Full Notification

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL BLANCHARD MEMORIAL SCHOOL PARENTS/GUARDIANS

October 4, 2012

Dear Blanchard Memorial Parents/Guardians,

Attached you will find a view of the Blanchard School’s parking area and the change in traffic flow pattern that will become effective on Tuesday, October 9, 2012. The traffic plan has been reviewed by Chief Warren Ryder and Sergeant Brett Pelley of the Boxborough Police Department.

Sergeant Pelly has recommended the following plan:

The western most entrance/exit shall become an entrance only.
The main entrance/exit, across from the fire station, shall become an exit only.
The school buses will load and unload in the small traffic circle near the front doors of the school.
At the new entrance there shall be signs on both sides, “Enter Here” facing Massachusetts Ave. On the back of those signs there shall be a “Do Not Exit” sign.
At the new exit, there should be two “Do Not Enter” signs. On the back of the signs there shall be “Exit Here” signs.
At various locations around the horseshoe of the parking lot, there shall be several “One Way” signs.
Pavement markings: “Exit Only”, “Enter Here”, and several arrows will be installed.


Parents dropping off students will enter the school at the western most entrance and follow the horseshoe around the parking lot and will let children off at the sidewalk at the front of the gym. Students will walk up the sidewalk to the side of the gym to the front door entrance. For safety purposes ALL students should exit cars on the side of the sidewalk.

CHANGE IN AFTERNOON PICK-UP PROCEDURE is necessitated by the new bus loading location.

Beginning on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 all students being picked up at dismissal will be dismissed from Door # 4 of the gym at 3:00 p.m. Dismissal will no longer be from the Library area. No parents/guardians need to enter the school building at dismissal. Ms. DiPietro will dismiss students to parents individually from Door 4 of the gym. Parents/guardians are to wait on the sidewalk by the stairs of gym door #4. You will no longer need to sign your child out. Orange notes will still be required so Ms. DiPietro has written documentation of where students are going if they are not using their assigned transportation route. Ms. DiPietro will not have access to a telephone and will not be able to call classrooms to dismiss a child if an orange note has not been received. If an orange note has not been received the student will be sent home by bus.

All buses will be loading students in the loop by the front door, therefore all bus students will be dismissed from the front doors. Having parents/guardians congregate by the library will interfere with the bus student dismissal.

At the beginning of the school day, any CASE vans that are dropping students off prior to the arrival of the school buses, may use the front loop. At dismissal, all CASE vans will pick up students on the side parking area by the loading dock.

Parents/Guardians may use the front loop for student drop off if students are coming to school for band, chorus or any other before school activity.

We all understand change is difficult. We also realize with any new situation there will be some “glitches” along the way. We ask for your understanding and patience as we transition to these new routines. Our main goal is to make sure.

Finally, I spoke with Sandra Martin, manager of the Dee Bus Company, and asked her to confirm the travel time on the buses that transport the Blanchard Memorial School students to school. Buses 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 begin their routes at 8:10 a.m. Bus 1 begins their route at 8:20 a.m. All buses arrive at school between 8:35 and 8:40 a.m. Students exit from the buses when the bell rings at 8:40 a.m.

A REMINDER: SCHOOL OFFICIALLY BEGINS AT 8:45 A.M. STUDENTS ENTERING SCHOOL AFTER 8:45 A.M. ARE ENTERED AS TARDY ON OUR ATTENDANCE PROGRAM.