Southern Opening Day News and Drop Off Information

Opening Day Procedures and New Traffic Flow Patterns

The Southern Local School District has announced opening day and school year procedures for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. Southern parents and students will see some significant changes in the school grounds when they return Wednesday, August 22. Construction for the new Southern High School has begun, thus several entrances to the school will be closed.

“It is an exciting time for us this year,” said Southern Superintendent Tony Deem. “With the excitement surrounding the building of our school, however, comes some inconveniences. We have put together what we think is a good plan to get the students to and from the school buildings in a safe manner.”

Parents and community are urged to take extra caution especially along the highway along Elm Street. “Ideally, we would like to see as many students as possible to ride the bus. The more kids that ride the buses, the less congestion we will have processing student drop-offs. Ultimately, this is the safest way to get your children to school, especially the first few days when we are getting back in the routine and putting our plan to the test.”

High school bus riders will be let off the bus on Bus Garage Lane at the East end of the high school, then move through the parking lot to the Media Center entrance and proceed into Southern High School. A new bus loop has been built in the back of the school, where Elementary bus riders will disembark after high school students have been dropped off.

No cars are to enter the bus loop at the back of the school. Student drivers may enter in the middle entrance. Elementary teachers will enter the teacher/bus (former bus entrance) and will park in front of the high school nearest the elementary school. High School teachers will park in the Eastern-most portion of the parking lot in front of the high school, closest to the student parking area.

Student car riders will be dropped off at the Racine United Methodist Church at the west end of the Elementary. Drivers are to enter the lower level of the church and circle counterclockwise to the top parking area where students can exit the vehicles in an area closest to the sidewalk. Parents are urged to not let students out of vehicles until they reach the sidewalk area.

Parents of Pre-School and Primary grade students can park in the church parking lot spaces next to the Methodist parsonage. Other spaces should be left open to maintain two lanes of traffic flow around the church.

No children should be dropped off at the highway near the school entrance. All drop offs should be at the church.

Car riders and walkers and the high school bus riders will dismiss at 2:40 some ten minutes later than in previous years. High School drivers and elementary bus riders will be dismissed at 2:45.

Parents may park nose to tail facing the highway at the church much like they parked three-wide for pickups in the elementary parking loop last year, so that traffic makes a continuous circle around the church. Parents may arrive at school for pickups no sooner than 1:15.

“Dismissal will probably be our most congested time,” noted Deem. “Entering and exiting the church will be hectic, but should really be no more congested than our elementary parking lot was in the past. However, because of the congestion and having to walk to the church, we urge kids to at least ride the bus home.”

Elementary bus riding students will dismiss to the bus loop then buses will pick up high school students by the media center exit.

Staff should report at noon Monday, August 20 and all staff should report at 7:45 Tuesday August 21. Open House will be from 4-7 Monday, August 20, while Kindergarten Orientation will be Tuesday, Aug. 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. All Kindergarten parents and their children should attend. Public input will be sought concerning schoolwide and federal programs, along with a discussion about the meaning of schoolwide programs.

Kindergarten students will report to school as indicated at the orientation, depending upon the group you are assigned to .

Parents should take note that Southern Elementary will begin classes at 7: 50 a.m. and dismiss at 2:45. Southern High School begins classes at 7:40 a.m. and dismisses at 2:45. Breakfast at the Elementary begins at 7:30 a.m. Students should not arrive before 7:30 a.m.

Breakfast for all students is free both at the elementary school and high school. High School lunches are $2.40 and at the Elementary $2.05 for this new school year, while adult lunches are $3.00.

At Southern High School, principal Daniel Otto has announced that all parents of students grades 7-12 participating in fall sports should attend a mandatory Ohio High School Athletic Association meeting as required by the state. The meeting begins promptly at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 20.