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Transportation and Parking Lot

Dear Emerson Parents/Students,

As we begin another school year, I thought that it might be helpful to inform you of the routine that is generally followed each day at Emerson by parents in our parking lot while dropping off or picking up students. Also included is some information pertaining to our buses as well as crossing guard locations. Take the time to read the following information to help familiarize yourself with our practices.  Please remember that these guidelines are implemented to help ensure the safety of our Emerson students while they are being dropped off before or picked up after school or are assigned to our buses. 

PARENTS
If you are dropping off/picking up your child to/ from school, please know that the two parking lot lane entrances/exits closest to the building will be blocked off.  We have changed the configuration of our lot this year.  You will notice that the traffic flow will now be in a “U” formation.  Please follow the bright yellow arrows as guides as you enter our parking lot as they will indicate the directional flow. This change was made to assist with student safety. When you pick up your son or daughter after school, please park in an available parking space.  Please avoid parking in the grids next to handicapped spaces as parking there does not allow for enough room/space for a non-mobile person to have access to his/her car should he/she need to use an actual handicapped space.  Do not park in spaces reserved as HANDICAPPED SPACES unless you have the appropriate sticker. These spaces will also be blocked off with orange cones. 

Some parents have dropped students off on Oakton Avenue in the morning because there is an opening in the fence for students.  This practice has almost led to some rear end collisions in rush hour traffic.  Please take the time to use our parking lot and not Oakton Avenue.  Parents also have been turning off of Oakton and stopping suddenly on Cumberland to drop students off.  Please remember that other cars behind you may not be ready to stop suddenly.

Please use good judgment when picking up students on our Greendale Avenue side of the building after school.  Park along the curb only. Do not block parking space exits or driveway exits.  Please remember that Greendale Avenue is not a parking lot and that there needs to be an ability for traffic to flow.  If there is no parking space available then you need to drive around the block one more time.  The best  plan would be to designate a meeting spot for your child somewhere other than the Greendale Avenue exit.

It has been my experience that after a vacation during the school year that the bus drivers need time to familiarize themselves with their respective routes during their morning runs. We also have had circumstances beyond our control such as railroad gate malfunctions, new drivers or poor weather which impact the timeliness of the buses in the mornings or afternoon.  As a result, they may reach a certain stop earlier or later than usual.  I encourage you to have a back up plan in place at home that addresses what should be done if your son/daughter misses the bus in the morning.  You may also want to strategize what you would like your son or daughter to do if he or she misses the bus after school. Our bus provider is Lakeview and their phone number is 708-234-5555.  

If the bus is missed after school, students can use our pay phones to make alternate arrangements or wait for our 4:00 buses to help them to get home.  Please keep in mind that there are no 4:00 buses on Wednesdays due to our early release time.  Students should also feel free to find an adult and ask for help if they are in distress.

If your son or daughter is riding a bus to and from school he or she does need to show a bus pass to the driver in the morning and in the afternoon even if he or she has known  the driver a long period of time.  We ask the drivers to ask the students for passes.

If a bus pass is lost please send a note and one dollar to the office and we will be happy to provide a new pass.  

Temporary bus passes are available in the case that a bus pass is forgotten, but we typically do not issue more than three per trimester to the same student.  The passes can be purchased in the office.  

In the morning and afternoon it is imperative that cars do not ignore the extended school bus stop arms.  Stop means stop.  Students are either exiting or entering a bus when a  school bus stop arm is extended.

If your son or daughter is either walking or riding a bike please inform him/her that there are crossing guards stationed at Oakton and Greenwood, Cumberland and Monroe, Oakton and Cumberland, and Oakton and Prospect before and after school. 

Please remember that there is no crossing guard at Normal and Greenwood. Also, please know that the crossing guard hours will end at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  This is important to know as we get closer to starting after school activities.  

Students who live west of Greenwood in the Our Lady of Ransom area should cross at Oakton and Cumberland or cross safely at the traffic light located at Normal and Greenwood. Students should not cross on their own at North Terrace without proper supervision. Please direct your child to cross at a location mentioned above that best meets your needs.  Please know that bike riders must be wearing helmets on all District 64 property.  

STUDENTS
If you know that someone is picking you up after school, please walk along the east sidewalk until you see your car in the parking lot.  After you identify your car, carefully cross the driveway and proceed to your car.

Please remember to carry your bus passes with you at all times if you are a  bus rider. You need to show your pass to the driver in the morning and in the afternoon.  Have a backup plan should you forget your pass.

You may want to consider being out at your stop a little earlier than usual during the first few weeks of school.

Have a backup plan ready in case you miss the bus either in the morning or in the afternoon.  If you are going to walk home please call your parents. They actually worry if you do not arrive home on the bus and will come to Emerson looking for you.  Remember you can always call me at 847.318.8700.

WALKING STUDENTS/BIKE RIDERS
There are crossing guards stationed at Oakton and Greenwood, Cumberland and Monroe, Oakton and Cumberland and Oakton and Prospect both before and after school.  Please do not cross in the middle of a busy street.  Take the time to get to an intersection with a crossing guard.  The guards will help you cross busy roads safely to either get to school in the morning or get home after school. Bike riders must be wearing helmets on all District 64 property.

Thanks and have a great school year!

Tim Benka
Emerson Assistant Principal

Together We Discover, Learn, Grow & Care

At D64, our mission is to foster opportunities for discovery, engagement, and growth for all students. We accomplish this by nurturing interdependence, appreciation of differences, and care for self and others.

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