Thank you for making the transition to the new school year so smooth!  We have noticed many families walking this year, and the impact has been immense. If you haven’t traditionally walked to school, and you are within walking distance, we highly encourage you to try it.

Parking this year will continue to be a challenge, mainly because we have added two TK classes. Our lot was built for a school of about 500 students, and this year we are approaching 1000. This means we will all have to continue to work together to ensure the process is as smooth and safe as possible.

With that in mind, we did want to share a few quick reminders and tips.

1. When you enter the parking lot, there are two distinct lanes. The lane on the right is for drop-off. If you have a student in 1st-6th grade that you are dropping off stay in this lane and pull as far forward as possible. The left lane is used as a through lane for all families looking to park. Thank you for not using the through lane as a drop-off area as this poses a safety issue. Also, thank you for not double-parking in the parking lot to drop off students.
2. Our student crossing guard teams will be back soon!!  Please exercise a bit more patience and understanding than usual as we work to get our teams totally trained.  Once they have been on the job for a bit, the time spent waiting in the drop-off line will shorten!
3. The signs posted near the edge of the sidewalk in the drop-off lane that says, “No stopping, pull all the way forward,” are intended to prevent drivers from leaving their cars unattended and parked.  When dropping off we ask that you please pull as far forward as you can.  If you have driven past the first crosswalk (where you see me each morning), and all the cars in the line in front of you have stopped, you can have your children exit the vehicle and then pull away.  You do not have to wait until you get to the front of the line to have them leave the vehicle.
4. It is fastest if children start preparing to exit the vehicle as soon as you enter the parking lot.  Then, once you stop, they can say goodbye and I love you, hop out of the car, and shut the door quickly.  The faster we can get students out of cars, the shorter the wait time will be. Those few extra seconds make all the difference when trying to get so many cars through the line.
5. The bus loop located at the southwest corner of the school is designated for busses and staff parking.  Please continue to be mindful of this.  We have had a few close calls with drivers making illegal U-turns at both, the entrance, and exit of the south bus loop.  Please remember that area is not intended as a drop-off area.  We kindly ask that you use the main drive-thru loop.
6. Please remember to always use the crosswalk.  We know it can be a bit faster to cut across the parking lot in different sections, but drivers have been trained to watch for pedestrians in the crosswalks and not elsewhere.  We have had a couple of close calls recently, and want to ensure everyone arrives safely.  We also want to continue to teach our students the safest way to cross a busy street or parking lot.

We can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support! 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Respectfully,

Principal Lange