Parents,
Thank you for working with us this past week with the bus transportation delays due to traditional school starting. We understand that many of you are waiting at bus stops, have after-school activities to attend and want to have your time with your family in the evenings. I want to assure you that BRES is constant communication with WCPSS Transportation Department. We are actively working to inform you of any bus delays by posting the information on the school website, the Principal's Desk blog and updating the outgoing message on our main school phone line. Additionally, the office staff and administration answer as many phone calls in the afternoon so that we can inform you about the each bus situation personally. It is my hope that these delays will decrease soon and we will be able to get back to our pre-traditional school bus dismissal times. Until then, please continue to inform of your bus concerns. You are always welcome to call the Garner Transportation Department at 919-662-2408 as well to communicate your concerns. We thank you for your continued flexibility with the transportation delays.
I also want to address the carpool lane. As I have shared before that we have an increase of students participating in carpool this year. We realize that the students are not coming out to the cones at 3:45. It typically takes us 5 minutes to call out numbers and direct students to their cones, but this has not been the case in August. The first three weeks of school was smooth. When track 4 came in and combined with Track 1 we now have our two largest tracks together and it is simply taking more time to line our students up and begin the dismissal process. Additionally, many of our students are still learning their carpool numbers. Please encourage your child to come into carpool, find their grade level cone, sit "criss-cross applesauce," and listen for their number.
Also, I am including our carpool expectations for you. When we follow these expectations it supports us in having a smooth and safe dismissal in the carpool lane. You can help us maintain a safe and orderly dismissal by please adhering to the following guidelines:
-Only utilize the designated carpool lane in our side parking lot
-Please do not park and walk up to the carpool dismissal area. This is not safe and it causes confusion and congestion.
-Carpool tags must be hung in the rear view mirror
-No Cell Phone Use once the line is moving
-Pull forward to the first available cone for loading and unloading children (even if you see your child at another cone. We will bring your child to the right cone. This supports us in being able to move 5 cones/cars at a time.)
-Only load and unload children in the designated loading zone–if you need to help your child buckle their seat belt please pull to an empty parking space to the left so the line can keep moving.
-If there is a delay in getting your child out to your car we will ask you to pull up past
Cone 1. We will bring your child to you.
Please be patient with us as our goal is to ensure each student is delivered to you safely.
I want to share with you that I am working with WCPSS and local agencies to identify and possibly implement alternative strategies to reduce the vehicle congestion from Banks Road onto Chambers, such as adding an additional carpool lane. As soon as a strategy has been recommended I will be sending out information to notify of you of the changes. Thank you for all that you do each day to support a positive and safe school environment.