Arrival at School

Entry onto school grounds for walkers, bike riders, and cars is located on Willow Pond Road. The entrance on Roebuck Road is for bus traffic only. Please demonstrate traffic safety by using the designated public and school crosswalks, as well as the designated entryways, only.

Classes begin promptly at 8:00 am. Students are permitted on campus at 7:30 am. We encourage parents and students to plan on arriving by 7:45 am each morning so that they can be in the classroom before the 8:00 am start time. Students coming to school to eat breakfast should not arrive on campus before 7:30 am.

STUDENTS ARE NOT TO BE DROPPED OFF BEFORE 7:30 AM; NO SUPERVISION IS AVAILABLE.
Students dropped off before 7:30 am need to be enrolled in the Morning Care program, or they will be charged the Afterschool Program rate of $5.00 per 15 minutes. A morning care program is available from 6:30 am to 7:30 am for students. Information is available from the Afterschool Program Office.

Students arriving by bus will be dropped off in the bus loop area. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of bus transportation if it is available. See the Find My Bus feature on the district’s website home page.

Bicycle Riders

Students who ride bicycles must secure them in the space provided. Further, bicycles must be locked at all times due to theft of unlocked bicycles. The school will not take responsibility for theft of bicycles.
Missing bicycles must be reported immediately to the main office. All bicycle riders must refrain from riding their bicycles on campus and must observe the rules of safety when riding in traffic, including the wearing of safety helmets.

Late Arrival

The tardy bell rings at 8:00 according to the school’s time and public address system. Allow extra time for differences from other time systems. Students arriving after 8:00 am must report to our Main Office with their parent. Students will receive tardy slips after 8:00 am and must enter through the main office and not the gate. Once the bell rings at 8:00 am, and all the buses have arrived, there will no longer be any staff at the bus loop or car drop-off area. Please do not let a child out of your vehicle unsupervised; you will need to park and escort your child to the main office to ensure his/her safe arrival and to sign in your child. We will have someone escort the child to his/her classroom. Parents will not be able to walk late students to class as it disrupts those already learning.

Dismissal

Special Note: If a bus is available for your community, please consider putting your child on the bus in the afternoon to assist with a timely and traffic-free dismissal.

Early Dismissal

Students will not be dismissed from school for early dismissal after 1:30 pm. If you have an appointment that requires you to pick up your child early, please plan to do so before 1:30 pm. Parents must report to the office to have students dismissed early. Please write a note in advance to your child’s teacher for those unavoidable situations that require early dismissal so the teacher can have your child prepared. Remember, when your child is dismissed early, he/she is missing valuable instructional time, as well as the other students who escort your child to the office.

Please do not plan to pick up your child during their scheduled lunch period. There is no direct communication with the cafeteria, and then we are unable to send a child back to an empty classroom to get their belongings. We appreciate you picking up your child either before or after lunch, as it makes dismissal a lot easier for you and the child.

Release of Students

I.D. must be presented each time students are picked up from school by an authorized parent or legal guardian. Students will be called from class and released from the office after being officially signed out. Please allow time for this process and refrain from calling the school to request that students are called to the office prior to your arrival. Parents may not pick children up from the classroom at any time.

Students will not be released to persons other than parents or guardians unless the identity of the person has been established by written notification from the parent or guardian. The release request shall be denied unless the person provides proper identification.

Dismissal Categories

Grade level teachers work together to dismiss students in the following categories: BUSES (School buses and Daycare buses)
AFTERSCHOOL (on site) PARENT PICK-UP (Car riders) WALKERS (and bike riders)

Buses
The public can get information on bus transportation by going to the District webpage http://fl50010848.schoolwires.net, clicking on 'FIND MY BUS' link (the yellow school bus icon). If a bus is available for your community, please consider putting your child on the bus in the afternoon to assist with a timely and traffic-free dismissal.

Afterschool Program
Seminole Trails hosts this fee-based program designed to meet the individual needs of children in grades K through five through a wide variety of activities. Qualified and caring staff strive to serve families by providing a safe and enriching environment and facilitating developmentally appropriate activities for children of all ages and abilities. The program follows the operating guidelines of the district Afterschool Programming department.

Hours of operation: STE full-time program operates from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm STE also offers a part-time (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm) program. Morning Care is available each day from 6:30 am – 7:30 am.

For more information regarding our program, call the Afterschool Program office at 598-7030. STES also hosts a grant-funded 21st Century Community Learning Center program, Kreative Kidz, for eligible students.

Parent Pick-up (Car Riders)
Please refer the section on Automobile Safety. When picking students up, parents must remain in their cars. The sidewalks are only for students being picked up at the curb in a vehicle. Students will not be dismissed to parents who are not in a vehicle. We ask for your help with this important safety issue. You may only pick up your own child at dismissal unless you are designated on the registration form.

Parents have been issued grade level color-coded dashboard signs; please be sure the name of your child and teacher and grade level are on the sign in large, dark print. Place the sign on the right side of your dashboard, the curb side, so it is easy for our staff to see. Having the sign on the dashboard facilitates the dismissal process and shortens parents’ time in the car rider line.

Walkers
All walkers will be escorted to the pedestrian gate at the north end of the parking lot, then dismissed to walk on their own. Parents wishing to meet their students should be at the gate prior to dismissal or participate in parent pick-up car dismissal on a daily basis. Just as school staff do not monitor
 
Staff will not be able to supervise students beyond the gate who are designated as walkers.

Please plan with your child a safe route to and from school. Discuss with your child:
●    The danger of talking to or accepting rides from strangers.
●    The importance of going straight home, immediately after school, unless other plans have been made.

Dismissal Changes

Once you have notified the teacher of your child’s daily afternoon dismissal arrangement (car rider, walker, etc.), your child will always be dismissed according to your original directions. To change arrangements, you must complete the necessary form in the office. For a temporary, one day change, send a written note to the teacher saying that the dismissal is changed. Please do not call for changes after 1:30 pm as this does not allow time for the office to process your request. The teacher may not change afternoon dismissal arrangements based on a child’s verbal request. This is necessary to ensure your child’s safety.

Late Dismissals

It is the parent’s responsibility to pick up the child on time. Children cannot be left in front of the school waiting to be picked up after 2:15 pm. Any child who is not picked up by 2:30 pm will be charged the Afterschool Program late fee of $5.00 per 15 minutes, effective August 31. When students are repeatedly picked up late, we will make a call to the appropriate agency/authorities. An After School Program is available from 2:05 pm until 6:00 pm. Fees and information are available from the office.