Change in Transportation Arrangement

We are unable to process changes in transportation for anything other than an emergency.   Arrangement for play dates and visits to friends should be scheduled after students arrive safely home from school. However, should an emergency require that a child walk or ride home with a friend, the parent should send a note to the main office on the morning of the day permission is requested. An email has been established for these situations: @email.  Please ensure that the office receives this notification prior to 11:00 a.m., if possible, as that timeframe allows an opportunity for the classroom teacher to be informed during their lunch time. 

A note is required from the parent/guardian of each student involved. Please send your requests in writing, including the date, the children’s first and last names, the homeroom teacher, what the change is “Riding bus #____”, “Walking home with __________.” The note should be signed by the parent/guardian and include a phone number where you can be reached for questions or further information. We are unable to process changes in transportation unless both students have a note. In the absence of both students having notes, each student will be instructed to go home as they normally would go home. The students will be allowed to make a phone call to a parent to inform them of the situation.

Please note if a bus is filled to capacity, a student not regularly on the bus will not be allowed to ride the bus even just for one day. Each family is urged to find a nearby neighbor that your child can go to in the event of an emergency, please make sure this person is also included on the Emergency Care Card.

Buses

Bus service is provided for children who live more than one and one-half miles from the school or where walking is hazardous. Bus riders are expected to:

• Avoid crossing over or playing on private property.

• Arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time.

• Remain seated and talk quietly after boarding the bus.

• Cooperate with the safety patrols and bus drivers.

Procedures for safe transportation are discussed with all students at the beginning of the school year. It is also important that parents review with their children the information included on the form provided to all students who use school transportation. Parents’ reinforcement of the rules for safe loading and unloading of buses and of standards for behavior on buses and at bus stops is essential and will promote safety.

Student failure to exhibit acceptable standards of conduct while riding a school bus can result in a suspension of bus transportation.

We have many buses delivering children to Stenwood Elementary. The buses will pull into the bus lanes in the front of the school. Students will enter the school from their buses through the front lobby doors. Adults will be present at all arrival and dismissal times to ensure your child’s safety.

Kindergarten and Preschool Parents: For your child’s safety, a parent, daycare provider, designated adult, or a sibling in 7^th grade or higher is required to meet your child at the bus stop/bus door. If one of these individuals is not at the bus stop/bus door, the child will be returned to school.

Walkers

Parents are responsible for selecting their children’s walking routes to and from bus stops, schools, and home. Parents are also responsible for providing supervision that is appropriate to the student’s age, the student’s maturity, and conditions on the route. 

FCPS staff does not assess all possible walking routes, supervise those routes, or guarantee the safety of any particular route. Staff provides general safety information to school communities, and responds to requests for specific information and advice when practicable. 

Walkers will enter the school through the front or back doors only.  Students should not arrive at school before 8:20 a.m. and no later than 8:35 a.m. Our morning staff is on duty from 8:20-8:38 a.m.  There will be no supervision prior to 8:20 a.m. The first bell rings at 8:30 a.m. Teachers begin the instructional day at 8:30 a.m. as soon as the first student enters the room.  The tardy bell rings at 8:40 a.m. All students should be in their classroom by 8:40 a.m. when the tardy bell rings. 

Walkers must walk home at the end of the school day.  Students may not stay on the playground at the end of the day without parental supervision and/or checking in at home first.

 

Car Riders

Car riders must use the Kiss N’ Ride area on Citadel Place behind the school. For safety reasons, the front driveway is restricted to bus traffic in the morning and afternoon. Parents are not permitted to drop students off or use the circular driveway in front of the school. The congestion this causes presents a safety hazard for students, staff, and vehicles. For those occasional times when you are dropping your child off after school has started or during school hours, know that you must park your car in the lot and escort your child to the office to sign in for attendance.  Please adhere to the same practices when picking up your child early.

Staff members will be stationed at the Kiss N’ Ride (map at the back of this book) to help children get out of the cars safely and enter the building through the rear doors.  The Kiss N’ Ride area becomes very congested. Please follow these safety procedures to ensure the safety of your child and all students:

• Approach the back circle of the school by turning onto Carnegie Drive from Cottage Street. Enter the back circle on Citadel Place by turning right from Carnegie. Exit the circle by turning right on Carnegie, then proceed to Bucknell Dr. and back to Cottage. This one-way pattern will help reduce traffic congestion.
• Pull forward as far as possible before loading or unloading.
• Load and unload from the passenger side of the car only.
• Do not pass other cars that are loading or unloading.
• Do not park in the Kiss N’ Ride lane and leave your car unattended.
• Do not park on the other side of the street and call to the children.
• Exit the Kiss N’ Ride promptly after loading or unloading children.
• Look carefully for students who may be crossing the street.
• Be considerate to our neighbors who live in our Kiss N’ Ride circle.
• In the afternoon, if your child is not present when you pull up to the Kiss N’ Ride area, please pull forward and go around the circle again.
• In the afternoon, do not park along Carnegie Drive and wait for your child. This adds to traffic congestion.

Please treat our staff members monitoring Kiss N’ Ride respectfully.  Remember that Kiss N’ Ride is offered as a courtesy to our parents and these staff members make it possible to offer this service.

Students should not arrive at school before 8:20 a.m. Our morning staff is on duty at Kiss N’ Ride from 8:20-8:38 a.m.  There will be no supervision prior to 8:20 a.m. The first bell rings at 8:30 a.m. Teachers begin the instructional day at 8:30 a.m. as soon as the first student enters the room.  The tardy bell rings at 8:40 a.m. All students should be in their classroom by 8:40 a.m. when the tardy bell rings.

Car riders who have not been picked up by 3:35 p.m. will be escorted to the school office until a parent or guardian arrives.  Car rides must be picked up by 3:35.  Students may not stay on the playground at the end of the day without parental supervision and/or being picked up first.

 

Bicycles

The decision of whether a student is capable of riding their bicycle to school should be left up to the parent. Parents should take the following into consideration:.

• Their child’s age, maturity level, and physical condition.
• Has the child demonstrated proficiency riding a bike?

Prior to your child riding a bicycle to school, determine the riding route to school. Discuss alternate routes in the event the primary route is inaccessible. Bike racks are available at the back of the school by Kiss N Ride.

General Information

Each family is urged to find a nearby neighbor that your child can go to in the event of an emergency.

Parents escorting their children to school or picking them up at the end of the day may not walk to the classroom.