Georgetown Day and parking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am also applying to GDS and this is worrysome. My ds goes to a school now where everyone walks their child in and it is a GREAT part of the school and community. It's time for the parents who have a moment to catch up, make a playdate, get to know one another, meet the teachers, see their children interact etc. This summer ds went to Landon summer camp with a carpool line, which was my first experience. I did not make friends with one parent the entire summer, which was disappointing. I also didn't realize that there was a child in the group who was hitting the other kids so aggressively that he had to be in a time out the whole day or one-on-one with a counselor, which took a person away from the other 14 kids. I only found this out the day of the carnival, which was the last week of camp. I only offer this as an example of what happens when you are too distanced from the classroom/teacher/parents, etc. Carpool lines bum me out.

The summer experience sounds unfortunate. I would say, however, that I would not expect GDS to pull a 180 by the time Fall 2010 rolls around. If you don't think that a carpool works for you, then you may want to pursue other options.

FWIW, I am surprised that there are new parents who are surprised by this policy. From the time of the playdate/parent interview, folks should realize that parking is very tight in and around the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also applying to GDS and this is worrysome. My ds goes to a school now where everyone walks their child in and it is a GREAT part of the school and community. It's time for the parents who have a moment to catch up, make a playdate, get to know one another, meet the teachers, see their children interact etc. This summer ds went to Landon summer camp with a carpool line, which was my first experience. I did not make friends with one parent the entire summer, which was disappointing. I also didn't realize that there was a child in the group who was hitting the other kids so aggressively that he had to be in a time out the whole day or one-on-one with a counselor, which took a person away from the other 14 kids. I only found this out the day of the carnival, which was the last week of camp. I only offer this as an example of what happens when you are too distanced from the classroom/teacher/parents, etc. Carpool lines bum me out.

The summer experience sounds unfortunate. I would say, however, that I would not expect GDS to pull a 180 by the time Fall 2010 rolls around. If you don't think that a carpool works for you, then you may want to pursue other options.

FWIW, I am surprised that there are new parents who are surprised by this policy. From the time of the playdate/parent interview, folks should realize that parking is very tight in and around the school.

PP: I don't know whether your child is at GDS. Until Peter Branch's email came out, it really wasn't a problem to find a spot to park and walk in. Some people always preferred to use the car pool line and others preferred to walk. I never had to use the car pool line because there was no spots available. The implementation of the policy is completely new to ALL the parents and there is discontent all around among those who preferred to walk in. Some are more discontented than others but there is no one who thinks that it is not insane of the school to expect parent to sit in their cars for 40-45 minutes per day to pick up their (3rd grade and up) child when there are plenty of legal spots around the neighborhood. I hear first bell is about 20-25 minutes which also sounds ridiculous frankly. The school needs to build its own parking garage or go the Potomac route. At least Potomac parents don't have to sit in their cars just waiting. I think the Potomac route would truly be destructive of the school community but there are parents who might prefer that option to having to sit and sit and sit.

[Anonymous]

Building a parking garage for pick-up and drop-off would be truly insane and once a price got attached to it, I think the parent body would quickly agree. I'm not even sure it'd save time -- 10 minutes getting into the garage and parking; 10 minutes getting out of the garage.

But I agree that there have always been enough legal spots available for those who wanted to walk onto campus in the afternoon to do so. Anyone who parks illegally or drives in a way that endangers others should be ticketed. And if you can't find a legal space, there's always the carpool line as a fallback position.

[Anonymous]

Two alternatives for you all to consider:

At our neighborhood swim club, there are very tough parking rules. You can park in the lot, if there's room, but cannot park on any surrounding streets. When you join the club, and each year, you must give the club the make and license number of every car in your family. During high activity periods (swim meets, parties) club staff patrol the surrounding streets to look for violators. If you're caught parking there repeatedly, you can lose your membership.

At one DC private, there is a similar zone for several blocks around the school. You cannot park, drop off, or pick up inside that zone in the morning or afternoon. Again, the school has a record of all family cars, and they do patrol. One violation gets a warning, number two gets a fine and a chat with the headmaster, number three can, in theory, cause your contract not to be renewed. So, you're welcome to walk to campus, but it must be from several blocks away.

Perhaps GDS could adopt one of these methods if everyone hates the carpool line so much.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who parks illegally or drives in a way that endangers others should be ticketed.

there are plenty of legal spots around the neighborhood.

Therein lies the rub, I suspect. If GDS parent drivers are like the parent drivers at my kids' private school in DC, then 85% are respectful most of the time and the other 15% are decidedly not. GDS is not a small school, so, this means lots of drivers parking in crosswalks, too close to stop signs, double parking, hanging over driveways, doing weird turns in the middle of the block to avoid MacArthur, driving 35 down very narrow streets, and so forth.

There are not enough DC parking enforcement employees and regular MPD officers to patrol the side streets of every private school during drop-off and pick-up. Hence those traffic agreements struck with the city, in which neighbors are given a real voice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anyone who parks illegally or drives in a way that endangers others should be ticketed.

there are plenty of legal spots around the neighborhood.

Therein lies the rub, I suspect. If GDS parent drivers are like the parent drivers at my kids' private school in DC, then 85% are respectful most of the time and the other 15% are decidedly not. GDS is not a small school, so, this means lots of drivers parking in crosswalks, too close to stop signs, double parking, hanging over driveways, doing weird turns in the middle of the block to avoid MacArthur, driving 35 down very narrow streets, and so forth.

There are not enough DC parking enforcement employees and regular MPD officers to patrol the side streets of every private school during drop-off and pick-up. Hence those traffic agreements struck with the city, in which neighbors are given a real voice.

Agreed. I would like to see the school crack down on the inconsiderate drivers very seriously (non-renewal of contract) and leave the rest of us alone to park legally and walk in. If the school had done this job over the last 10 years, my guess is that the current strict interpretation would not be in effect. Yes, and this would be cheaper than a parking garage. However, I don't scoff the garage idea even if it costs current parents money in the form of another capital campaign. The school needs it in order to survive in an urban area. Going the Potomac route and busing in all students would completely change the nature of the school. GDS has an amazing community. I think we all want to see it remain that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am also applying to GDS and this is worrysome. My ds goes to a school now where everyone walks their child in and it is a GREAT part of the school and community. It's time for the parents who have a moment to catch up, make a playdate, get to know one another, meet the teachers, see their children interact etc. This summer ds went to Landon summer camp with a carpool line, which was my first experience. I did not make friends with one parent the entire summer, which was disappointing. I also didn't realize that there was a child in the group who was hitting the other kids so aggressively that he had to be in a time out the whole day or one-on-one with a counselor, which took a person away from the other 14 kids. I only found this out the day of the carnival, which was the last week of camp. I only offer this as an example of what happens when you are too distanced from the classroom/teacher/parents, etc. Carpool lines bum me out.

The summer experience sounds unfortunate. I would say, however, that I would not expect GDS to pull a 180 by the time Fall 2010 rolls around. If you don't think that a carpool works for you, then you may want to pursue other options.

FWIW, I am surprised that there are new parents who are surprised by this policy. From the time of the playdate/parent interview, folks should realize that parking is very tight in and around the school.

PP: I don't know whether your child is at GDS. Until Peter Branch's email came out, it really wasn't a problem to find a spot to park and walk in. Some people always preferred to use the car pool line and others preferred to walk. I never had to use the car pool line because there was no spots available. The implementation of the policy is completely new to ALL the parents and there is discontent all around among those who preferred to walk in. Some are more discontented than others but there is no one who thinks that it is not insane of the school to expect parent to sit in their cars for 40-45 minutes per day to pick up their (3rd grade and up) child when there are plenty of legal spots around the neighborhood. I hear first bell is about 20-25 minutes which also sounds ridiculous frankly. The school needs to build its own parking garage or go the Potomac route. At least Potomac parents don't have to sit in their cars just waiting. I think the Potomac route would truly be destructive of the school community but there are parents who might prefer that option to having to sit and sit and sit.

Sorry, I wasn't clear: yes, my child is at GDS. I would prefer to walk in as well. I regret that a few parents, who blocked crosswalks and driveways because they were unwilling to walk more than one block to the school, ruined it for the rest of us who were willing to hoof in from three blocks away. But they did and now we all have to live with the consequences.

As a PP suggested, perhaps some folks should meet with HoS and outline some proposals. Steaming about in one's care during pick-up will not change it.

Finally, I've never had to wait for more than 25 minutes to pick up my kid. Maybe just luck on my part.

[Anonymous]

PP: A max of 25 minutes does not surprise me if your child is young (first bell). It also doesn't sound that great, but if you are not going to complain about 25 minutes than more power to you. The thing to know is that your child will grow and eventually have a second bell number. Those of us with a second bell car pool number wait much longer on average than 25 minutes. I have a younger child who has a first bell number and an older one with a second bell number. The younger one sometimes gets to stay in school until 3:45 and is exhausted by the wait. Dismissal is at 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP: A max of 25 minutes does not surprise me if your child is young (first bell). It also doesn't sound that great, but if you are not going to complain about 25 minutes than more power to you. The thing to know is that your child will grow and eventually have a second bell number. Those of us with a second bell car pool number wait much longer on average than 25 minutes. I have a younger child who has a first bell number and an older one with a second bell number. The younger one sometimes gets to stay in school until 3:45 and is exhausted by the wait. Dismissal is at 3.

Yes, that sounds very frustrating. Given that Branch will probably not rescind this order in the near future, have you thought of any alternatives? Personally, I don't think the carpool line is well run. And I am also surprised during drop-off when I pull up and see the kids in the car ahead of me take quite some time in collecting their parcels from every corner of the vehicle before they depart the car. I stress to my kids that they are being a good member of the community by getting in and out of the car quickly and keeping their belongings together while waiting for drop-off. I think there could be ways to expedite the carpool line. I would still prefer to walk in a few times a week, but short of that, I think the parents should propose some alternatives, not keep hammering away at that same point.

[Anonymous]

Are you the same 1-2 people carrying on this conversation while pretending to be multiple people weighing in?

[Anonymous]

I've posted a few times, but in response to others' comments. I'm not "pretending to be multiple people," though I agree that you can't tell how many people are involved in this (or any other DCUM) conversation.

[Anonymous]

I am probably the other poster referred to by 8:32. I don't think there was any pretending to be multiple posters. Earlier in the thread, a PP suggested that folks form a committee, try to think of alternatives, etc to the situation. I am not that poster, but I do think it is a great idea and may actually yield solutions. Having a 5 or 6 y.o. wait 45 minutes after first dismissal sounds tough. If such info was presented collectively to the school, bringing the focus back on the children waiting in the halls and away from the parents sitting in the line, then the admin may be compelled to consider different scenarios.

[Anonymous]

GDS parent here and haven't posted before. GDS needs to fix the parking/carpool situation and should do it fast. But, to the parent(s) who feel that the principal way to integrate into a school community is at drop off and pick up, I think they are being ridiculous. Schools like GDS offer hundreds of ways to be involved in the lower school. Parents are constantly there (this includes working parents as well). If that kind of participation isn't your thing, the school can't fix that. What about getting a feel for the class? That's not really going to happen during the chaos of drop off or pick up. First of all, whatever picture you get then isn't accurate and second teachers are too busy to deal with parent inquiries during this time beyond, of course, the most banal (DC didn't sleep well last night, has a cold, etc.). Now, I do think parents of children in the younger grades especially should be able to come into the school in the morning and afternoon and, as a pragmatic matter, its important to prospective parents. I also think the carpool line in the afternoon is inefficient (especially the 1st/2nd bell workings). But, lets keep some perspective....

[Anonymous]

PP: I am not trying to be snarky, but am genuinely curious what your reasoning is for thinking that parents of kids in the younger grades should be able to walk in for drop off and pick up. You've given a bunch of reasons that don't make sense in your mind but didn't tell us why it does make sense to walk in the younger kids. I am asking because as a current parent I am grappling with how to approach the relevant people at GDS and what they may be most responsive to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP: I am not trying to be snarky, but am genuinely curious what your reasoning is for thinking that parents of kids in the younger grades should be able to walk in for drop off and pick up. You've given a bunch of reasons that don't make sense in your mind but didn't tell us why it does make sense to walk in the younger kids. I am asking because as a current parent I am grappling with how to approach the relevant people at GDS and what they may be most responsive to.

Don't think I am PP you are referring to, but have posted on this thread. I think rationale for younger kids, especially for pick up, is to avoid having them wait till their older sib is dimissed, which is 15 minutes after the older children.