementary students will receive personalized arrangements at opening conferences.
Preschool drop-off and pick-up are at the top of the hill. Elementary drop-off is at the bottom of the hill, and elementary pick-up is split between the bottom of the hill and the field. Families with both preschool and elementary students will receive personalized arrangements at opening conferences.
Please do not idle internal combustion vehicles while waiting in the carpool line to help keep our campus air healthy.
Faculty and staff will not release students in cars without working seat belts and a proper car seat/restraint system. Students are released only to parents and designated drivers in the FACTS Parent Portal. For additional information, see Authorized Student Release in the Parent Handbook.
Late Arrival and Early Departure:
When a student arrives late or leaves early from the school day, parents must provide notice by emailing the student’s teachers and the Office Manager before 8:30 a.m.
When a student arrives late or leaves early from the school day, parents must provide notice by emailing the student’s teachers and the Office Manager before 8:30 a.m.
Late arrival is after 8:50 a.m. Students need to be escorted by a parent or guardian to the front office to be signed in; they will proceed to their classrooms independently or with parent accompaniment as age-appropriate.
Early departure is when students are picked up before their regular dismissal time. Upon arrival, please use the black callbox to the right of the main building’s front door to let the office know you have arrived. The office will notify the classroom teachers, and the student will independently meet you or be escorted to meet you, age-appropriate, at the front office, where the student must be signed out.
Parking:
To ensure that emergency vehicles and responders have quick, easy access to our school in case of an emergency, the driveway and front door entrance area should remain clear. Please use the designated parking areas listed below when you need to come into the School.
To ensure that emergency vehicles and responders have quick, easy access to our school in case of an emergency, the driveway and front door entrance area should remain clear. Please use the designated parking areas listed below when you need to come into the School.
Use the Five-Minute Parking spaces for quick five-minute visits to the office except during 8:20-8:50 a.m., 12:50-1:20 p.m., and 2:50-3:20 p.m. These spaces are reserved for drivers to pull up and out of traffic flow to buckle seat belts/car seats during carpool.
For any more extended visits or visits during carpool, please park in the field parking near the greenhouse. When parking in the field, please only use the crosswalk to cross Lime Kiln Lane.
Preschool Arrival
Families with preschoolers will use the upper lane of carpool for both their preschool and elementary students.
Pre-K StudentsFour-year-olds:
Drive all the way around the carpool loop past the front of the building. A teacher or staff member will come to your vehicle to walk them to the main entrance to access Rooms 1, 2, and 6. Case by case, Pre-K students with elementary siblings may use the lower carpool for arrival.
Twos & Threes Students:
Drive half-way around the carpool loop past the Cottage to the front corner of the building to the Group B stop. A teacher or staff member will come to your vehicle to walk them to the Cottage or Pedway stairs to access Rooms 8, 9, and 10.
Preschool Dismissal
-
Preschool carpool begins at 1:00 p.m. (Gates open at 12:45 p.m.; please do not arrive significantly early.)
-
Full-Day carpool begins at 3:00 p.m. (Gates open at 2:45 p.m.; please do not arrive significantly early.)
-
If you have older siblings, you will pick them up from the front entrance.
Families with Twos & Threes students will use the upper lane of carpool. Families with Pre-K students without younger siblings will use the lower lane of carpool, whether they are dismissing at 1:00 p.m or 3:00 p.m.
What to Expect:
As routines become more familiar to all, we will evaluate the process and make adjustments as necessary.
- Please place your carpool hang tag from your rearview mirror.
- A staff member will be noting carpool numbers as you pull into the assigned carpool line.
- Pull forward through the carpool line as far as you can and keep minimal space between cars to keep carpool traffic off Lime Kiln Lane.
- Siblings will be brought together at the load-in spaces.
- A teacher or specialist from your child’s classroom will greet your vehicle and open the door for your child(ren).
Please pull forward as far as possible /into 5-min. parking to buckle your child’s car seat.
Preschool Dropoff/Pickup Locations
DROPOFF/PICKUP LOCATIONS: (see map)
A Group: use Front Entrance to access Rooms 1, 2, 6, 10
B Group: use Cottage/Pedway Stairs to access Cottage A and B and Room 9
Elementary Arrival
Elementary Families (with no Twos or Threes preschool siblings) use Lower Carpool.
Elementary Families with preschool siblingsContinue to drop off in UPPER CARPOOL on the same schedule.
What to Expect:As routines become more familiar to all, we will evaluate the process and make adjustments as necessary.
- Please place your carpool hang tag from your rearview mirror.
- A faculty or staff member will greet your vehicle.
- Staff will be posted to help children get safely to their classrooms
*If a designee is dropping off your child, please share the carpool protocol with them in advance.
Elementary Dismissal
Elementary Families with Kindergarten or Primary 1/2 students will pick up in the bottom-of-the-hill loop (location C on the map). Elementary Families whose youngest students are in Intermediate 3/4 or who are 5th graders will pick up in the field near the greenhouse (location D on the map).
Elementary Families with Twos and Threes preschool siblings will pick up students using Upper Carpool at 3:00 p.m.
What to Expect:
As routines become more familiar to all, we will evaluate the process and make adjustments as necessary.
- Please place your carpool hang tag from your rearview mirror.
- A staff member will be noting carpool numbers as you pull into the assigned carpool line.
- Pull forward through the carpool line as far as you can and keep minimal space between cars to keep carpool traffic off Lime Kiln Lane.
- Siblings will be brought together at the load-in spaces.
- A teacher or specialist from your child’s classroom will greet your vehicle and open the door for your child(ren).
*If a designee is picking up your child, please share the carpool protocol with them in advance.
Car Seat & Safe Car Riding
When it comes to car safety for children, faculty and staff prioritize the use of a proper car seat for younger children and best practice safety for older children. For the safest possible ride, we recommend the following tips:
- Maximize the rear-facing limits of your car seat.
- Continue using a car seat until your child reaches the maximum height or weight limit.
- Ensure that no child under eight years old is without a booster.
- Keep children under 13 years old seated in the back of the car.
- Adjust rear-facing straps to be at or just below the shoulders, and forward-facing straps to be at or just above.