Arrival
School starts each day at 9:00am. Students arrive at school via the Talawanda district’s buses, in cars, or, with parent permission, walk or ride bikes from home. Students should arrive between 8:45–9:00am, no earlier and no later. Teachers are busy preparing for class before 8:45am and school starts at 9:00am each day. Students in Grades 7/8 only should arrive between 8:15 and 8:30am, as their day begins 30 minutes earlier than the rest of the school.
Using the bus
The district provides bus transportation for all Ohio students, if they choose to use it, and must be registered with the Peterman Transportation. Shuttle buses come from elementary schools bringing students to McGuffey; shuttle buses pick up our bus riders at the end of the day, taking them to join the overall bus system at the elementary schools. Bus routes and pick-up and drop-off times are announced on the Talawanda School District website. Buses drop off students in front of the school. Students arriving on a bus that is delayed are not considered tardy but still need to check in with the office.
The Bus Transportation Request Form goes directly to Petermann Transportation, contact information is on the form.
Driving to school, dropping off in the drive
Students being dropped off from cars need to be dropped off at the carpool drop-off point in the circular driveway. Pull in the driveway, stop at the first bend, and let your child out of the passenger door. Only one car at a time should be dropping off students. Please wait until it’s your turn to pull up to the drop off zone marked off by orange cones before letting your child out of the car. The only reason for these rules is student safety.
Driving to school, walking your child into the building
If you wish to walk your child into the school, we have permission for short-term
parking in the Smith/Ogle parking lot that borders on Westgate Drive as long as there is no funeral in progress. They have kindly made this space available at the beginning and
end of school to relieve congestion and improve safety on Westgate Drive.
Dismissal
School is over each day at 3:30pm (2:45pm on Wednesdays). The bus arrival and departure times are out of our hands so we simply do all we can to make departure time as safe and trouble-free as possible. As before, shuttle buses arrive at various times to take kids to other elementary schools to feed into the overall system.
Pick-up from school for cars
Carpool dismissal happens between 3:30–3:45pm (2:45–3:00pm on Wednesdays). Please pull into the circular driveway; proceed with caution to the pick-up point at the turn nearest the annex front sidewalk, stop to pick up your student(s) and pull on through. Do not park anywhere in front of the school during this time, including the annex. We reserve that space for use by those managing the carpool line to keep the traffic moving quickly. If you are behind the bus on Westgate Drive and it’s necessary for you to get around in order to pick up your child(ren), check first to see if the bus lights are on. If they are not on and the bus is parked waiting to load, use extreme caution to carefully and slowly pass the bus.
Early pick-up
In the event that a medical appointment or other difficulty requires that you pick up your child just before school is dismissed, please arrive at school before 3:10pm (2:25pm on Wednesdays), park in the traffic circle, and sign your child out at the office before 3:15pm (2:30pm on early Wednesdays). Please call the office to arrange for this early dismissal and we will try to have your child(ren) packed and ready to go. In a true emergency between 3:15 (2:30) and dismissal time, park in the Smith/Ogle lot unless there is a funeral in progress. Walk over to the office to get your child and escort your child back to your car.
And a little reminder about an old rule: Students may not try to arrange “play
dates” for a given afternoon during that day or after school. To avoid congestion,
parents who plan play dates after school must be sure to do so in a place away from
the dismissal area. Thanks! Those behind you in line appreciate it.
