Transportation & Parking Lot Procedures
St. Joseph School families provide their own transportation to and from school. The school's system for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up ensures the safest procedures for our students.
PARKING LOT PROCEDURES
The safety of our school community is of primary importance. Please drive slowly and follow the instructions of the teachers and directions in these guidelines. Safety Patrol members are responsible for helping provide a safe parking lot. Please cooperate with them at all times.
We ask that all drivers always maintain a very minimal speed (no more than 5 MPH) when driving on the parish property. Students feel that this is a “safe space” and do not watch out for moving vehicles as they should.
Animals of any type are not permitted outside of cars.
ARRIVAL:
Students should arrive at school between 7:35 a.m. and 8:09 a.m. and report directly to their classrooms. Arriving at 8:10 or after is considered late.
Dropping off students prior to 7:35 a.m. is strongly discouraged, as no supervision is available prior to 7:35 a.m.
Morning Drop-Off General Procedures
- All students MUST be dropped off in the snake line out front of the school.
- No student is permitted to be dropped off early. The car line will start and doors will open at 7:35 a.m.
- The congregating of students outside the main entrance will not be permitted for the safety of all students.
- Once students enter the building, they will go directly to their homerooms.
- Students will enter and exit through their designated areas, and an adult will be there to monitor. Signs with grade levels will be posted outside. Please look for your grade and enter via that door.
- Pre-K and siblings enter by the Gym. Parents of PreK ONLY are allowed to park in the lot in front of the gym to help the PreK students exit their cars
- Kindergarten and Grade 1 enter via the main entrance
- Grades 2 and 3 enter via the stairs behind the statue of Mary
- Grades 4 and 5 enter by Gym but exit via the “snake line”
- Middle School will enter via the Parish Center
Pre-K Designated Drop-Off
- We will continue to follow the MSDE Office of Childcare Guidelines.
- PreK students and their siblings will be dropped off in front of the Main Gym entrance closest to the prayer labyrinth.
- Pre-K students will be picked up in the same location.
- All Pre-K Parents must enter campus by the Labyrinth/Playground entrance and park in front of the Gym or via the “Snake Line”.
- All Parents for Pre-K must exit the parking lot via the traffic light to ensure safe,1-way traffic flow.
Please check the map for morning traffic patterns that protect the safety of our students. If you need to park, you must park behind the Church. Our one-way traffic patterns are for the protection of everyone. Click to download a PDF of the map.
DISMISSAL:
Our dismissal pattern works and creates a streamlined process for exiting the school lot. Your patience is key to the safety of our students during every dismissal. Do not block fire lanes or the north driveway (extending to Belair Road near the Church).
Students will exit the building via the same door that they enter in the morning with the exception of 6th grade, as they will exit via the Main Entrance.
Dismissal Times by Grade:
■ PreK: 2:35pm
■ Kindergarten: 2:45pm
■ Grades 1-8: 3:02pm
The only parking allowed at dismissal is in the main parking lot! No drivers are to park anywhere on campus during dismissal as it blocks the traffic pattern. If a problem persists, the principal will be notified.
Again check the map for dismissal traffic patterns. All lanes exit at the traffic signal. Please park bumper to bumper on the main parking lot. No parking lanes should extend back to the driveways, cones or fences so that other cars may enter the main lot. This responsibility lies solely with you, our parents and drivers, as teachers cannot assume parking lot duties until after the 3:00 p.m. bell.
Your help is most important at this time of each day. Young students are crossing the lots on all sides of the building including the south side as they travel to after-school care. All students are thinking of two things at dismissal time: Where is my driver? Where am I going? They are not watching for cars. Only you can help us keep our lots safe. Please follow the directions of the teachers and/or safeties. We greatly appreciate your help!
Students whose rides are not in the main lot stay in an area near the school exits. Students may NOT leave that area until the initial traffic has moved out and traffic comes to a complete stop. We ask that drivers do not come and take students from this area once traffic has started moving. They will NOT be permitted to leave. Again, safety for our children is the primary concern. On days of inclement weather, students will stay inside the school building if their driver is not in the main lot area. Students can view the parking lot from inside. We ask that you pull up in the lot and give them a moment or two to come out.
Students not picked up by 3:15 p.m. will be charged a fee of $10 for the first 15 minutes and then $5 for every 5 minutes after that.
Dismissal Reminders:
- Dogs should not be outside of your car. If you are arriving early to walk in the cemetery area, the dog should be put back into the car prior to students exiting the building.
- No playing, running, or roughhousing. Due to the staggered exit, we know some children have a few extra minutes to wait. However, this is not a safe place to play. We ask that no one is by the windows as the older students are still receiving instruction. No one should be running, kicking, or throwing balls, especially near the St. Joseph Statue and Blessed Mother Statue. We also ask that no one is on the hill by the drive or in the tree as those are both dangerous. If your child is waiting for older siblings, they need to calmly remain with an adult at all times.
- Once your child is dismissed, please head to your car so we can exit campus as safely and quickly as possible. All students should be in their cars when dismissal lines begin moving.