Our goal is to promote a safe and efficient drop off and pick up procedure for our students, parents, and staff.
Student Hours
Student hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Parent Drop Off (Mornings)
- Parents can drop their children off in the car loop each morning beginning at 7:30 a.m. Do not allow your child to exit the vehicle without an Elmont staff member being present.
- Students may be dropped off at the designated location between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Students will proceed directly to their classroom. The tardy bell rings at 8:00 a.m.
- Please have your child ready to exit the car (masks on, backpack ready, goodbyes said, etc.) when you reach the drop off location so that students may exit the car quickly.
- Your child will exit through a door on the passenger side so that he or she will not have to cross in front of cars.
- Drivers should not exit the car in the parent drop off line. If your child needs assistance opening the door, one of the staff members on duty will assist your child. Please do not pull into or through the parking area to drop your child off.
- At 8:00 a.m., the staff member on duty will close the door at parent drop off. Students may not be dropped off in the car loop after 8:00 a.m.
- If your student arrives after 8:00 a.m. you must park in the parking lot and walk your child to the front entrance of the school. A staff member will meet you at the door. Parents will not be able to escort their child(ren) into the building this year as part of our health plan.
- Staff will be on duty throughout the building to assist students with getting to their classroom each morning.
- Pre-k parents are asked to park in the parking lot to unbuckle students and get them out of the car. A staff member will walk your child to the door.
Parent Pick Up (Afternoons)
Our afternoon procedures will mimic our morning drop off. Each family will receive two parent pick-up car tags with your assigned family number. When arriving in the afternoons for parent pick up, please hang one tag on your rearview mirror so that the number can be easily read by the staff member on duty. Your child(ren) will also have the assigned family number on their Cardinal badge. This will allow us to precisely and quickly match students to parents for parent pick up. If you have a family member or neighbor who will pick up your child(ren), please be sure to give them one of your pick-up tags to use the day that they are picking up.
- Parents with family numbers 1–75 may enter the car loop beginning at 2:25 p.m. Dismissal begins at 2:30 p.m., so there is no need to arrive prior to 2:25 p.m.
- Parents will enter the parking lot and follow the car line to the designated pick-up location. A staff member will be on duty reading car tag numbers.
- As the staff member reads your number, your child will be dismissed to the parent pick-up line. We ask that you wait patiently in your vehicle and an adult on duty will ensure that your child is safely loaded into your vehicle each afternoon.
- Each family will only be issued two parent pick-up car tags. If the person picking up your child does not have the appropriate car tag displayed, the staff member on duty will ask for photo ID to verify permission to pick up your child(ren). This may cause a delay with our parent pick-up procedure, so please make every effort to have the tag used on a daily basis.
- Once your child enters your car, you should remain in line to exit the parking lot. For the safety of all students, staff, and families, you should not pass cars in line or exit the line to cut through the parking lot to exit.
- Pre- families are asked to part in the parking lot. PreK students will be walked out by their teacher at dismissal time.
Pick-Up Times
- 2:30 to 2:38 p.m. - Family Numbers 1–125
- 2:38 to 2:45 p.m. - Family numbers 125 and above.
Changes to Transportation and Early Dismissal
- Due to limited bus transportation, students will not be allowed to ride a different bus home or to a friend’s house this year. Students may only ride their assigned bus this year.
- If you need to alter your child’s typical dismissal plan (change from bus or daycare to parent pick Up), please send a note to your child’s teacher in the morning. If an emergency arises and you need to make a last minute change, please call the school office at 365-8100 before 2:00 p.m. We ask that you follow up with an email as well. All students picked up at the end of the day will be picked up in the parent pick-up line and not from the office.
- If your child has a medical appointment that requires early dismissal, please complete and send in a note to make your child’s teacher and or our office staff aware. Parents who wish to pick their children up prior to our regular dismissal (2:30 p.m.) should plan to pick up their child before 2:00 p.m. Please be prepared to state your name and child’s name at the doorbell this year and wait outside for him/her. Office staff will escort your child to the door for any early dismissal.
- Please note that if someone other than the parent/legal guardian is picking a child up early, we must have a note stating that the individual will be picking the child up early that day (even if the person is on the emergency contact/pick up list).
- If you are sending an email regarding transportation changes, you must send the email to the teacher and to the front office. In case of a staff absence, we want to ensure that at least one person has received your e-mail communication.
If you have any questions about our transportation procedures, please contact the office at (804) 365-8100. Thank you for your support. We look forward to another safe and successful school year!