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StMS Carpool

Carpool: Procedures and Safety Expectations for Arrival and Dismissal 


The safety and well-being of students is a top priority for the faculty and staff at St. Michael Catholic School. Therefore, a traffic pattern has been developed for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Please review this campus diagram indicating the flow of the traffic pattern.  

There are two areas for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up: the circle drive loading zone by the door on the Weatherstone side of the building and the loading zone along Archangel Hall. All cars enter the morning carpool lines through the parking lot entrance closest to the Weatherstone neighborhood. Cars may not enter campus in front of the church and then take a right in front of the church to get in line, as this results in having to dangerously “cut” in front of other cars.

To ensure everyone’s safety, cars should never exit morning or afternoon carpool on the Weatherstone side of campus; all cars exiting St. Michael carpool must remain in their carpool line and proceed to the main exit in front of the Church. Only a right turn is permitted at this exit onto High House Road. 

Some families will be assigned to the Office side - and will therefore pick up in front of Archangel Hall - while other families will always go to the Weatherstone “circle.”  Parents assigned to the Weatherstone side should stay to the right upon entering the carpool line, while parents assigned to the Office side should stay to the left upon entering campus at the Weatherstone entrance. Please use the assigned areas throughout the year unless approval for switching has been obtained from the Administration. 

Each family will be assigned a carpool placard. Families will receive their placards at Back-to-School Night in August. Please use the assigned areas throughout the year unless you have requested a change and received approval from schooloffice@stmcary.org.

Upon arrival, the adult who is picking up students must have the placard clearly visible on their front dash. If anyone other than the parent is picking up your child, please be sure that person has the placard and ensure they are familiar with dismissal procedures.

Each afternoon, students will be released in a manner that ensures adequate supervision and safety during dismissal. The traffic pattern and procedures have been designed to keep the car line moving securely and efficiently, also assuring that no student will cross an active car line. According to the plan, students will be unloaded and loaded from the vehicle’s passenger side only.  

Parents must remain in their cars and drive slowly through the regular carpool process during both morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Parents must drive slowly and pay close attention during the carpool line. Parents should not be holding their cell phones to talk, look up information, and/or text while in an active carpool line. Please carefully follow the traffic directions given by the teachers/volunteers on duty.  

It is requested that all parents utilize the vehicle carpool line and avoid walking students through the parking lot. If it is necessary, everyone must always use the crosswalk. Students are not allowed to walk to a parked car without a teacher or administrator escort.  

If a child lives within one mile of the school, the family can request a “StMS Walker’s Pass” by contacting schooloffice@stmcary.org, permitting their child to walk home from the Weatherstone neighborhood at dismissal.

It is requested that parents avoid lining up vehicles in the loading zone until 2:30 p.m. Students exit the building at 3:00 p.m., and families must be on campus by 3:20 p.m. without being considered late. After 3:20 p.m., students will have to stay with office staff because of limited students allowed to be in After School Care.

Please note that parents picking up students early for doctor’s appointments and other extraordinary circumstances should do so before 2:30 p.m. After this time, the school will be preparing for school-wide dismissal procedures and may be unable to dismiss individual students in a timely manner. Arrangements will be made with coaches for dismissal of sports teams.  

Students and their siblings should not leave early after afternoon concerts, performances, or classroom parties and events. Dismissing students early negatively impacts the classroom learning environment and also leads to long parent lines in the Office at dismissal time, one of the busiest times of the school day. After attending such events, parents may use the carpool line, or they may wait outside for their child(ren) by the Office-side picnic tables. Pick-up procedures should be communicated to children and/or teachers in advance, otherwise, children can be informed during afternoon announcements to proceed to the Office-side picnic tables at the normal dismissal time of 3:00 p.m.

It is the responsibility of the parent to make all arrangements for dismissal or after-school care. The School Office and homeroom teachers should be advised in writing if a child is to go home by a different means on a given day.  

Successful implementation of the traffic pattern and carpool procedures relies upon the Christ-like kindness, respect, patience, humility, and cooperation of all involved.