Principal Goodnow does ‘air-traffic control’ during daily arrival, dismissal
November 18, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti
By now it’s commonplace to expect that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed routines for just about every aspect of daily life in Vermont and beyond.
Schools of course although open have had enormous adaptations to the daily routine especially around arrival and dismissal time. Mornings have parents and students lined up at bus stops where monitors do health screenings as students board. At school, parents and students either line up in person or queue up in vehicles for similar screenings before students continue on inside.
Afternoons are a similar scene in reverse.
Waterbury Roundabout photographer Gordon Miller recently caught dismissal at Thatcher Brook Primary School where Principal Denise Goodnow conducted multiple maneuvers along the school driveway and walkways outside while radioing messages to waiting students in hallways inside.
Goodnow later explained how the new arrangement works so far, especially with school bus ridership still low as many families opt to drive their children to and from school. For those in grades K-6, that’s four days per week for in-person learning now. Older students attend just two days in person due to public health distancing guidelines.
“Arrival and dismissal is a well-choreographed dance or a very busy small airport where I am the air traffic-controller,” Goodnow began.
“In the morning we are running through over 100 cars between 7:30 and 7:55 delivering over 200 students to our front doors. Upon arrival, one of our valets (librarian Nancy Daigle, art teacher MK Monley, or me) opens the car doors, welcomes the students, and directs them to the appropriate front door to finish the screening process,” she explained.
“When all buses are in, I move over to the end of the driveway to direct cars to either the drop-off loop or the bus loop, which we can use after 7:40ish to move more cars through more quickly.”
The afternoon process is more precise. “In the afternoon, we dismiss about 125-140 students directly to their parents through our parent pickup system,” Goodnow said. “Parents can either wait and drive through the loop or walk up (having parked) and pick up their students.”
COVID guidelines have forced school staff to use a new system where all students being picked up by parents wait inside the building on their respective floors. The idea is for students to stay distanced as well as their parents waiting in front of the building.
Goodnow then heads outside with her walkie-talkie. “After making a list of what parents are out front, I then begin the process of calling each floor to request the student be sent out,” she said.
The system is constantly getting adjusted to be as efficient as possible. “In terms of adapting, that's what we do minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day,” Goodnow said. “My staff has been phenomenal in terms of their patience and flexibility and I couldn't be more proud and appreciative of them.”
Lastly, Goodnow stressed a reminder that a key piece in this delicate afternoon ballet requires parents help by not parking on Stowe Street between High Street and Union Street from 2:15 to 3 p.m. Tight space on the street due to cars parked on both sides can prevent buses from getting through, quickly bringing the whole process to a grinding halt.
Through it all, students ages 5 to 10 patiently wait their turn, wearing their masks, keeping distant from each other, carrying their belongings. Miller’s photos attest to the final step as the youngsters spot their masked parents and head home.