Spencer Elementary Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures
Hello, parents and guardians. We want to take a few minutes to explain our drop-off and pick-up procedures for Spencer Elementary the 2026-2027 school year.
Morning Drop-Off
Morning drop-off will begin at 7:00 a.m. Students being dropped off by parents should enter through the front entrance of the building.
This morning drop-off schedule will be on a trial basis. Our hope is that, in the future, we will be able to offer SOAR early morning tutoring from 7:00-7:30. Parents wishing to take advantage of the 7:00-7:30 drop off will need to enroll in SOAR.
Beginning at 7:30 and until 8:00, parents wishing to drop off students will need to enter the parking lot and proceed through the lot and down the hill to the bottom parking lot. At that time, you circle the bottom parking lot, proceed up the hill and pull to the front of the building where staff members will assist your students with exiting your vehicle. At this same time, buses will be entering the parking lot and have priority in proceeding to the front of the building. We have twenty-eight buses who will be making drop offs during this time. If your child needs special assistance, please park in a parking spot to get them out and then walk them to a staff member in the front of the building.
Please remember that the instructional day begins at 8:00 a.m. All students need to arrive at school by 8:00 so they are in place and ready for instruction when the school day begins. If you arrive after 8:00, you must park and sign your child in at the school office.
Also, I know that there may be parents that want to walk their kiddos in the first couple days of school, if so, please park to do so.
Afternoon Dismissal and Pick-Up
The instructional day ends at 3:00 p.m., and parent pick-ups will begin at that time. It will run from 3:00-3:20 each day. Please refrain from lining up in the school parking lot prior to 2:45. This causes unnecessary parking lot congestion and traffic flow issues.
The four special needs buses will depart from Spencer Elementary at 3:00 p.m. each day as well.
This year, we are so excited to offer three car-rider bus options for families who would like to pick up their children at an off-campus location.
The first car-rider bus will drop students off to parents at Dollar General, as it did last year.
The second car-rider bus will drop students off at New Life Baptist Church on Route 36.
The third car-rider bus will be at RCHS. This option is intended to provide a convenient one-stop pick-up for parents who have students on the RCHS campus and would like to pick up all of their children at one location. It is also an option for families who travel Route 119 and would prefer to pick up their Spencer Elementary student at RCHS.
All three car-rider buses will leave Spencer Elementary at approximately 3:05 p.m. You can expect to pick up your child at these locations at approximately 3:10 p.m. each day. You must greet the bus to receive your child. There will be a staff member on each bus who will monitor the drop off process and ensure that each child has the specified adult there to pick up the student. Children who have no adult present to pick up the student at the designated location will return to school.
If you would like your child to use one of these car-rider bus options, please fill out the form that we send home on the first day of school OR stop by or call school office with any questions.
Preschool parents, please follow the instructions of RCHS principal Jennifer Hunt and your child’s teacher to learn how to navigate the RCHS/SMS campus.
Bus Transportation
Our Spencer areas buses (four of them) will depart Spencer Elementary at 3:20 p.m. each day.
Our remaining 20 buses will arrive to pick up our regular bus riders at approximately 3:35 p.m.
Parents should be aware that the school parking lot will be full of buses from approximately 3:35 to 3:50 p.m. each day. For everyone's safety, please use caution when traveling through or entering the parking lot during this time and follow the directions of our staff.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we begin these new procedures. Our goal is to make arrival and dismissal as safe, efficient, and convenient as possible for all of our students and families.
Thank you for working with us and helping us make this school year a successful one for our students!