Carpool Procedures

CARPOOL PROCEDURES
Updated 8/10/2012
New procedures are noted in green.

MORNING ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

IMPORTANT - For the 2012-2013 school year, SMM parents will continue to take turns partnering with our 5th and 6th grade Safety Monitor volunteers to help out with drop off to ensure the safe arrival of all our SMM students. Click here to read about this process or check back here in the future to access the calendar with the family assignments. (Hint - on the calendar, to easily find your last name, hold down the Ctrl key and type the letter "f"; enter your name and click Search. This should bring you to the first instance of that name.)

1. CARPOOL STUDENTS

Drop off begins at 7:30 A.M. when supevision is provided in the school in designated areas. Any child/ren arriving before 7:30 must stay in a car with an adult until the school doors are open or may be dropped off at Before Care in the Church Hall. There is a nominal fee for Before Care. Any child/ren left unattended before 7:30 A.M. will be taken to Before Care. Children may enter their classrooms at 7:45 A.M. Any students who arrive after 7:55 A.M. must sign in and wait in the lobby area outside of the gym until after announcements. If after 8:05 A.M., please go to the school office with a parent/guardian via the front entrance to sign in and receive a late pass before reporting to homeroom.

DROP-OFF ZONE 1: Cars will enter from Concord Pike and proceed to the drop-off area in the driveway area parallel to the gym. Please drop off in the coned area of the driveway. There will be safety monitors to assist children as they get out of your car. Children should exit on the passenger side of the car only. Students will enter the building through the gym lobby doors. You should then proceed to exit onto Sharpley Road. For a diagram, click here.

DROP-OFF ZONE 2: Cars will enter the library driveway off Sharpley Road and drop off children in the designated drop-off zone 2 area, which will be clearly marked by cones. There will be safety monitors to assist children as they get out of your car. Children should exit on the passenger side of the car only. Students will enter the building at the gym doors as they do for Zone 1. Cars will exit via Halstead Road. NO cars will be permitted in the area between the playground and gym. For a diagram, click here.

PLEASE NOTE—For safety reasons, we cannot allow cars to access their trunk in either Drop Off Zone. If you need to use the trunk, or you wish to walk your children into school, you must enter from Concord Pike and park in the gym parking lot by the playground. You must cross the driveway at the crosswalk area, marked by yellow stripes, near the playground.

2. WALKERS AND BIKE RIDERS

Halstead walkers must use the stairs that are to the far left of the driveway that exits onto Halstead Road. Halstead walkers can then proceed through the playground area and cross the driveway at the crosswalk.

Sharpley Walkers ONLY are allowed to enter by the front door of the school. Sharpley walkers arriving after 7:55 must enter through the gym doors.

202 Walkers must cross Concord Pike at the traffic light, walk to the crosswalk at the doors of the church, and proceed down the sidewalk around the Church and in front of the Rectory. Then use the sidewalk at the side of the Rectory to cross at the crosswalk in front of the gym.

Bike Riders must use the same procedures as the walkers based on where they arriving from. Bike riders must walk their bikes across any road with car traffic, and should park their bikes in the rack in front of the gym.

To ensure the safety of ALL students at SMM, we ask that all families follow this carpool procedure. NO cars are permitted to drop off students on Sharpley Road, Halstead Road or in the lot directly in front of the school. These areas need to stay clear for students who walk to school, for the bus riders who are dropped off in this area and for cars entering and exiting the drop-off zones.

Drop off begins at 7:30AM when supervision is provided in the school in designated areas. (Children may enter their classrooms at 7:45AM). Any family who arrives after 7:55AM must have a parent/guardian sign in their children in the lobby area oustide of the gym and receive a late pass before reporting to their homeroom. If after 8:15AM, please go to the school office via the front entrance.

The morning carpool procedure is diagrammed on the map on the website as noted. If you have any questions please contact Beth Ann Short (475-9386) or Jackie Stuchlik (428-0248).

AFTERNOON CARPOOL PROCEDURES

For afternoon carpool, all cars are to enter the school property via Concord Pike or Sharpley Road. Please DO NOT come for carpool before 2:15 p.m., as some classes are still outside for recess. Cars cannot block the rectory parking lots or back up on Concord Pike. Cars are to proceed through the parking area behind the Church and Rectory and line up in two lines in the drive between the Kindergarten and the Rectory Zone 3(these cars will exit onto Sharpley Road) OR in the Basketball area of the playground Zone 4 (these cars will exit onto Halstead Road). Cars parked in the larger part of the parking lot will have the choice of exiting onto Sharpley Road OR Halstead Road. Once you are parked, you must turn your car off. If you are parked in Zone 3 or 4 you must remain in your vehicle at all times. It is extremely important that younger siblings must be watched closely, because of changes in the areas where cars will be parked. No dogs are permitted at carpool. For a diagram, click here.

All carpool students will exit school through the gym lobby doors. After students have had adequate time to locate their cars, a bell will ring. Any students who have not found their car will leave the parking area and return to the area in front of the gym lobby doors. When all students are safely out of the parking area, a signal will be given for the cars start their engines and to begin to exit. Cell phone use in NOT permitted once cars start moving. All cars will exit onto Sharpley Road or Halstead Road one lane at a time.

If you arrive after 2:45 for pick up, all cars must enter from Concord Pike and get in the "late carpool" line and wait for the signal to proceed to pick up your child(ren) from the gym lobby door area. At 3:05 P.M. any student not picked up will be sent to Extended Care and you will need to pay the Extended Care fee.

To ensure the safety of ALL students at SMM, all families must follow this carpool procedure. If you are picking your child up by car, you MUST be in the carpool line. There is no parking allowed in the lot in front of the school, in the lot in front of the Rectory, on Sharpley Road or Halstead Roads.

After all cars in carpool have exited the property, walkers and bike riders will go with the designated teacher to the approved areas to continue their walk or bike ride home. For your child to be released as a walker they must be going directly to a home and not to an alternative pick-up location.

The Afternoon Carpool Procedure is diagrammed in the map on the website. Staff will be in the parking lot to supervise Afternoon Carpool.