Procedure for Arrival and Dismissal

  • Dear Parents and Guardians of Rio Calaveras Students:

    For the safety of our students, please review and follow the policies outlined below for student safety to and from school, for arrival and dismissal procedures, and for all campus visits. It is very important that we work together to ensure the safety of our students.

    Please read this notice carefully and discuss these procedures with your children:

    Students should not be at school before 8:30 a.m. and need to be picked up no later than 3:00 p.m. Only students who are being tutored or are signed up to be active in clubs may arrive earlier and stay later.

    Students walking or riding their bicycles to and from school need to follow all the safety rules and procedures:

    1. Always walk with a group of students and never walk alone. If there is a problem, return to the school and report the problem immediately.
    2. Obey all traffic signals and only cross with the green light and watch for the cars that are turning. Students on bicycles must walk their bicycles across the street and must wear helmets.
    3. If you hear a siren, do not start crossing the street even if there is a green light until the emergency vehicle has passed and it is safe to cross.
    4. For added safety, we ask our parents who are at home between 3:00 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. to watch out their doors and windows as our students walk home.

    At dismissal time, parents are to wait outside the gate on the northeast side of the cafeteria for their students to exit campus. Parents who wish to meet with their child's teacher after school are to sign in at the office. Office staff will contact the teacher to request a meeting following dismissal. Please allow some extra time to comply with this important safety procedure.

    ARRIVAL:

    • Before school, all students will line up on the sidewalk outside the gate on the north side of the cafeteria. At 8:30 am. seventh and eighth graders may enter the school grounds through the gate on the north side of the cafeteria. Kindergarten through sixth grades will enter the school grounds by the gate on the north side of the cafeteria at 8:30 a.m. The main parking lot does not have the capacity for many additional vehicles, so everyone is asked to park in the northeast parking lot for drop off. Students who eat breakfast in the cafeteria may enter the cafeteria through the north door beginning at 8:30 a.m.

    DISMISSAL: (All students need to walk on the sidewalks)

    For safety, we ask that all students waiting to be picked up after school wait in their designated area. This will help keep our students safe from strangers.

    • 7th - 8th-grade students will line up on the blacktop: walkers, parent pick up, or bus and follow the 1-6 students off campus.
    • Grades 1st-6th will line up in the central quad area according to their group designation as outlined below.
    1. Bus riders will line up in front of the stage and will be escorted to the bus stop by a teacher.
    2. Students with bicycles and scooters will exit ahead of other students at dismissal and leave by the northeast gate. No skateboards are allowed on campus.
    3. Parent pick up for grades 1-8 will line up on the sidewalk next to the B building and exit by the northeast gate. Students will wait on the sidewalk behind the blue line. Students will be permitted to enter vehicles as they advance along the curb. Forming a second line of cars away from the curb is prohibited for safety reasons. As your car moves into position at the front of the line, your child will be permitted to enter your vehicle. Parents are to remain with their cars at the curb and wait for their children. Children are not to cross the parking lot to enter cars where parents are waiting. If a parent prefers to park, they are requested to use the crosswalk toward the front of the parking lot to escort their children to the car. Students crossing at other locations are prohibited. All walkers: March Lane walkers and Ijams walkers will line up on the sidewalk between the E-wing building and the grass area and exit by the main entrance gate. They will cross in front of the school and walk on the east side of Bianchi Road home. West walkers will line up on the sidewalk between the E-wing building and the grass area. They will exit by the main entrance gate and walk in front of the school (on the sidewalk between the school and the parking lot) to the apartments.

    The cafeteria parking lot will NOT be used for the pick up of students and will be locked for student safety.

    There is no parking on Bianchi Road. Please do not pick up students on Bianchi as it is illegal and you may be cited.

    Those families who have older students from other schools picking up younger siblings are asked to have those students wait on the outside of the campus at the northeast gate.All students must be picked up by 1:40 p.m. Office phone use is for emergencies only; please make dismissal arrangements with your children before sending them to school.

    If the above procedures are followed, we hope this will alleviate the traffic problems that we have experienced. It will take the cooperation of everyone involved. Our primary concern is the safety of our students.

    1. Kindergarteners only will line up behind the kindergarten gate in the courtyard and exit through the kindergarten yard. The parking lot in front of the school will be used to pick up kindergarteners only. Kindergarten students with brothers/sisters in grades 1-8 are to be escorted to parent pickup area on the northeast side of the school by their siblings. This will help keep the front parking lot clear for emergency vehicles if needed.