Arrival and Dismissal Guidelines

• Arrival and dismissal of students in Primary - Grade 8 is through the car line.
• Please limit car idling to preserve the environment.
• Provide yourself with extra time for arrival and dismissal in case of unexpected delays.
• When in the car line, please be patient and wait your turn to ensure the safety of our children.
• Students taking the bus will be dismissed from the front entrance of Renaissance Hall.

Dismissing students and having them picked up from School is one of the busiest times of the day on campus. To ensure an efficient and safe process, we ask that all Primary 1 -Grade 8 parents, please follow the policies and instructions in this section of the Guide that includes:

• Adding authorized drivers to your Veracross Household Profile.
• Using the Whitby Pick-up Placard at all times.
• Alerting the School when there is a pick-up change.

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It is important that you add/update your authorized driver's list in Veracross. These are the people who have permission to pick up your child(ren) from school. 

How to Add/Update Authorized Drivers in Veracross

• Go into the Veracross Parents Portal and update your Household Profile.
• Add or update all authorized drivers in the Contacts Section. 

• Each household will receive Pick-Up Placards. The Placards will be mailed to each household prior to the start of the new school year. Please make sure your mailing address is current in Veracross. Placards from the prior year (a different color) should be discarded.
• Throughout the school year, if there is a change to your authorized driver list, please log on to Veracross and input the new information.
• When a new driver is added to your authorized list, a new Whitby Pick-up Placard will be issued to you by the Receptionist.

SPECIAL NOTE: If a person has been removed from your authorized driver list, it is a parent's responsibility to secure the Whitby Pick-up Placard from that individual.

• Each household with a Primary-Grade 8 student will receive Placards at the beginning of each school year. Placards will be mailed to each household address as it appears in Veracross before the start of the new school year. 
• If a new driver is added to your authorized list, a new Whitby Pick-up Placard will be issued to you by the Receptionist.

Displaying the Whitby Pick-up Placard

• For a student to get into a car, the Whitby Pick-up Placard must be visible on your car visor (affixed with provided elastic bands). 
• A staff person will put your child in the vehicle as long as the Whitby Pick-up Placard is displayed.
• If you have questions about Whitby Pick-up Placards, please contact the Receptionist.

SPECIAL NOTE: It is a parent's responsibility NOT to give a Whitby Pick-up Placard to drivers not listed as authorized drivers.

• If a friend, for example, who is not an authorized driver in Veracross is picking up your child, do not give them a Whitby Pick-up Placard. You need to alert the School to the driver change through Veracross. Refer to the "Pick-Up by Unauthorized Driver" section for how to do that. 

• If a Primary-Grade 8 child is going home with a person who is not on your authorized driver list, please log into Veracross Portal before 2:00 PM and make a Change to Dismissal.  
• If a Primary-Grade 8 child is going home with another Whitby parent for a playdate, please log into Veracross Portal before 2:00 PM and make a Change to Dismissal.  
• If the Change of Dismissal is made after 2:00 PM or is not submitted (because we know emergencies happen), the driver will be asked to pull over while the staff confirms the Change in Dismissal with the Receptionist. We apologize for the delay this might cause.

SPECIAL NOTE: Please DO NOT EMAIL your child’s teacher with pick-up changes. You must submit the change through Veracross by 2 PM or in the case of a last-minute change, contact the Receptionist.

How to Make a Change to Dismissal

Go to the Parent Portal and click Attendance Request.

1. Select child’s name.
2. Select Pick-up change date. You can pick a future date.
3. Select transportation from school.
4. Select car.
5. In the Notes box, include your child's name and grade, as well as the full name of the driver with whom your child will be going home.

If your child leaves school during the school day (illness, dentist appointment, etc.), please follow this process:

• Go to Veracross, click Attendance Request, and submit the request.
• The person picking up the student must be an authorized driver or a one-time person designated by a parent in the Notes section.
• The driver (parent, caregiver, friend) must go to the Reception Desk in Renaissance Hall and show ID before the child is permitted to leave school.
• The student will meet the driver at the Reception Desk or in the case of an ill child meet them at the Nurse’s office.

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It is important that you add/update your authorized driver's list in Veracross. These are the people who have permission to pick up your child(ren) from school. 

How to Add/Update Authorized Drivers in Veracross

• Go into the Veracross Parents Portal and update your Household Profile.
• Add or update all authorized drivers in the Contacts Section. 

• If your child is going home with a person not on your authorized driver list (includes another Whitby parent), please log into Veracross Portal by 10:30 a.m. if your child dismisses at 11:30 or by 2 p.m. if your child dismisses at 2:30 and make a Change to Dismissal (see below).
• If you make the Change of Dismissal later or if it is not submitted (because we know emergencies happen), the driver will be asked to wait so we can confirm the Change in Dismissal with the Receptionist. We apologize for the delay this might cause.

SPECIAL NOTE: Please DO NOT EMAIL your child’s teacher with pick-up changes. You must submit the change through Veracross or in the case of a last-minute change, contact the Receptionist.

How to Make a Change to Dismissal

Go to the Parent Portal and click Attendance Request.

1. Select child’s name.
2. Select Pick-up change date. You can pick a future date.
3. Select transportation from school.
4. Select car.
5. In the Notes box, include your child's name and grade, as well as the full name of the driver with whom your child will be going home.

If your child leaves school during the school day (illness, doctor appointment, etc.), please follow this process:

• Go to Veracross, click Attendance Request, and submit the request.
• The person picking up the student must be an authorized driver or a one-time person designated by a parent in the Notes section.
• The driver (parent, caregiver, friend) must go to the Reception Desk in Renaissance Hall and show ID before their Stepping Stones child is permitted to leave school
• The driver can walk to the Stepping Stones classroom area to meet the student, and then exit through the Stepping Stones door.

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