We have a new campus – and a new PUDO (routine for car drop-offs in the morning and pick-ups in the afternoon). Please read below for how this will work starting on Day 1: Wednesday, August 27!
We will begin the 2025-26 school year with new systems for bringing your child to campus. We ask that you work with us, as we test out the new approach, identify ways to improve it, and then refine the process so that it works for all.
Our top priorities for this process include:
- Safety for all, especially our students and faculty as students get in and out of cars!
- Efficiency for our families and for the area (in terms of traffic) – we want to move swiftly while still being safe.
- Consideration for our neighbors, both in terms of traffic and also parking and noise.
As always, we appreciate your patience and we figure out the best for drop off.
Morning Arrival Routine
All students – grades 5-9 – will enter school through the Middle School (new) building, coming into the main gate that is on the west side of campus on Half Street near North Capitol Street (furthest away from Washington Yu Ying’s building.)
- Walkers will enter through the gate and go through the main door through the reception area, where they will turn in their phones and then proceed to the MPR to wait for advisory.
- Bike riders will WALK their bikes around the opposite side of the building on Half Place to enter through the gate and WALK their bikes around to store them in our indoors bike room. They will then walk upstairs to the reception, then on to the MPR.
Drop-off by car
Drivers will enter the campus loop through the main gate, turning right from Harewood from the north/westbound side (the same side as our campus).
- Please do NOT make a U-turn in front of the Upper School building or try to enter the car line from the opposite direction.
- Please let your child out when you arrive at the door just before the exit gate. Students should not exit vehicles prior to approaching the main arrival and dismissal door on the north side of the building (facing Varnum St.)
- We ask that students exit quickly (though safely) so that we can keep the car line moving.
- After dropping your child, you must turn right onto Half Street (a one-way street).
- If you are trying to return to Harewood Road/Taylor Street, we strongly encourage you to go past Varnum to Victor Street, then continue past 1st to 2nd Street. This will keep you out of heavy Yu Ying PCS drop-off traffic!
- Please see the handy map with a visual of these instructions.
Late Drop-offs
The driveway gate will close after regular drop-off (by 8:10). Students arriving late must enter through the pedestrian gate and check in/turn in their devices at the front desk in the Middle School building (even if they are headed to a classroom in the Upper School).
Afternoon Dismissal Routine
Middle School students will be released at dismissal (3:00 pm first week and most days) or after tutorial to be picked up as follows:
- Car pick up will happen at the same door as the drop-off point in the mornings (Middle School building, door facing Varnum).
- The main gate will open for dismissal car pick up as early as 3:00 pm. Families should not form a line that causes a back-up along Harewood.
- Middle School bike riders will retrieve their bikes and leave through the exit gate onto Half Place.
- After September 2, students in MAGIS will be picked from the MPR; parents/guardians will enter through the main entrance of the Middle School building. We will share more information about this process in the coming days!
Upper School students will retrieve their devices at the front of the Upper School building and exit through the front door onto Harewood. Drivers picking up their Upper School students should follow the procedure for the Cooper driveway outlined above OR establish an off-campus meet-up location with their child and avoid the loop entirely.
