First Day of School

Safety First, Fun Always at Claywell!

At Claywell, we love to have fun—but safety always comes first. Arrival and dismissal are critical parts of our day, and we rely on your support to keep things running smoothly. Following our procedures ensures a safe and efficient experience for everyone.

Our goal is simple: maximize the number of families using the car line. It’s the safest way for students to arrive and leave campus. We treat every family equally, and when you follow our procedures, we build a strong and respectful partnership.

First Day of School: What to Expect

On the first day of school, you’re welcome to walk your child into the building. After that, our campus is secured and only students may enter. While this may feel tough at first, we’ve found it helps children grow in confidence and independence. They adjust quickly—and thrive!

You may feel like you're doing something hard, and you are. But it's also what's best for your child. We understand because we’ve been there too.

Our Promise to You

Your child will love it here. At Claywell, we run our school with structure, respect, and heart. Beyond academics, we teach life lessons—how to treat others with kindness, take pride in themselves, and handle challenges with grace.

We live by the golden rule and model it every day. Life isn’t perfect, but we stay composed and work together to find solutions.

School Supplies Reminder

If you didn’t bring your child’s supplies to Open House, please send them on the first day of school. We begin promptly at 7:40 AM, and at that time, we’ll make an all-call asking everyone to leave campus so we can begin our day.

Arrival & Dismissal Expectations

Before we discuss arrival and dismissal procedures, it’s important to ensure all students are on campus at the correct times.

Morning Arrival

• No student should be on campus before 7:10 AM without adult supervision (an individual over 18 years old).
• If you need to drop your child off earlier, please enroll in Morning HOST, which is available from 6:30 AM to 7:10 AM.

Afternoon Dismissal

• Dismissal Times:
  • Monday: 12:55 PM
  • Tuesday–Friday: 1:55 PM
• All students must be picked up promptly at dismissal. If a student is not picked up on time, they will be sent to HOST, which may incur a $50 daily fee.
• Please make reliable pickup arrangements now. Last year, our secretaries kindly supervised late pickups, but this will not continue this year.
• We respect your time and ask that you respect ours.

Family Tip: A great way to stay organized is by creating a shared Google Calendar for your family. It helps everyone stay on the same page and avoid confusion.

Transportation Options

Car Riders

• All car drop-off and pick-up must occur in the Shillington car line.
• Ensure car seats and other items are positioned so your child can exit on the sidewalk side.
• Staff will open the car door, but your child should be ready to exit as soon as your car stops.
• Morning drop-off begins at 7:10 AM. Students must remain in the car until the bell rings.
• Do not exit your vehicle while in the car line.

Walkers

• Walkers must live close enough to walk from home. This is not a “park and walk” option.
• Northdale walkers will be escorted across the street. Parents do not walk on to our campus.
• Shillington walkers will be walked to the fence area.
• Parents should not walk onto campus during dismissal, except to meet their child at the Shillington gate.

Bus Riders (This is a privilege not a requirement for our bus riders)

• Buses are a reliable and punctual option.
• Students arriving by bus will never be marked tardy, even if the bus is late.
• All bus riders will receive breakfast upon arrival.

Bike Riders

• We now have a new bike rack inside the Northdale fence.
• Students will park their bikes there and walk to class

The above is a car line jingle when you drive to drop your child off or pick them up in the morning. Please turn on Sapwood (left or right depending on the direction). There is an actual turn lane there. Then you are going to go all the way down to South Breeze (take a left again). Then you are going to take a left on to Shillington. Then take a right into Claywell. Our person standing there is very nice. Give her a danish or a cup of coffee every once in a while especially when it is cold. This should give us more than enough space to have an big car line loop. Make sure in the afternoon our scanner person scans your tag. You will be waiting a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG time if you skip the line and don't get scanned. Yes, this seems like a longer car loop, but it is going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

AM/PM Car Line Procedures

We welcome new families to our car line daily, and we want to ensure everyone understands the safest and most efficient way to navigate it. Please review the map below and follow these important DOs and DON'Ts to help keep our car line running smoothly.

✅ DOs

• Keep your child in the car until 7:10 AM. There is no supervision before this time.
• Follow all posted traffic signs both leading into the school and on campus.
• Use the traffic flow map provided. If everyone follows it, we avoid backups.
• Arrive by 2:15 PM for afternoon pickup. This helps us maintain a steady flow.

❌ DON'Ts

• Do not turn left onto Northdale during arrival or dismissal. This is clearly marked with signage.
• Do not make U-turns on Shillington. Multiple signs prohibit this, and violations can result in a \$178 ticket (as reported by a parent).
• Do not follow others who are ignoring the map. If you're following the correct route, you're helping our school—and we appreciate you!
• Do not cut in line. If your car tag isn’t scanned, your child’s pickup will be delayed.

🅿️ Golf Course Parking Option

We’re grateful to the golf course for allowing us to use their lot. To keep this option available:

• Park only in designated spots.
• Walk your child to the crosswalk.
• This is the only way we permit use of this parking area.

🎉 Good News!

Thanks to your cooperation, we’ve successfully eliminated the issue of families parking down the street to bypass the car line. We appreciate your continued support!

Reminder that we are one of six schools in the county to have cameras on our speed limit signs. Adhere to the driving laws around Claywell and hopefully everyone else. The buses in our county also have cameras on their stop arms. Please make sure you stop and if there is not a median and you are traveling the other way you sill need to stop as well. Please do not make that mistake.

The ap below give ts you a heads up when your child's bus will be getting to the bus stop. Occasionally there will be delays in the morning or afternoon, so this is an excellent way to keep. Just use the QR code to get the ap.