As the 2024-2025 school year quickly approaches, we want to share some campus logistics and procedures to make the year run smoothly. We ask that all families read these procedures carefully and commit to follow all of the procedures the entire year to help days run safely for all students.
EKHLA on Dreamland has ONE entrance/exit open daily. This will be the only access in or out of the campus on any given day. This entrance is the farthest down Dreamland from Locke Hill-Selma. It has a deceleration lane to help pull out of traffic. The official school day runs from 7:45 to 3:00. The gate will open every morning at 7:00 and cars will turn in and take a right. For the safety and security of all concerned, traffic on the campus parking lot is 5MPH. Students coming between the window of 7:00 am and 7:25 am will go directly into the gymnasium. Only students should exit the car and walk directly to the gym and wait for a staff member to open the door and let them in. Please remember to pull forward down the carpool line so more than one family can get out at a time.
At 7:25, staff will be out along the curb on duty to help students out of their cars. The cars will move through the car lane and stop at a numbered cone to let out students. Parents are expected to pull all the way down to the farthest cone to allow more students to exit their cars. Parents will NOT be able to get out of the cars for any reason. All materials needed by your student should be in the car and handled by the student. Students and adults will NOT be able to retrieve anything from the trunk of the car. All students need to exit on the curbside and will be directed by staff where to go. At 7:30, they will be directed straight into the main building. Once your child has exited the car, move forward with the car line to exit campus. Parents will NOT be able to park on the lot and walk their students to the door. We ask that parents take advantage of the earlier and longer drop off window to help alleviate traffic issues. If you arrive after 7:45, your student is tardy. Please make sure you walk your student to the door and sign them in tardy. A staff member will be outside the main door with a clipboard for you to sign them in.
For the safety of students and staff, EKHLA is a closed campus and parents will have limited access to the building. There is one door for parents and community members to enter the main building of EKHLA. The office opens for official business at 7:30. Parents will not be let into the building before that time by any staff member. The door has a buzzer and camera for initial communication with the office. A staff member will ask the name and nature of the business before allowing the person into the building. As always, any parent or adult entering the building must come into and remain in the school office. All people will be required to show a state issued ID at the main desk. Staff entering into the building have been instructed to not hold the door open for anyone walking in behind them. Staff and students near the doors have been instructed not to open the doors for any reason. We ask all parents to only enter the school during hours of operation for pre-arranged meetings or school business or if picking up their students early. The rest of the campus is off limits on all school days, unless escorted by a staff member for a meeting or conference. Parents wanting to pick up their students early must be in the building by 2:45 or the student will have to be picked up at regular time outside the doors.
Students will eat in their classrooms and it is strongly encouraged to allow students to eat with their peers and socialize with classmates. Parents are allowed to check their students out of school to eat lunch with them, but there is no place on the campus to facilitate the meal. There are a few picnic tables out front to eat with your student if necessary. It makes the day smoother for all involved, if students are sent to school with their lunch and all needed materials to have a successful day.
Any lunch dropped off during school hours will be placed in a bin outside of the main doors. We will no longer be accepting DoorDash/ delivery driver order drop off at school. The office staff will check it periodically to bring the lunches into the office for students to pick up. Please make sure to write the student name on the entire lunch. We will not allow anyone into the building to hand deliver a meal to a student.
Pickup begins at 2:55 and will be handled in 2 lanes to alleviate the tremendous pick up line down Locke Hill Selma. We appreciate your understanding around this as we are concerned that the traffic back up is a road hazard for our families and the neighboring community. We ask that you adhere strictly to your lane based on your family enrollment.
For families that have students ONLY in kindergarten through 3rd grade, pick up will be on the outside lane that pulls up along the curb. Cars will still come in single file through the gate, but then split into two lanes. Parents should pull up in the carpool line to numbered cones and wait for their child. Please continue to move your car down the sidewalk until a staff member helps your student into the car. This will help keep traffic moving on the lot. Parents will NOT be able to park on the lot and pick up students at the door. Please make sure your family name sign for carpool (which will be given out during the first week of school) is on the right side of the dashboard to help keep the process moving quickly. All parents MUST stay in their car during the entire pick up process.
For families that have students in 4th through 8th grade, please pull into the inside lane of the parking lot. Your students will be picked up from the interior island The inside lane will stop and load students from the middle island area across from the gym. There will be staff to help students cross so this lane runs smoothly.
During the hours of 7:00am-8:00am and 2:30pm-3:45pm, all cars entering and exiting the EKHLA parking lot must turn right only in order to keep the flow of traffic moving within the parking lot. This is the expected traffic plan that is approved by the City of San Antonio, which we are required to follow.
For families that want to pick up in person, there is an area at the end of the carline near cone #1 for a parent to wait. We will not dismiss students to parents or authorized adults inside the building after 2:45. All adults picking up need to use the crosswalk area near cone #1 when coming on and off campus. Students will not be sent across the parking lot and we will not stop cars for adults to cross through traffic.
EKHLA staff will ask for a valid driver’s license and check against the official pick up list if someone other than the custodial parents pick up the student. Please make sure to send the school an email if someone other than a custodial parent is picking up the students.
As always, it is expected that EKHLA families are following all traffic laws and signs, not parking on Lockhill Selma and not blocking the entrance to Whispering Oaks while waiting to turn. We ask that everyone demonstrate some patience as this becomes a norm for EKHLA and that all cars drive slowly and safely knowing that children are being loaded into cars.
We are all very excited to start another wonderful school year. We know that everyone wants a nurturing, warm, and safe environment for all our students. By adhering to the expectations above, we know this will help ensure that the school year runs safely and smoothly.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mrs. Kathryn Cohen
Kathryn Cohen
Principal
Principal
cohen[email protected]