August 28, 2020
Hello Great Falls Families!
We are so excited to see you all in just a matter of days! We have been working hard to make sure our building is safe and that we are ready for our students! We know you are wanting as much information as we can give you at this point, so this letter is to give you an update about Arrival and Dismissal at Great Falls to start the year. *Because of often changing guidelines and the needs for adjustments as we go, all of this information is subject to change.*
Daily Arrival:
Bus Students
Bus students will arrive at school beginning at 8:30 a.m. and head to their classrooms wearing face coverings and adhering to social distancing guidelines. Students will walk in a single file line, keeping 6 feet apart. All bus students will enter through door 1 (main lobby) and head directly to their classrooms keeping their face coverings on, and walking on the right side of the hallway.
Parent Drop Off
Students dropped off by their parents between 8:30-8:45 a.m. are expected to use the parent drop off circle. Please use caution when students are exiting vehicles. Grades K-2 drop-off students will enter through door 4 and head directly to their classroom. Grades 3-5 drop-off students will enter through door 2 and head upstairs and directly to their classroom.
**Grades K-2 will enter the building through door 4 and head to their classroom. They will then be escorted to the breakfast kiosk by a duty teacher if they need to get breakfast. Grades 3-5 students participating in the breakfast program will enter through door 1 (main lobby) or door 2 (parent drop off). All students may then pick up their “Grab and Go” breakfast from the breakfast kiosk in the center stairwell lobby.
Late Arrival
Parents will park in the drop off loop. Students must be wearing face coverings when arriving at school. Students arriving after 8:50 a.m. will need to be escorted by an adult to the main entrance. Parents will access the QR code (that is posted on the front door) by using the camera on their phone and then completing the survey to sign their child in for the day.
Parents may alternatively access the two way speaker to speak to our office staff when dropping a student at the main office. Once a student is electronically signed in, the office staff will let the student only into the building.
Under no circumstances are students to be dropped off at school prior to 8:30 a.m. This includes the playground area. There will be no adult supervision until 8:30!
End of Day Dismissal:
School is dismissed daily at 3:00 p.m. For safety reasons, cars may not arrive on campus prior to 2:40 pm to begin to line up. Students being picked up by their parents will be dismissed BEFORE bus students.
In the afternoon, car pick-up will be to the side of the building where the staff parking lot is. All drivers picking up their student on a regular basis MUST have a school-issued car tag VISIBLE in order to pick up a child.
If your student usually takes the bus, and you are picking up your student just that day, you will have notified the school by 10:30am and be prepared to show your driver's license on arrival to the car pick up line.
You will follow staff directions, pulling to the curb alongside the side of the school. The line will remain single file until you get towards the end of the staff lot where it will become 2 cars wide and stop at the crosswalk. Please stay in your car and pull forward according to staff directions.
Staff will take note of your car tag number, utilize our electronic pick up generator form on their iPhones, and communicate to the inside staff via google form. We will load 6-8 cars at a time.
For safety reasons, all children must enter the vehicle on the drivers side. Please stay in your vehicle unless you have to very quickly get out to buckle your student that may not be able to buckle independently.
Once the group of cars have been loaded and cleared to leave per staff directions, the next group will be instructed to pull forward.
Walkers and Bike Riders
We must receive a note from a parent or guardian indicating that they may walk or ride their bike home at dismissal. Walkers and bike riders will be dismissed after all buses have left the premises.
Students needing to be picked up prior to the end of the school day should plan to contact the school at 222-1050 in advance to let them know. Parents arriving to dismiss their children will park in the drop off loop. Similar to late arrivals - parents will use the QR code posted on the front door to complete the survey. Parents will wait outside and students will be dismissed to them at the front entrance of the building.
THANK YOU so much for your help with all of this! We appreciate you and look forward to seeing you all SOON!
Mrs. Fortier and Mrs. Etienne
Great Falls Administrators
