1st Day of School
First Day of School – Grade 9 Students, Wednesday, September 1, 2010
1. Students should be in uniform (not dress uniform) and plan on arriving by 8:00 a.m. They report to the auditorium by 8:20 for a “Welcome” by the principal at 8:20. This will be followed by a brief speaking program. Homeroom and abbreviated classes will begin following that.
2. Both town buses and our own contracted Grey Goose buses will run tomorrow.
3. The cafeteria will serve lunch tomorrow; there’s a menu posted on the school website (www.theproutschool.org) under “Prout Today.”
4. Following the assembly students will have full day of school, including lunch.
5. Since only freshmen have class Wednesday, parking lot drop off and pick up and should not be congested.
6. Students are dismissed at 2:30. As stated in the email about dismissal tips, it is often easier to delay car pick-up until after the buses leave at about 2:45.
Information for Parents and Those Dropping Off and Picking Up Students
Parking Lot and Traffic - Opening Weeks of School
Please note that there is considerable traffic before and after school during the first few weeks. Parents of new students are unused to the flow of traffic and the traffic lanes get readily congested, particularly when drivers are unfamiliar with the customary patterns.
In an effort to assist, please note the following information:
1. The lane directly in front of the school is reserved for buses. There are 1about 12 buses that drop off and pick up Prout students before and after school. A car stopping in the bus lane to discharge a student can result in a traffic jam that backs cars up onto Route 1. This is particularly true in the morning.
2. The proper drop off procedure is to move into the parking lot and discharge students there. Please pull forward to allow for other vehicles to discharge behind you!
3. Cars should stay to the left or right to allow other traffic to pass. The lanes do not allow much leeway, but there is room to navigate if drivers cooperate.
4. For afternoon dismissal, drivers arriving early need to move forward into the parking lot so as not to block the advance of other drivers.
5. There are no one way lanes, but it is advisable to both enter and leave the property through the parking lot and thus to avoid the lane in front of the school, particularly during times when the buses are present.
6. It is possible to leave the property via the back road past the tennis courts and ball fields; this may help avoid congestion.
7. Students are dismissed at 2:30. Veteran parents know that there is considerably less congestion at 2:45 and, in the afternoon, a delayed pick-up is often an easier one.
8. Remember it is against the law, and extremely unsafe, to pass a stopped school bus when the bus lights are flashing.
A final note: As stated above, much of the congestion during the first weeks of school is because new parents are unfamiliar with the traffic patterns; the situation does improve after the first few weeks, but your patience and cooperation are both appreciated and necessary.