Please take a moment to review the following procedures and guidelines for Venado’s parking lot, which have been designed to accommodate quick student pick-up and drop-off. Safety is always our number one priority. As a neighborhood school, students are encouraged to make a healthy and environmentally conscious choice to walk, scooter or bike to school. This will also help our parking lot be less congested.
● Drive-thru Lane — this lane is designed to allow vehicles to “drive-thru” to either access a parking space or to exit the parking lot ONLY.
● Drop-off/pick-up Lanes — these lanes are for cars stopping to drop-off or pick-up students at the yellow curb. There are two drop-off/pick-up areas available for your use. One is located inside the parking lot; the other is located on Deerfield Avenue, in front of the school. When using either drop-off lane, please pull as far forward as possible to allow other vehicles access, and to reduce traffic in the parking lot area and the streets around the school. If you do not see your child, or anticipate having to wait, please park your car in a parking space to wait for your son or daughter. For safety reasons, students are not to enter the parking lot to come and meet you at your car. They are to wait along the curb until you enter and stop in the drop off lane.
● Bike Lanes – Please do not stop in the bike lane on Deerfield Avenue. The bike lane is not to be used for stopping to drop off or pick up students. Use the drop-off zone in front of the school next to the Venado sign, or enter the parking lot. Additionally, please do not drive in the bike lane. We understand that the street gets congested, but passing cars on the right and driving in the bike lane is illegal and hazardous to bike riders.
● Service Road — the service road between Deerfield Elementary and Venado is only for access to the tennis courts and the CDC only. It is not a drop-off/pickup area for Deerfield or Venado. This is a thoroughfare for students walking, riding their bikes, skateboards or scooters to and from school. This area becomes highly congested before and after school. The Irvine Police Department cites autos parked in this area.
● No Left Turns — Due to the high volume of traffic entering and exiting the parking lot and traffic on Deerfield Avenue, the Irvine Police Department has designated times when the “no left turn” will be in effect. Left turns are not permitted from our parking lot during the following times: 7:30-9:30 a.m. and 2:45-3:30 p.m.
● Cell Phones — please refrain from using your cell phone as you drive through the school parking lot. With the number of students and adults walking to and from the building, safety is our number one priority.
● Student Safety — Students are to always use crosswalks when commuting to/from school. When using a crosswalk on Deerfield Avenue, and once on the Venado side of the street, student are to stay on the sidewalk and not cut through the parking lot to access the school. When riding a bike to school, students are to walk their bikes in these areas.
Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe at Venado.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal