THE CHES "PUP POST"
2022-2023 ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!
Thank you!
Mrs. Joy Houchen
Principal
ARRIVAL
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR ARRIVAL
- Cars will only be permitted to drop off students if they are heading southbound on E. 71st Street. If headed north, you will have to go up to the HS or Klima to turn around.
- Cars will NOT be permitted into the parking lot between the ES and the MS/HS during arrival. This will be used for BUSES only.
- Cars will pull into the loop in front of the school or to pull into the parking lane on the right side of the street to drop off children.
- If a child needs assistance getting out of a car seat or seat belt, the driver or a passenger will have to assist. It is always helpful to have the child on the passenger side of the car if possible.
- Staff members will be present to direct students to their lines/doors as they exit the cars.
- For safety and social distancing purposes, parents/guardians must drop their children off curbside. Please do not get in the entrance line with your child. We've got this!
- Please pull up as far as possible in the loop or the parking lane so we can fit as many cars as possible at one time. This will help keep traffic on E. 71st Street flowing.
- Adult supervision begins at 8:15 AM. Please do not let your students out of the car until directed to do so by an adult on duty.
- Students will wait in line until we begin taking them inside. We will begin entering the building at 8:20 AM and the tardy bell will ring at 8:30 AM.
GRADE LEVEL SPECIFICS FOR ARRIVAL
Drop-off for elementary students will take place as follows:
The loop and street are both safe options for drop-off. Parents of students in grades 4-5 should use the street whenever possible to free up space in the loop. With that said, however, please just follow the directions of the adults on duty.
RED FLAG - Front, Center Doors = PK and Grade 3
ORANGE FLAG - Loop Doors = Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2
BLUE FLAG - South Doors Along Playground Sidewalk = Grade 4 and Grade 5
WALKERS AND BUS RIDERS
- Students who walk to school will cross with the crossing guard (if applicable) and will go to the appropriate door/line for their grade level.
- All guidelines for adults listed above are applicable to walkers as well. For example, to help with distancing, parents will drop their children off at the curbside and staff members will assist from there.
- Buses will enter the parking lot and will go to the back of the building to unload.
- Students will be dismissed from buses to enter the building beginning at 8:20 AM. They will go directly to their homerooms.
DISMISSAL
SCHOOL SAFE ID (DISMISSAL)
*Remember to hang the tag from your rearview mirror when you are picking up your child in a car or carry it when you are picking up your walker. Although returning families will typically have the same number as last year, EVERYONE will get a new car tag. This year's color is green and the date is labeled on the hang tag. If you need additional tags, please contact the school office.
*We will attach your child's matching tag with a zip tie to his or her backpack. Please leave the tag on the backpack all year as it will make it easier for us to match students with cars when we have monitors who do not know all the children.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DISMISSAL (CAR RIDERS AND WALKERS)
- Cars will only be permitted to drop off students if they are heading southbound on E. 71st Street. If headed north, you will have to go up to the HS or Klima to turn around.
- Cars will NOT be permitted into the parking lot between the ES and the MS/HS during dismissal. This will be used for BUSES only.
- Cars will pull into the loop in front of the school or into the parking lane on the right side of the street to pick up children. Once the loop and street are full, cars should pull into the parking lane in front of the middle/high school to wait until they are directed into the loop or street.
- The School Safe ID Hang Tag should be visible upon arrival. Staff members will direct you to pull up as far as possible and will then notify your child's teacher that you have arrived. Your child will immediately be dismissed to the appropriate exit doors and out to your car.
- If you do not have your hang tag, you will be directed to wait at the end of the dismissal line to pick up your children, in order to keep the traffic moving.
- If your child is a walker, the office needs to know if they are supposed to walk home alone or if they need to wait for an adult. If they are allowed to walk alone (or with their siblings), they will be dismissed between 3:15 and 3:20 PM. If they need to wait for an adult, you will need to come to the sidewalk closest to the building with your hang tag. Your child will be dismissed to you there.
DISMISSAL SHIFTS
We know that we cannot possibly fit all of the cars into the loop and the parking lane in front of the building at one time. In an effort to try to minimize lines, we are recommending the following:
- Dismissal begins at 3:15 PM. Please do not arrive to wait in line before 3:10 PM as it causes traffic backups on E 71st Street. You may pull into the loop or the street. We do ask, however, that people with older students pull onto the street as much as possible to leave room for our little ones in the loop as they are walked out by staff members.
- Phase 1: Arrive between 3:10 and 3:15 PM for the first round of dismissals at 3:20 PM. Pull into the loop as far forward as possible or onto the street in front of the building. (Last Names A-G)
- Phase 2: Arrive between 3:15 and 3:20 PM. Line up in the parking lane in front of the MS/HS building. A staff member will direct cars into the parking lot or street as space becomes available. (Last Names H-M)
- Phase 3: Arrive between 3:20 and 3:25 PM. Line up in the parking lane in front of the MS/HS building. A staff member will direct cars into the parking lot or street as space becomes available. (Last Names N-S)
- Phase 4: Arrive between 3:25 and 3:30 PM. Line up in the parking lane in front of the MS/HS building or pull into the loop/street if space is available. (Last Names T-Z)
- Please do not arrive after 3:30 PM. If you arrive later, you must walk to the side door with your car tag to pick up your child.
*The phases above are recommendations. If you need to arrive earlier, feel free to do so. If you are able to wait until Phase 3 or 4, please do so.
BUS DISMISSAL
Dismissal for buses begins as soon as the first bus arrives or at 3:15 PM (whichever comes last).
- Buses will enter the parking lot and will go to the back of the building to load.
- Students will be called to the back lot to enter the bus under the supervision of adult monitors and the bus drivers.
- Buses arrive at the ES any time between 3:15 and 3:40 PM, depending upon the day.
- A responsible person (adult or teenager) must be present and visible when elementary students are dropped off at home.
SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR STUDENTS AT DISMISSAL
- All students will exit through the doors they entered in the morning.
- Each grade level has a specific route from their classrooms to their exit doors.
- Students will go directly to their dismissal doors and out to the loading area when called. They will not be called until a staff member sees the hang tag or their bus arrives in the back lot.
- It is our staff members' prerogative to ask for an ID whenever they do not know the person picking up the child. Please have your ID ready if asked for it.