Arrival, Dismissal and Parking Lot Procedures
Arrival
KATAN (Pre-K): Guardians must PARK and walk their child to the PRESCHOOL door, where they will be met by a staff member.
PRIMARY (grades K-2): Guardians must PARK, walk their child(ren) into the building through the MAIN door and walk them to their classroom(s). (Note – If you prefer to drop your Primary student off from the carpool lane, please they must be able to walk themselves through the lobby, up the stairs and to their classroom, as there will not be extra staff available to accompany them.)
L’MALA/L’MATA (grades 3-6): Guardians may drop off at the MAIN door from the carpool lane. They are also welcome to park and come into the building with their child if preferred. Please make sure your child knows if they are upstairs (L’mala) or downstairs (L’mata) first session, and who their teachers are.
TBAjrHigh (7th grade) and TBAHigh (8th-12th grade): Guardians may drop off at the MAIN door from the carpool lane. They are also welcome to park and come into the building with their child if preferred.
Dismissal
KATAN (Pre-K) & PRIMARY (grades K-2): Guardians MUST PARK, come in through the MAIN DOOR, and wait in front of the sign with your child’s class number. Children will be lined up behind their class number sign with their teacher. Class numbers are listed below. Please do not congregate in the lobby just inside the doors, as this blocks other parents from entering. No Primary students will be dismissed to the carpool lane.
PRIMARY ENRICHMENT/KEHILLAH: Guardians must PARK, enter the building through the MAIN DOOR and pick their child upstairs in the Keshet Social Hall. No Primary Enrichment/Kehillah students will be dismissed to the carpool lane or to older siblings.
L’MALA/L’MATA (grades 3-6): Guardians can PARK, enter the building through the MAIN DOOR to pick up their child at their designated grade level area in the lobby OR pick up their child in the carpool lane (see parking lot photo below). Please make sure your child knows how they will be picked up!
TBAjrHigh (7th grade) and TBAHigh (8th-12th grade): Guardians may wait in their car and pick up their child in the carpool lane (see parking lot photo below), or park and come into the lobby. For safety purposes, students may only enter cars that are between the Sanctuary and Chapel entrance doors when using the carpool lane.
Carpool Lane & Parking Lot
Please look at the parking lot diagram below showing lane use. When you are picking up or dropping off children, do not use the red “No Parking” areas as alternative drop-off locations as this creates unacceptable hazards for our children and additional maintenance costs for our congregation. “No Parking” signs will clearly mark these areas.
Safety must be our highest priority in the parking lot – even more important than being on time. A large part of the safety of our children depends on every driver recognizing the importance of designated lane use and of No Parking areas. Parking on grassy areas results in passengers exiting vehicles directly into the flow of traffic. Leaving your car in any location that is not a parking place, even for “just a few seconds” to run into the building, creates a hazard for everyone behind you.
Above all, please be the most defensive and courteous driver possible. Nearly every week we see a story about a child being injured in a parking lot accident. While we have been fortunate that we have not had any injuries in our parking lot, it is important for everyone driving into our lot to understand that there are children present, and that they sometimes take an unpredictable path. We do not want the next “Child Injured in Parking Lot” story to be about the Temple Beth Ami lot.
Thank you for your continuing concern for our families and support of our congregation.
Feel free to direct any questions about these procedures to Kim Roberts, Director of Education.