Dropping off in the morning

o Do not stop on top of the crosswalk.

o Have everything signed and put in backpacks before you get to the school. Unloading should take less than a minute.

o Let your children out of the car directly onto the sidewalk instead of the inside lanes. In the morning, the inside lanes should be reserved for those who have dropped off their students and are on the way out.

o Between 7:30 and 7:45, students are expected to walk on the sidewalk around the building to the playground.

o Remember: Students are late if they are not in their seat at 8:00.

o We will be outside at 7:30 a.m. to greet the students and act as crossing guards.

o Drop off starts at 7:30 and the first bell rings at 7:50. Learning is so important that we start teaching right at 8:00. We would love for more families to shift their drop off time closer to 7:30 rather than 7:55. This will help with traffic congestion in the mornings. We also suggest you check the times and locations of the PRT bus pick up. PRT has a special bus that is just for Connor Academy students. They have two busses that bring kids to school in the morning.  Having more families use the bus will also help with congestion.

Picking up in the afternoon

o Do not stop on top of the crosswalk.

o The bell rings at 2:45. Because of foot traffic in the halls, it can take up to 5 minutes for some classes to get outside.

o The oldest student in the carpool is responsible for collecting everyone. For example, 3rd graders should not be looking for their 8th grade older siblings.

o By 3:00, there is little or no traffic.

o Please do not ask your children to wait in front of the office or in the gravel area. There is no adult supervision in these areas. It is also a safety issue for students to walk through cars and across the parking lot to get to their vehicle. After you have picked up, we suggest you turn right onto Philbin to help with the parking lot congestion

o Inclement (bad) weather – When the weather is such that children should not be playing outside (wet or excessively windy and cold), the west side doors will be unlocked so that children can go immediately into the building in the morning. 1st -3rd grade go into the gym to wait for school to start, 4th and 5th go into the cafeteria, and 6th -8th wait in the Commons area upstairs. When the bell rings at 7:50 they line up and go to their classes.

Dear Parents:

Thank you for your patience. Dropping off and picking up your children can be frustrating, even irritating, depending on where you are and who is in front of you in line. I know we don’t have a perfect solution worked out, but it is the best we have and works best when everyone plays by the same rules.

I am forming a school safety committee. One of their tasks will be to re-examine the traffic flow and see what can be done to improve it without compromising the safety of the children. If you would like to be on this committee, please send me an email (joel.lovstedt@academycharter.net).

This morning I was talking with parents who were dropping their children off on the gravel road, causing them to cross unsupervised through the office parking lot. Back in my office, when I had a chance to think about our conversations, I realized that they made some good points. So here is what I want to try:

1. Parents can drop off their children from the gravel parking lot IF they get out of their car and cross with their children or if they are staying to volunteer in the school or playground.

2. The same is true after school, but in reverse. You can park in the gravel lot and then walk to your children and act as a crossing guard for them through the office parking lot.

3. I purchased a set of two way radios (which should arrive next week). I am planning on giving one to each staff member outside so that we can get children to their cars more quickly.

4. If you have a special challenge or circumstance that requires a particular accommodation, please talk with me so we can work something out.

Thanks again for choosing our school.

Sincerely,

Joel Lovstedt

Principal