Waterbury Community,

What a great first half of the school year! It is exciting to see your children’s growth and development this school year!

As Winter approaches, and the weather becomes more challenging, safety of all in and around Waterbury is an utmost priority. I’ve noticed some new traffic patterns this year that need to be addressed. I appreciate everyone’s feedback on the parking lot and any concerns brought to my attention!

First, this year, we were able to bring back student safety patrol to allow for student ownership and leadership in and around the grounds. These 5th grade students have been a tremendous help! It is wonderful to see a pre-Covid-19 activity return!

We also brought back from Covid-19 a second pick up and drop off lane to try and support the flow of traffic. But, the biggest traffic pattern change this school year has been the increase of parked cars and parents/guardians walking up to the door to pick their child up. While we are still able to dismiss our students in 10 minutes, and on inclement weather days by 12 minutes, however, we are always looking to improve the process within our grounds.

Parents parking and walking up is a traditional rite of school years that was paused during Covid-19, and I appreciate another step in returning to pre-Covid-19 times. As such, we will eliminate the second drop off/pick up lane and return these parking spaces to staff and visitor parking when we return from winter break. By having additional visitor parking, this should allow us to ease the concern of traffic in the back lot and make it easier for families to park and walk up. To support these changes, please see the visual diagram at the bottom of this communication to help. We will have staff to help support these changes when we return from winter break, January 5th, 2023.

Also, I appreciate the parents willing to bring back the Volunteer Parent Safety Patrol. This extra layer of support and safety is always appreciated. If you’d like to sign up, please do so here.

Thank you for your partnership in making Waterbury the best educational environment for our kids! Again, we will start this when we return from winter break.

Dr. Jon Pokora