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Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

At a Glance

Time What Families Should Know
7:00 a.m. Before Care begins. Use the main 18th Street drop-off loop.
7:45-8:00 a.m. Regular morning arrival through the main entrance.
Until 8:00 a.m. Optional 16th Street arrival for students in grades 4-6 who can walk independently from the drop-off point.
After 8:00 a.m. Park and escort your child to the main office.
By 2:00 p.m. Make any same-day dismissal changes in School Dismissal Manager.
2:45 p.m. Early dismissal ends, except for true emergencies.
3:20-4:00 p.m. Regular dismissal at the main entrance and 18th Street loop.
3:20-3:45 p.m. 16th Street dismissal for eligible grades 4-6 students.

Important Safety Reminders

  • Follow staff directions at all times and do not allow your child to exit the vehicle until a team member is present.
  • Students should exit from the passenger side whenever possible and be ready with belongings before reaching the unloading area.
  • Remain in your vehicle in all car lines. Staff members will assist students at designated loading and unloading areas.
  • Do not block driveways, intersections, crosswalks, or neighboring access points.
  • Please do not park on 18th Street at any time.

Arrival Procedures

Before Care Arrival Procedures:

Before Care begins at 7:00 a.m. and it is free for all families. Families should utilize the drop-off loop and pull around to the front of the building. When you arrive at the front of the building, staff will greet families at the cars and escort students into the main entrance.
 
Students arriving between 7:45-8:00 a.m. will go directly to their classrooms where they will eat breakfast.
 

Car Arrival Procedures:

Map of streets surrounding Atlas with arrows to show how cars should turn right into the lot
We ask that cars only enter the lot by heading North on 18th St. so you can make a right hand turn onto the road in front of the building. If you are heading south on 18th Street, please do not make a left into the school’s drive. This is to avoid backups on 18th street. Instead, you should take a left onto Clark Ave just before you get to the school. Then, a right on S. 16th, a right onto Poplar, and then a right onto 18th Street. This will set you up to enter our school’s lot making a right hand turn. Due to the unique location of Atlas - Union Station on a major downtown street, it is not legal or safe for any cars to stop and unload or load students on 18th Street.
 
Once you have taken a right into the school’s drive, cars will proceed forward into the drop-off loop. Atlas staff will be in the lot directing families through the loop and unloading a few cars at a time. To keep everyone safe, please do not allow your child to exit the vehicle without a staff member present. 
 

To help our arrival process run smoothly, ensure your child is ready to unload as soon as you pull into the lot. We ask that students are on the passenger side of the car to help expedite the arrival process. The arrival map above shows how cars should proceed through the loop. As you exit the loop, we ask that you only make a right hand turn onto S. 18th St, in order to keep the traffic moving. 

Walk-Up

Walk-Up on 18th Street is for PreK-3rd Grade families who walk their child to school or take public transportation. Please escort your child to the front entrance of the building and remain with them until a staff member walks your child into the building.
 
Due to the unique location of Atlas - Union Station on a major downtown street, it is not legal or safe for any cars to stop and unload or load students on 18th Street. 
 

16th Street Arrival, grades 4-6 only

16th street
16th Street is the designated arrival location for students in grades 4-6 and their associated family members who are car riders, walk to school, or use public transportation. Students should be able to safely and independently exit their cars and/or walk along the supervised easement on the north side of the school.
 

Breakfast:

  • Pre-K students go directly to their classrooms for family-style breakfast.
  • Kindergarten through 5th grade students pick up grab-and-go breakfast and eat in their homerooms.
  • Grade 6 students go directly to the fourth-floor cafeteria and use the breakfast serving line.

Late Arrival Procedures:

Regular school arrival runs from 7:00-8:00 a.m. We ask all families to get their child to school by 8:00 so they can eat breakfast and participate in a class morning meeting. If you arrive after 8:00 a.m., please park and escort your child to the front entrance of the building. You will be asked to sign in your child using the front office iPads.
 

Dismissal Procedures

Dismissal begins at 3:20 p.m. Cars may begin lining up at 3:00 p.m. Please do not arrive earlier as early lines create congestion and interfere with school operations and local traffic.
 

Car Dismissal Procedures:

Atlas - Union Station uses School Dismissal Manager beginning on the first day of school. Download the app, confirm your child's default dismissal plan, and list every adult authorized to pick up your child. 

  • Submit same-day dismissal changes in the app by 2:00 p.m.
  • If a person who is not listed is picking up your child, call the office at (314) 377-0090 before 2:00 p.m.
  • Students are released only to authorized adults.
  • For assistance with the app, please see information here. 

Early Dismissal:

Early dismissal from the main office ends at 2:45 p.m. Families arriving after 2:45 p.m. will be directed to the regular parent pickup process unless there is a true emergency.

Main 18th Street Car Dismissal Procedures

  1. Approach northbound on 18th Street and turn right into the school drive. If you are heading south on 18th Street, please do not make a left into the school drive. This is to avoid backups on 18th Street and ensure your QR code can be scanned. Due to the unique location of our school on a major downtown street, it is not legal or safe for any cars to stop and unload or load students on 18th Street.
  2. Open School Dismissal Manager and scan the QR code that an Atlas team member will bring to your car. This checks your vehicle into the line and alerts staff that you have arrived.
  3. Follow staff directions into the pickup loop, place your vehicle in park while waiting, and remain in your vehicle.
  4. A staff member will escort your child to the loading zone and assist them into your vehicle.
  5. When directed, exit the lot by turning right onto 18th Street if the light is not flashing red. If the light is flashing red, left turns are permitted.

Walk-Up Dismissal Procedures

If you live or work nearby and are walking or taking public transportation, you can walk to school to pick up your child. Please follow the grade-level route: families picking up students in grades 4-6 should use 16th Street, while families picking up students in PreK-3rd grade should use 18th Street. There is no parking or stopping on 18th Street, as it is not legal or safe for cars to stop and load or unload students. 
 

16th Street Dismissal

The 16th Street route provides a supervised dismissal route for eligible students in grades 4-6 and helps reduce congestion at the main entrance.
  • The program operates from 3:20 to 3:45 p.m.
  • Families should approach the designated 16th Street pickup area, remain in their vehicles, and provide the student's name to the Atlas team member checking in cars.
  • Students remain supervised in the gym, cafeteria, or their classrooms until called, then walk along the supervised playground and easement route to the pickup area.
  • Students attending after-school programming do not use 16th Street dismissal on those days.
  • 4th-6th grade students with younger siblings should use the 16th Street dismissal route with their siblings.
  • After 3:45 p.m., all remaining students are picked up at the main entrance to the building on 18th Street.

Late Pickup

  • Regular dismissal at the front of the building continues until 4:00 p.m.
  • At 4:00 p.m., families should park and come to the main entrance of the building to check out their students.
  • Starting at 4:00 p.m., Atlas will start contacting families of the students who have not yet been picked up.
  • Students who remain after 4:15 p.m. will transition to their grade-level Beyond School location and will remain supervised until pickup.

Beyond School Aftercare Pickup:

  • After 4:00 p.m., park in the school parking lot just south of the school building and proceed to the main entrance.
  • An aftercare team member will be stationed in the front office and will have you sign your child out.