Students:  Monday-Friday     7:25 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.

Students who are brought to school by their parents will be permitted to enter the building at 7:25 a.m.  and report to classes. Supervision is not provided before that time and students will not be allowed to enter the school.  Please read carefully the section on Arrival and Dismissal located below.

Faculty:      7:20 a.m. – 2:50 p.m.

Business:   7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Arrival and Dismissal

To ensure the safe arrival and dismissal of our car and bus students the traffic patterns are as follows:

• All car traffic is to enter the school property via Meadow Branch Avenue.  Car traffic must follow traffic patterns designated by staff when “dropping off” students. Please adhere to staff requests in the parking lot.
• Do not speed.  For the safety of all our students, staff, and parents please allow plenty of time.  The speed limit is 10 mph.
• Stay in the proper lane.  We have 2 lanes of traffic both morning and afternoon.  Cars should enter following arrows, cones, and then staff directions. Please proceed to the front of the building to drop off students in the morning and to pick up students in the afternoon. 
• STATE LAW: Bus drivers are not allowed to deactivate traffic warning lights when loading or unloading pupils on school driveways.  Cars will not be able to move while buses are obeying this law.  Please be patient while we implement this state requirement.
• Staff will be on duty 7:25 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. to help expedite car and bus traffic safely through the arrival and dismissal process. Additional staff members are not available during any after school programs or PTO Enrichment dismissal.  Please be EXTRA cautious and aware of all traffic procedures. 
• Parents should stay in their vehicles. If there is a need to go into the building, please park in the parking lot and walk into the building.
• PLEASE DO NOT CROSS IN BETWEEN CARS UNLESS AREA IS SUPERVISED BY STAFF.

Car Riders

Students may enter the building at 7:25 AM upon the arrival of staff safety personnel. Buses and car riders are dismissed at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Student Tags for Car Riders

To increase the safety of children during the car pick-up process, individual student tags are provided to families.  These tags, with the student’s first name and last initial, are to be shown when picking up a child who is walking home or placed in the passenger’s front windshield when picking up a student in a car at school dismissal.  Each family will be given three student tags to distribute to those picking up your child/children. If you need more tags, please contact the office. 

If a car does not have the tag displayed in the windshield, the driver will need to park and come into the office to pick up the child. Between 2:15 PM-2:40 PM the office is open only to school personnel and volunteers. Students who are picked-up by car will be dismissed to the car pick-up line, only, during dismissal.  

Accompanying Your Child to His/Her Classroom

To facilitate a smooth school day for children, we request that parents/guardians not walk a child or children to the classroom, including on the first day.  If you are concerned about your child, staff can check on your child while you wait in the cafeteria or give you a phone call later in the day.

Any change in a student’s regular means of transportation in the afternoon must be by written note from a parent or guardian.

A note may be faxed to the office at (540) 662-4728 or emailed to mcnamara@wps.k12.va.us and armistead@wps.k12.va.us by 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday if there is a last minute change.

We ask that you call the school to notify the office of your incoming fax. Student safety is very important to us!

Arriving on time is very important to the academic success of your child. Your child must be in the classroom and ready to begin by 7:45 a.m. each day.  

All students who are tardy to school or who are dismissed early must be signed in or out in the office by a parent or an authorized adult.  Students will not be dismissed early unless a note has been sent.  Students picked up by someone other than a parent require a written note from the parent/guardian.  

These are necessary procedures for the protection of students. Only the principal or designee will approve exceptions to this procedure.