Westwood Update - Transportation
September 2, 21
Transportation Plan
Transportation - Safety First
Student drop-off and pick-up before and after school is always a challenge. Ensuring an organized way to safely connect students and parents through our bus, cars, walk-ups and walking systems has many different layers of challenge. Our biggest concern is making sure each child is safely with the correct adult. With the pandemic and the additional safety protocols in place, it gets even harder.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to welcome and dismiss students to and from school. Below is important information regarding our pick-up and drop-off systems. We work extremely hard to make sure we are organized and efficient. By following our procedures you help keep kids safe and the lines moving quickly. Last year we were able to get our car line down to 15 minutes of waiting once the bell rang at dismissal with a daily average of around 70-80 cars.
Thank you for taking the time to read the following information and for going with the flow...of traffic.
See below for our systems and information.
Thanks,
Scott
4 Options for Transportation
- Bus - The easiest and most efficient mode of transportation for school is the bus. We highly encourage using the bus for transportation but understand that there are circumstances that make this not possible.
- Parent pick-up and drop via car - We have a streamlined system for our cars. We have devoted most of our school resources in terms of staffing to make this safe, fast and organized. If at all possible, please use our parent drop-off and pick-up route (see below). The line looks long but it moves quickly, usually no longer than 15 minutes. Please drop off in our designated area. This is the only place we can ensure safety, supervision and organization. When you drop off at other locations, it slows down everything else.
- Parent Walk-up - We will add this option this year on our playground. See the graphic below. If walking your child to the gate and picking-up at the gate is something you prefer, we fully understand but we want to make sure we do so in an orderly way. See below for more information about our safety protocols for walking kids to our gate on campus.
- Walking - Westwood has very few walking students but if you live in the neighborhood behind our campus, your child is allowed to walk to and from school after notifying the school office.
Car and Number System
Location - Please enter Westwood at the front of the school off of 212th. When there is a line, please wrap around the corner down 416th. At times the line looks long but we keep it moving quickly. In the morning, if you are in line by 8:55 AM your child will not be marked tardy if he or she arrives late due to the line.
Family Dismissal Numbering System
Each Westwood family will be assigned a number. The number is for the whole family, including all siblings.
Each family will receive 2 large, bright yellow Westwood number cards with their family number to display in their car during pickup.
Anyone picking up a child must show this number card in their car. Place the card in a place that is easy to see, either on the passenger side window or on the front dash. Your child will have a corresponding number tag on their backpack. All children will have a number, even students who ride the bus when changing transportation.
For the safety of your children, we will still make sure to verify that the adult picking up the child. This card does not replace our security procedures. If we are not sure who the adult is that is picking up the child, they will be asked to come to the office to provide identification and approval from the parent/guardian.
After school, students will wait in their classroom for their number to be communicated. When their number is displayed, students will exit the building through the main doors and proceed to the front pickup area. We will work to get your student ready and waiting when you get to the front.
Parent Walk Up - Modified
* Please note that because we have to commit all of our supervision and resources to keep the car line moving, parents who want to walk up will need to wait longer to receive their children from the classroom in the afternoon. We simply do not have enough resources.
Parent Parking and Walk-up Location - Please park behind our playground off of 414th street in the gravel. Parents or guardians are allowed to walk their child on the playground to the gate identified in the picture. Please only walk to the gate identified and not to the classroom doors. We are unable to allow parents to go any further than the gate near the ramp. Westwood's outdoor hallways make this the natural place to say good-bye and pick-up.
Morning Drop-off procedure: Please park and walk your child all the way to the gate. Please say good-byes at the gate and WW staff will supervise from there.
Afternoon Pick-up procedure - Please park behind the playground and wait behind the gate. Once we get the cars moving a staff member will be by to connect you with your child. Please note that because of safety and the need to get cars off of the main street, this will be our last step in our procedure and will take longer.
Ways You Can Help!
If at all possible, use our bus or drive-through system.
Use the designated areas to drop off. Please do not drop-off in the back parking lot or lower parking lot. This is not safe.
Call the school office with any changes or needs as early as possible.
Make sure we know who is picking up your child. We will not release to unknown adults.
Drive slowly.
Please do not turn left into our parking lots if at all possible. It blocks the people behind you who are usually the ones pulling out of our exit, creating a back-up.
Allow busses priority.
Wave!
We thank you in advance for your patience and support. We truly appreciate it and are working hard to make this safe and fast.