The Drive-Thru area exists to facilitate the smooth and safe drop off in the morning (7:45 am-8:00 am) and pick up in the afternoon (2:30 pm-2:50 pm) of students in a timely manner. In the morning, parent volunteers direct the traffic, open car doors, and greet students.  

Sign up to be a greeter for your grade specific days through Konstella! A request for volunteers will be emailed each month.  However, if you ever notice there isn't enough help in the mornings, less than four volunteers, please feel free to help!

**Please remember to thank the parent volunteers for giving their time every week to make sure our Drive-thru runs smoothly and your children are dropped off safely.**

Please follow these guidelines when using the Drive-thru before school:

• Drive carefully and slowly. Respect and follow the directions of the volunteers. 

  1. NO pedestrian traffic is allowed to cross through the Drive-Thru. Do NOT walk children from Cerezo Drive through the staff parking lot. This is extremely hazardous. Please use cross walk at the parking lot exit by the sidewalk to walk around and not through the parking lot and drive thru area.

  2. Drop off children curbside and ONLY where there is a volunteer. Children should be ready to exit the car when you pull up. (Backpack ready and goodbyes said, then exit for a great day).

  3. If you have already dropped off your student, please don't pass around cars dropping off or drive through the staff parking lot. We've had many near-accidents from people doing this. 

  4. Please refrain from stopping and waiting to watch your child walk to class. Keep in mind that other parents are waiting to drop their child off and this may hold up the line unnecessarily. If you want to make sure your child gets to class, please park your car on the street and walk them in.

  5. Do not park in the staff parking lot, red zones or cross-walks. Cars parked illegally may be ticketed.  The staff parking lot shall not be used as a loading/unloading zone, extra parking, or cut through.

  6. Stop at the stop signs. Remember pedestrians have the right-of-way, especially when they are our children.

• DO NOT LEAVE VEHICLES UNATTENDED IN THE DRIVE-THRU. This applies all day.  However, if you are picking up your child from the office during school hours due to illness or a medical appointment, it is permissible to park your car for 5-10 minutes.

  • TK parents may park for a few minutes to pick up their child as long as it is outside of the school-wide drop off (7:40 am-8:00 am) and pick up (2:30-2:50 pm) times. Please do not park your cars unattended in the care line on Wednesdays, because the entire school has early dismissal.  

AFTER SCHOOL 

Please stay in your car and have your child meet you.  Please do not use this area to park your car.  As cars leave, you may move up or go around another car if it is safe to do so.

DRIVE-THRU FLYER DISTRIBUTION

Due to safety concerns, flyers may not be distributed in the Drive-Thru area.  Posters may be held in the Kindergarten class area.  Please contact the Drive-Thru Chair if you would like to hold up posters.

CROSSING GUARDS

Crossing guards are stationed at the corner of Hutchinson and Walnut Avenue and at the corner of Blackstone and Wiget Lane. Please drive slowly through these areas and respect the direction of the crossing guards. 

PERSONAL ITEMS

Please remember NOT to leave personal items unattended in vehicles. A purse left on the front seat of a car or laptop sitting on the backseat is a prime target for drive-by break-ins while working or volunteering at school.

COMMUNITY COURTESY

Finally, please remember to respect the community around Walnut Acres by not blocking or parking in private driveways and by respecting Walnut Acres' neighbors' personal property. We truly value our local community.

We appreciate your attention to these details and cooperation to keep everyone safe.  

Drive-Thru Coordinators and the School Office

If it is raining significantly at drop off, students may gather in the MUR starting at 7:45am, instead of lining up on the playground.

We rely on parent volunteers to help give teachers a break during lunch on rainy days, when students have “recess” in their classrooms instead of the playground.  If you are not signed up but you are interested in helping as a Rainy Day Volunteer, see your classroom sign-ups in Konstella or reach out to your Room Parent(s). 

If you are signed up to cover in your classroom a certain day of the week if it rains, please report at the proper time to the MUR. If you are unsure about whether you are needed, please call the office at 939-1333 to confirm.

Following are the Rainy Day Coverage Times per Grade: 

K-1st Grade: 11:00 - 11:40 a.m.,  Mon-Fri

2nd-3rd Grade: 11:40 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.,  Mon-Fri

4th & 5th grades: 12:20 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.,  Mon-Fri

After signing in at the office, you will go to the MUR and check in with the Lunch Supervisors. You will then take the class back to the classroom and the teacher will have various activities for them to choose from while you are there. Please wait for the teacher to return to the classroom before you leave.

Walnut Acres staff are trained and prepared for many emergencies, including intruder alerts, earthquakes, and fire.  Water and emergency supplies are maintained in the central disaster supply shed near the custodian’s room and throughout campus.

As part of school emergency preparedness, we ask parents to supply food provisions for their children. You can purchase a pre-made emergency food kit from Walnut Acres PFC when school begins via Kostella, or provide your own. If you choose to provide your own please provide 4-5 NON-PERISHABLE food items (no cans please) in a one-quart plastic zip lock bag with the child’s name, teacher, and grade marked on the bag. They must be delivered to your child’s teacher within the first few month or so of school.  Walnut Acres PFC has purchased bottled water for each classroom.  

Adults who are visiting or volunteering on campus are asked to sign in at the school office and wear a visitor badge, so that they may be easily identifiable in the event of a lockdown or other emergency. 

Parents who are on campus during an emergency should observe the same guidelines:

·      Following directions of the nearest school personnel.

·      Remaining quiet, allowing staff to give/receive emergency communications.

·      Seeking safe coverage away from the school (i.e. locking yourself in a car) if just entering campus or on the outskirts of campus when an emergency occurs.

·      Refraining from using cell phones in the event of a bomb threat (safety authorities report that cell phone use may potentially trigger a bomb blast) and in an intruder alert, if police have already been notified.

If an emergency event occurs before or afterschool hours when school staff are present, parents and students should follow staff members’ safety instructions.  In such situations, parents should refrain from independently searching for children; staff members are assigned specific campus zones, including bathrooms, playgrounds, and fields, in which to search for and retrieve students.  Similarly, parents should NOT go to their child’s classroom during a lockdown.  Emergency protocol prevents teachers from opening their classroom doors under any circumstances during this time.

Disaster Response

If a major disaster occurs during school, students will remain under school authorities’ supervision until a parent or designated adult comes to sign them out. 

Please do not call the school, as we must keep the phone lines open for emergency calls.  Instead, seek information from the following sources:  KCBS-740 AM or KGO-810 AM radio stations,www.MDUSD.org.

Pick up procedures for students:

1.     Park to keep areas near campus clear of cars for emergency vehicles.

2.     Walk to the picnic benches outside of the office and wait there for school staff to bring students to sign-out area.

3.     Bring a photo ID to identify yourself.

4.     DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD OR ANY STUDENT WITHOUT SIGNING THEM OUT.

Many parents may not be able to reach campus by car or phone.  If necessary, school officials will release your child as indicated on the emergency card and keep a written record of the adult to whom your child is released.

Additional Information:

Click here for additional Emergency Preparedness information from the City of Walnut Creek.