TO:                        Convent of the Sacred Heart Elementary School and Stuart Hall for Boys Parents
FROM:                   Pamela J. Hayes
RE:                        2008-2009 Traffic Policies and Procedures

                  Thank you for cooperating with us in the very difficult and important area of traffic management.  Because of your efforts we provide a safer environment for your children and the entire community. In order to have time to plan even more efficiently for the 2008-2009 School Year, this year parents have the option of completing the mailed Traffic Compliance agreement or by completing it on line, here. You will find the link to the Traffic Compliance Agreement and Registration Document at the bottom of this page.

                  Once we have received your registration information we will send to you your traffic lane permits. These cards must be placed in your vehicle's window in order to enter the traffic lane. Even if you do not normally pick-up or drop off your child, we must receive your signed compliance agreement, along with a listing of all vehicle license numbers that may be used to access either the Broadway or Pine Street campuses. If you do not own a vehicle and/or your child walks or takes public transportation exclusively, please mark the appropriate space on the compliance agreement. A compliance agreement is required for every family.

                  Beginning Wednesday, September 3, every morning at "drop-off" on the Broadway campus one security guard will be present in the traffic lane along with members of our Administration.  Crossing guards will also be stationed on Broadway at the Fillmore Street and Webster Street crosswalks.  Every afternoon, at "pick-up", two security guards will be present, one to direct the traffic lane and the other to supervise the intersection of Broadway and Webster.

                  Your partnership with the School is the key to successful implementation of these procedures, and I know I can count on you to make them a reality.  As a given, we want to maintain a good relationship with our neighbors and provide the most secure, efficient, and safe environment possible for our community, especially our students.  Please read the following traffic procedures for the 2008-2009 school year and note the pick-up times and new traffic permits. Please destroy the 2007-2008 permits. They will no longer be valid.  We appreciate your cooperation and invite you to contact the Director's Office with your suggestions to further improve our traffic plan.

                   Please read the following traffic rules and procedures and fill out the Compliance Agreement that follows including along with the license plate numbers of all vehicles that will be involved in dropping off or picking up your child at school or that will access either campus during the school day.

                  We maintain a database with the license plate numbers of our parents and the designated drivers of their Schools of the Sacred Heart students.  Parents will be contacted immediately should they or their alternate be observed in violation of our traffic/safety procedures.

                  We appreciate the great majority of our families who always follow traffic guidelines; for the sake of our children we expect 100% compliance!  If you have any suggestions, please call Terry Betterly, Director of Finance and Operations at (415) 292-3138.

General Rules for 'all members of the Sacred Heart Community
during School Hours, 7:30 AM-6:00 PM Weekdays

The following procedures will be enforced for the 2008-2009 school year:

• All State of California traffic rules must be followed.
• During posted hours, no right turn is permitted from the Webster Street hill into the white zone or westbound lanes on Broadway.
• Driver's must never off-load or pick up their passengers in a driverway or in a traffic lane on the Webster Street Hill.
• Members of our community are expected to exercise patience. Honking of horns disturbs the neighborhood and may be used 'only as a warning of imminent danger.
• Instructions of School Traffic Patrol Personnel must be followed.
• Jaywalking and exiting a vehicle in a non-curbside lane is strictly prohibited.
• U-turns in front of School and at the Webster Street and Fillmore Street intersections are prohibited.
• Double-parking, as well as parking in driveways, bus zones, red zones and white zones on Broadway, Webster and Fillmore is prohibited by vehicle code 22500. Parents are asked to use the white zone on Broadway during arrival and dismissal and to refrain from dropping off or picking up students on Webster and Fillmore between Pacific and Broadway, or on Pacific Avenue between Buchanan and Fillmore during that time.
• Use of cell phones while in the drop-off or pick-up zone is prohibited.
• There is no High School use of the white zone during CES/SHB pick-up from 2:45-3:40 p.m. on regular school days, 2:00-2:55 p.m. on Fridays and 11:45 a.m.-12:40 p.m. on days that school is dismissed midday.

Convent Elementary School and Stuart Hall for Boys

1. All children must be dropped off and picked up in the traffic lane.   Hint: There is seldom a wait before 8:00 AM and after 3:40 PM.
2. Once we have received your completed Compliance Agreement, you will be sent one
   Traffic Lane Permit per family, per vehicle listed. A Traffic Lane permit must be displayed in order to use the pick-up lane during pick-up hours.
3. Only vehicles with a Traffic Lane Permit displayed will be allowed in the pick-up lane at the appropriate times for dismissal.
4. Please enter the drop-off/ pick-up lane at the corner of Webster and Broadway at the appropriate hours. See #9, Pick-up Times.  All drop-off and pick-up in front of the school must be done from the drop-off/pick-up lanes only.  Drivers must ALWAYS remain in their cars.
5. If you do not have your Traffic Lane Permit displayed or if you need to speak to someone, PLEASE: 
   • Park your car legally
   • Walk to the school.
6. Backpacks should be on your child's lap or on the car seat or floor, not in the trunk, as this impedes the smooth flow of traffic.
7. Arrivals:  The Campus opens at 7:30 a.m. Beginning on Thursday, September 4, Escort Service is available at 8:00 AM. For Escort Service, please pull all the way up in front of Stuart Hall in order for student escorts to assist in opening and closing car doors.  An escort will walk Kindergarten and First Grade children into school. Please display your permit so that the escorts can identify your child's grade level. If you are using the Escort Service, please do not stop in the drop-off lane until you are in front of Stuart Hall.
8. Dismissal:  If picking up more than one child, please arrive at the time designated for the eldest student.  The younger children will be supervised and waiting in the Broadway yard. Exception: Kindergarten students are to be picked up at their regular dismissal times.
   
   WE USE TRAFFIC PERMITS in order to more easily facilitate pick-ups.
   
   Please do not arrive early.  Cars will not be allowed into the pick-up zone prior to the designated time. Double-parking or parking in driveways, through-traffic lanes, red zones and white zones on Broadway, Webster and Fillmore is prohibited by vehicle code 22500.  Please arrive in the neighborhood at the appropriate times. THIS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
9.  

   Pick-up Times:	Day	Time
   Kindergarten	Mon.-Thurs Friday Midday Dismissal	2:45 p.m. 2:00 p.m 11:45 a.m
   Lower Form  Grades 1 & 2 Grades 3 & 4	Mon.-Thurs Friday Midday Dismissal Mon.-Thurs Friday Midday Dismissal	3:00 p.m. 2:15 p.m. 12:00 p.m.  3:15 p.m. 2:30 p.m 12:15 p.m.
   Middle Form Grades 5-8	Mon.-Thurs Friday Midday Dismissal	3:30 p.m. 2:45 p.m 12:30 p.m.



10. Convent and Stuart Hall Faculty will dismiss their classes on time and make sure that the students are in front of school at the assigned departure time. As Lower Form vehicles enter the pick-up zone, a staff member will be positioned at the corner of Broadway and Webster and will use a walkie-talkie to radio the names of families to the classroom teachers in the pick-up areas. Children will be at the curb, ready for pick-up. If your child is not at the curb, prepared to get into the car, then the driver will be expected to go around the block and get back into line.
    
    Faculty are not available for conversation because traffic and safety are their primary duties at dismissal time.  If parents wish to discuss a matter, they are asked to please call and leave a message for the teacher.  Arrival and dismissal time is extremely serious business and all our attention must be directed to the safety and well-being of each child.
    
    Use of cell phones while in the pick-up zone is prohibited. This is both an issue of safety and efficiency.

Approaching the pickup lane from Westbound Broadway

Please heed these rules, if you choose to approach the pickup lane from Broadway:
Both Schools of the Sacred Heart and Hamlin School parents use Broadway to drop off and pick up their students. In order to facilitate the flow of traffic during morning drop off and afternoon pick up and to avoid potential accidents, the two schools agreed last year to have the Hamlin parents use the curbside lane exclusively, with the Sacred Heart parents using the lane nearest the center for their approach to the Sacred Heart pick-up lane. The Hamlin traffic is instructed to turn right from the curbside lane at the Broadway/Webster corner, down the Webster hill, avoiding any conflict with vehicles moving from the second lane into the curbside lane in front of Schools of the Sacred Heart.

• If you choose to use Broadway instead of Webster Street in your approach to the School, please use the lane nearest the center line until you reach the Webster corner.
• Follow the directions of the security personnel and pull slowly into the pick-up lane so that the corner monitor can clearly see your permit name(s) and transmit that information to the appropriate teacher.
• Avoid using the Buchanan hill to access Broadway during this busy time as well, since this has become a heavily impacted intersection and presents a danger to pedestrians and drivers alike because of the poor visibility.
• Do NOT arrive before you child's designated pick-up time. You will not be permitted to block through-traffic by stopping in the Broadway or Webster traffic lanes.

Administration will be on duty daily during Arrival and Dismissal times.  Please direct any problems to an Administrator or to the Traffic Officer. 

Athletics Practices and Events

ON THE BROADWAY CAMPUS:
If picking up your student or a group of students for an off-campus School Athletic Practice or Game during afternoon dismissal, you may, by prior arrangement with your coach, pick up team members on the eastbound side of the street. However, you may not at any time park in the traffic lane. If your team members are not waiting there ready to board, you must proceed around the block until all of your team members are outside, ready to board. Passengers must board from the curbside and should not under any circumstances board from the left side of the vehicle. You must follow the instructions of School Traffic and Safety Personnel at all times.

STUART HALL HIGH SCHOOL AND THE BUDDHIST GYM:
A number of athletic teams from Convent and Stuart Hall use the gyms at Stuart Hall High School and the Buddhist Center on Octavia for games and practices. Because Octavia Street is a very narrow streets and because of the high volume of traffic turning off Pine street onto Octavia, drivers may not double park and wait for games or practices to end. Please stop only when your son or daughter is outside waiting to board. Passengers must board from the curbside and should not under any circumstances board from the left side of the vehicle. If you arrive early, circulate around the block or find a legal parking place. Please do not attempt to pick up your son or daughter at the corner of Octavia and Pine or on Pine Street because of the immediate danger of being struck by a fast moving vehicle.

I/We have read the Traffic Policies and Procedures and understand I/We must comply with School procedures as well as the Traffic Laws of the State of California. The School holds the right to revoke the Traffic Lane Permit if the policies of the School or State of California are not followed (i.e. parking in bus zones, across driveways, blocking intersections etc.) I understand that compliance with Traffic Policies and Procedures, both the School's and the State's is a condition of continued enrollment.

License plate numbers for all vehicles driven by parents, students, and family-designated drivers must be registered with the Director's Office for traffic, parking, and carpooling. By, selecting "AGREE " you will be linked to the 2008-2009 registration form (Traffic Compliance Agreement).