Traffic Flow and Carpool Lane
The parish parking lot, where we gather each morning, is also the parking lot where parishioners park for morning Mass. The main gates are closed and locked after all parishioners attending 8 am Mass have exited the parking lot (approximately 8:35 am). It is important that children are not allowed to run around, horse play, or walk unattended in the parking lot and/or across the carpool lane.
Parents are responsible to make sure that children get to the designated supervised crossing areas safely and exit the car (if in the car pool lane) from only the passenger side of the car (the side closest to the school building), where a supervising adult will have full view of him/her.If you are visiting the school in the morning and your stay will keep you past 8:35 am, please park on the street so that the gates can be locked and the premises secured.
Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School has been recognized for its safe student drop-off and pick-up procedures. Parents are expected to drive in a slow and safe manner at all times. The following guidelines ensure the safety of each and every student. Drivers are asked to:.
- All students and adults are to cross at the designated crosswalks near the Kindergarten or Auditorium when coming from their parked vehicles to their student's classrooms. There will be staff members there from 7:30-7:43 am and from 2:45-3:00 pm to stop traffic to allow students and adults to safely cross through the on-coming traffic.
- Pull as far forward as possible, regardless of the location of the student's classroom, before stopping to drop-off or pick-up a student. This permits as many cars as possible to get off the street and out of the way of traffic on Stearns.
- Students shall enter and exit cars from the passenger side only. Entering and exiting from the driver's side may put them in the way of on-coming traffic.
- Parents should not get out of the car while in the carpool line to assist their child(ren). If parental assistance is necessary, please pull into the lot and park.
- All students shall enter and exit the car as safely and quickly as possible.
- Once students have exited the car, carefully merge to the left-hand lane to pass other stopped cars.
- Never leave a car unattended in the car lane. Cars may be parked in the designated area if, for any reason, the driver must leave the car. Please make sure the ignition is off and that no child is left untendered in the car.
It is important that children are not allowed to run around, horse play, or walk unattended in the parking lot and/or across the carpool lane. Parents are responsible to make sure that children get to the designated supervised crossing areas safely and exit the car (if in the car pool lane) from only the passenger side of the car (the side closest to the school building), where a supervising adult will have full view of him/her.
Students who walk or bike to school
Students are not permitted to ride skateboards or scooters (i.e. razors, electric scooters, electric bicycles, etc.) to school. Per the California Vehicle Code [Division 11, Chapter 1, Article 4, Section 21212(a)]:
A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a non-motorized scooters or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a non-motorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or standards subsequently established by those entities.
Students who have their parent's permission to walk or ride a bicycle to and from school may not leave the campus during the school day to walk or ride themselves to an appointment or to go home should they become ill. A student must be wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet in order to leave the school grounds.
