New Office Hours!! The main office will now open at 9AM, once morning arrival is over.

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

Arrival Procedures

All 3K-5 students must enter through the main school entrance at the corner of Battery Place and First Place. Students in these grades may enter the building beginning at 8:25 am.

6th-8th grade students enter the building at door 3, located ½ way down the block on 2nd place. These doors open for student arrival at 8:22am, they close at 8:30 am. Any upper school student who arrives after door 3 is closed will need to enter through the main entrance.

We use the CAASS student ID system for students as they enter the building. All upper school students will have IDs and are expected to wear them at school everyday. They will swipe in upon arrival at school and they will swipe out if they leave school before dismissal.

School starts at 8:30 am. Important work and routines at the beginning of each day set children up for success; being on time helps children feel comfortable and secure.

Lateness
Students arriving after 8:40 am are considered late and must get a late pass in the main office before going to their classrooms. Lateness is recorded in the Department of Education’s electronic record-keeping system and on your child’s report card. If your child is late and does not check-in at the office, it is possible that the lateness will be marked as an absence.

Driving to School
If driving to school or taking a taxi, please DO NOT drop children off on Battery Place. We have noticed children getting out of cars and crossing in the middle of the block or walking down the center of the road. This is especially dangerous as other drivers attempt to pass the cars that are double-parked to drop off students.

Drivers: Drive up Little West Street (in front of the Wagner Hotel), turn left on 1st Place, and drop off on 1st Place.

Ubers & Taxis: Instruct taxi drivers to not stop on Battery Place between 1st and 2nd Place.

Dismissal Procedures

Dismissal Times

3K - 4th Grade dismisses at 2:45 pm
5th grade* through 8th grades dismiss at 2:50 pm; these students self-dismiss
Half-Days: Dismissal is at 11:30 am

Lower School Dismissal

Lower school teachers dismiss each class outside at the designated spot in fair and inclement weather.

Please look for your child’s class number in the windows. Students will be escorted from their classrooms by their teachers to the front of the building. Students need to be dismissed by their teachers before they can be released to you. Please be patient with that process and teach your child the importance of saying goodbye to their teacher and pointing out who has come to pick them up. Please don’t be late for pick up.

*5th graders may leave the school unescorted if a parent or guardian returns a completed Permission to Walk Home Alone form to their teacher. Additionally, with a completed permission form, siblings in grades 5 and up may pick up younger siblings. Reach out to the office to request these forms.

Middle School Dismissal

6th through 8th grades dismiss at 2:50 pm. These students self-dismiss.

Once dismissed, middle school students are expected to leave school or go to Manhattan Youth after-school programming. They are not allowed to remain at school unless they are attending after-school programming.

Dismissal Change Requests
If your child is going home with a friend after school, or is being picked up by a friend’s parent or caregiver, WRITTEN PERMISSION is required in advance from both families.

Remind your children that they will not be able to call home during the school day in order to make after school arrangements to visit a friend. Likewise, parent phone requests for last-minute changes at the end of the day cannot be accommodated.

Emails to teachers throughout the day requesting a change of plans cannot be accommodated. Absolute emergency pick up changes must be made by calling and sending an email to the office as we must have these changes in writing.

Early Departure
The following procedures are followed to assure the safety of children who are released during the day. Please note, students leaving early must be picked up before 2PM and MUST BE SIGNED OUT BY AN ADULT (18+).

Written notification should be sent to the teacher stating the time of release.
Only individuals identified on the student's emergency contact card (or “blue card”) will be allowed to pick up the child from school.
The parent or guardian (or other named adult in the note) must SEE THE SAFETY AGENTS, SIGN FOR THE CHILD, AND BE PREPARED TO SHOW THE SAFETY AGENTS IDENTIFICATION. All children must be signed out at the front desk. Children will remain in the classroom with their teacher until notified by the office staff that an adult has arrived to pick them up.
Students are not allowed to leave the building during school hours unaccompanied by an adult. Adults must come into the building to sign children out during the school day. This is due to legal liability and we are unable to be flexible on this point.
If you are planning to have your middle schooler leave for out-lunch and then not return to school, they MUST BE SIGNED OUT BY AN ADULT.

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