A new school year is fast approaching, and teachers and staff are busily getting ready to welcome our students in just a few short days. As we all prepare to get back to school routines, we want to make you aware of some campus-wide changes for the 2014-2015 school year. Please bear in mind that our ultimate goal is to educate all students in a safe and secure environment, and in order to achieve this, we must implement procedures that reduce the likelihood of accidents and injury.
Beginning on August 6, 2014, one of the biggest changes will be the position of the buses for afternoon dismissal. Twenty-five buses and eight daycare vans will service just the Paine Campus and this large number has always presented challenges in terms of location and distance. In the past, all buses would line-up single-file along the curb that extends from Paine Primary to just beyond Paine Intermediate, and daycare vans/buses would line-up on the lower level of Paine Primary. Some students would have to walk the length of the campus just to get to their bus. This year we will double stack the buses so that they form two lanes in the center of the campus and shorten the distance students walk to reach their buses each afternoon.
However, the new configuration will allow very little room to maneuver on the front of the campus. In addition, bus drivers will begin staging their buses at Faith Community Church at 2:15 and start entering the Paine campus each afternoon by 2:30.
For these reasons, the following changes will be effective on the first day of school and through the entire year:
• All student check-outs must be completed no later than 2:15 Tuesday-Friday and 1:15 on Monday.
• All going home/changes in transportation messages must be received in the office no later than 2:15 each day (1:15 on Mondays). Please try to limit changes to emergencies only.
• If your child rides a daycare bus/van from school in the afternoon and is absent for the day or checks out before dismissal, please notify the daycare so the drivers will know not to expect the child. When the daycare is unaware of a child’s absence, our dismissal process is delayed.
• Once the buses begin to enter campus, cars will not be able to access the campus on the upper level.
We hope that by informing you early of these campus changes, you will have adequate time to prepare and make any necessary arrangements. Thank you for working with us to ensure the Paine campus is as safe and secure as possible.
