Ben-Hem Weekly Newsletter

I hope you had a great week! It was a busy week here at Ben-Hem! 

I want to take the opportunity to address two issues as they relate to the parking lot. The first is the traffic we are experiencing during morning arrival. The congestion on Rt. 27 south continues to cause problems for student drop off. Mr. Gatto and I have considered potential workarounds to alleviate the problem and we have decided to move the start of drop off to 8:00. It is our hope that by allowing students to arrive a few minutes earlier we will move a portion of the traffic along before the real back up begins. We will implement this on Monday and monitor the situation from there. 

The second issue I would like to address is safety in the parking lot. Every day we bring over 600 children into the building and then send them home to you in the afternoon. This is a major operation with many moving parts. Safety is priority number one in all that we do during arrival and dismissal. Families play a key role in supporting a safe environment by observing the following policies in the parking lot: 

1. Observe the speed limit. It is 5 miles per hour. That is very slow and it is that way for a reason. Please adhere to it.  
2. Minimize cell phone use while driving or walking in the parking lot. Young children are impulsive and fast. Your full attention to the road and your surroundings is critical.   
3. Park only in designated spaces. Driving lanes and visibility are compromised when families choose to park in designated no parking zones. These areas are clearly marked, please take notice and abide by the designations.  

I appreciate your time and attention to these matters. Safety is a joint responsibility and I appreciate your partnership. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the main office. 

Have a great weekend!