Arrival/Morning Drop-Off | North Reading Public School District

School begins at 8:30, and staff will be available to welcome students beginning at 8:20. Children should not be brought to school before 8:20 AM as there is no adult supervision. School staff will greet you and your children at the drop-off loop at 8:25 to let you know that students may now enter the building. We do have a morning program that is tuition-based. If your child arrives in the building earlier than 8:20, he/she will be sent to the morning care program and a note will be sent home with a friendly reminder to you to pay the fee.

Drop Off Procedures:
Drop off children at the side rotary.
Pull all the way up to the end of the sidewalk before letting your child out.
Let your child out opposite the driver’s side, only.
Do not get out of the car yourself.
There is NO PARKING within the rotary.
Please remain in your car and move forward once your child exits the car, in order to keep the line moving. For safety reasons, it is important that you follow this procedure.
Parking:
If you must come into the building, please park within the parking lot. AFTERNOON DISMISSAL AND PLACARD PICK-UP SYSTEM

The dismissal time from J. Turner Hood Elementary school is a very busy time of day. Busses are arriving to bring children home or bringing them to after school child care programs. Parents or child care providers are driving up to the neighborhoods near the school or walking up to pick up their children and older children are walking home alone.

It is mandatory for all families to complete a dismissal plan for each child so the school can be aware of the dismissal plan for every J. Turner Hood student. The dismissal plan should indicate how your child will be dismissed the majority of the time, so that we know which children will be met by parents, which ones will be taking a bus, who will be walking alone and how many children will be “placard pick-up students.” We realize that routines change and we will adjust for that when you send in a note to the classroom teacher indicating changes in your dismissal plan as they arise. You should fill one form for each of your children attending our school.

PLACARD PICK UP PARTICIPANTS
If you intend to participate in the Placard Pick-up System to pick up your children in front of J. Turner Hood by car you will be required to “queue up” in a single line down the driveway, through our parking lot and up to the Handicapped parking spot at the end of our “loop.” All cars should wait in a single line up to the school and not pass the car in front of them, even if you are not participating in the placard pick-up system. At all times, there must be space for two-way traffic on Haverhill Street and in the school driveway to allow for vehicles leaving and to provide emergency vehicle access.

You (the parent/guardian) or someone you give permission to pick up your child must have the placard in view on the right-hand side of the windshield as you pull up. A suggested practice is to have the placard affixed to your passenger side visor and flip it down while you are “que up.” Children who are being picked up via the placard pick-up system will remain in the Cafeteria while family names are called. As you pull up with the placard in view, your child(ren) will be called out using a walkie talkie system from staff out on the sidewalk to staff in the cafeteria, and placed in your vehicle.

PARKING LOT INFORMATION
You should be aware that the North Reading police can and will ticket your car if you park in posted NO PARKING areas at the J. Turner Hood School. Parking in the fire lane in front of the school or the rotary circle is not allowed.

FAMILIES NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE PLACARD SYSTEM
Parents who plan to park on the neighborhood streets are encouraged to continue to do so. Please follow all parking signs and traffic signs on surrounding streets.

All true walkers will be dismissed via our library and will not be dismissed until a designated pick up person is visible unless a special request (Aspen Road, true walkers who do not wait for parent pick-ups, etc.) has been submitted to the principal in writing.