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Getting to Thornhill

School drop-off and pick up can be very busy times at Thornhill, and even more challenging as we return to school with new restrictions on accessing campus.

​In order to make drop-off as safe as possible for everyone in the neighborhood, please adhere to the following guidelines.

​The same options are available in the afternoon with the exception of Quick Drop.

Only students and staff are allowed on campus at this time. The playground is not open at this time for play before or after school. Please be prompt in picking up your child at dismissal time.
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Route Options Map

Thornhill drop-off/pick up traffic routes (.pdf)

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Fall 2021 Drop-off/Pickup Instructions

Arrival/Drop-off
TK/K - Students will be dropped off at 8:15 at Gates C or D. A Thornhill staff member will be at the gate to welcome students. TK students will go straight to their classroom. Kinder students will line up in the breezeway in their class line. Older siblings of TK/K students may enter and go to the playground.

1st-5th - Students will be dropped off at 8:25 at Gates A, C, or D. A Thornhill staff member will be at the gate to welcome students. Students will be supervised on the playground until 8:35. Students will be supported in finding their class line by Thornhill staff.

Quick-drop is in front of the school (coned area staffed by parent volunteers) or on the side of school/Alhambra (self-serve). If you choose this option, pull up all the way to the end of the drop zone with your child ready to get out of the vehicle. A volunteer will help your child out, and they can enter the school using either Gate A or Gate C, depending on their class. Exit the drop zone and proceed north up Thornhill; making a U-turn at Merriewood if needed. Quick-drop will be open at 8:15 for TK/K and 8:25 for 1-5.

Dismissal
TK/K - Students will be dismissed according to teacher instructions to parents. All students who go to Adventure Time (AT) will be picked up from their class line in the breezeway.

1st-5th - Students will be dismissed per the gate assignments below. 1st grade students who attend Adventure Time (AT) will be picked up from their class lines. All other students will walk to AT.

• 1st grade: Gate C
• 2nd and 3rd grade: Gate B
• 4th and 5th grade: Gate A

Older siblings should find their younger sibling(s) and exit according to the youngest sibling's gate assignment (above).

If you would like your child to be able to walk home this must be arranged and discussed with your child’s teacher.

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Four Options for Parking and Quick Drop

1. QUICK DROP ON THORNHILL DRIVE

This is a drive-through, drop-off lane created before school to get students out of their cars quickly and safely. It is located in the white zone in front of school. Quick Drop on Thornhill Drive is most suitable for parents driving UP Thornhill Drive whose children are ready to get out of the car.
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What to do:

• Have your children ready to get out of the car: backpack closed, hair brushed, breakfast eaten, etc.
• Enter the Quick Drop lane at the back.
• Pull up as far as possible in the lane before stopping your car and letting out your child. The first car in line should pull up to the front cone.
• Do not exit your vehicle. A parent volunteer will come to your vehicle to assist your child.
  
• If drop-off volunteers are not available, please have your child exit and walk to the front of the school to enter through the main gate.
• Exit the lane after the last cone - only when your car is the first in the lane and after ensuring there is no incoming traffic.
• Drive up to Merriewood Drive to make a U-turn, if needed.

When is Quick Drop Available?
Cones, indicating the drop-off lane, will be set up around 10 minutes prior to school starting. ​ It is not available in the afternoons during pick-up time.

2. DRIVE THROUGH AND DROP-OFF AT ALHAMBRA LANE FROM ST. JOHN'S CHURCH LOT

This is a drive-through drop-off zone used to get more students out of their cars quickly and safely. Children who are let out of the car here enter the school yard through the gate between the multipurpose room and the TK building. This is most suitable for parents driving DOWN Thornhill Drive whose children are ready to get out of the car themselves.

What to do:

• Enter Alhambra Lane through the church parking lot
• The top pedestrian gate is not accessible at this time.  WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS walking down Alhambra Lane to the side gate.
• Have your children ready to get out of the car: backpack closed, hair brushed, breakfast eaten, etc.
• Stay to your left when you pull over to stop your car, so that other cars can continue to pass on the right and your child won’t have to run in front of cars.
• Pull up as far as possible before stopping to let out your children.
• A Thornhill staff member will come to your vehicle to verify your ParentSquare health check is complete for each child and assist your child to check-in.​
• After you drop off your child, direct your car back to the right side of Alhambra Lane as you exit onto Thornhill Drive. Note that Alhambra Lane is a 2-way street at this point. 
• Observe the stop sign at the bottom of the driveway into Alhambra Lane. Stop and look for pedestrians before proceeding. It is strongly encouraged that you turn right onto Thornhill Drive as a safer way to exit and also to not hold up people behind you trying to exit.
• If you need to travel south on Thornhill, please make a U-turn on Merriewood Drive.

What not to do:

• Do NOT park in the cul-de-sac.
• Do NOT park anywhere on Alhambra Lane.
• Do NOT turn into Alhambra Lane from Thornhill Drive.

3. ​PARK (LEGALLY!) AND WALK IN FROM THORNHILL DRIVE

Parking spots are available along Thornhill Dr near the south end of the school (Thornhill Coffee Shop side) or on Gouldin Rd. Please use only legal and safe options. Do not park in the Quick Drop lane on Thornhill Dr, indicated by the white curb.  Parking is not allowed north of the school between Alhambra and Gouldin – this area is clearly marked as no parking.

​4. PARK, AND WALK IN FROM THE ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH PARKING LOT (NOTE: STEEP HILL, CARS/PEDESTRIANS SHARING ROADWAY) ​

The church has generously offered the use of their private property for the convenience and safety of the children and parents of Thornhill school. Please respect the church signage.
​
What to do:

• Enter the church parking lot from Gouldin Road.
• Park your car and walk with your child down Alhambra Lane to the side gate.  (The top gate is not accessible at this time.) Walk down the hill on the left side of the cones and WATCH FOR VEHICLES leaving the parking area.
• Exit the parking lot from Alhambra Lane only (right lane). Note that Alhambra Lane is a 2-way street (right after the steep downhill exit from the church parking lot). 
• Observe the stop sign at the bottom of the driveway into Alhambra Lane. Stop and look for pedestrians before proceeding. It is strongly encouraged that you turn right onto Thornhill Drive as a safer way to exit and also to not hold up people behind you trying to exit.
• If you need to travel south on Thornhill, please make a U-turn on Merriewood Drive.

What not to do:

• Do NOT park in the spots directly in front of the church building where the signs say “Church Parking Only” (or our privileges to park in the lot may be taken away!)
• Do NOT stop the car and drop off your child at the top of the stairs.
• Do NOT park a long car perpendicular near the entry to the stairs on the left—this may make it unsafe for both a car and those walking to the stairs to pass each other.
• Do NOT park on the school side of Thornhill Drive between Alhambra Lane and Gouldin Road (this area is clearly marked as no parking).
• Do NOT walk through yards or gates of residences next to the parking lot, and do not walk through the cul-de-sac; they are all private, and the owners cannot assume the liability of non-resident foot traffic through their properties.

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Additional Tips

Carpool or Walk to School

All of us who drive to school contribute to the traffic congestion around the school. Help reduce the problem by carpooling, walking, or riding your bicycle to school once in a while!

​Whatever your mode of transportation, please be a good neighbor and OBEY THE LAW!
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• U-turns are not allowed in front of schools.
• No parking on the right or left corners of Thornhill Drive at Alhambra Lane is allowed because this blocks visibility for drivers exiting Alhambra Lane. 
• No parking north of the school during the school day. OPD does issue tickets.
• No parking at a red curb.
• Double parking in front of the school is not safe.
• The white-painted curb is for student loading and unloading only. Do not park in the white zone during school hours.
• It is not safe to drop your children off in front of the apartment buildings on Thornhill Drive and have them run across the street.  Don’t use/block the apartment parking spaces.
• Do not drop off in the striped cross walk in front of the coffee shop.
• Please stop for pedestrians on all three crosswalks near the school.
• When exiting the church lot at busy times of the day please turn right onto Thornhill and make a U-turn at Merriewood. Waiting to turn left causes back up into the parking lot and makes kids late for school.​

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​Questions? Suggestions? Want to Help?
Please email our Traffic Committee chair, Christa Pennacchio at quickdrop@thornhillschool.org with any questions or suggestions you may have. We are always looking for more volunteers as well!