Please take a moment to review the following procedures and guidelines for Venado’s parking lot, which has been designed to accommodate quick student pick-up and drop-off. Safety is our number one priority. As a neighborhood school, students are encouraged to make a healthy and environmentally conscious choice to walk or bike to school. This will also help our parking lot be less congested.
· Drive-thru lane — this inside lane (closest to Deerfield Avenue) 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. 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 visitor 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.
· Deerfield Avenue Bike Lane —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.
· Fire Lane/Service Road — The fire lane between Deerfield Elementary and Venado is only for access to the tennis courts and the CDC. It is not a drop-off/pickup area for Deerfield or Venado; this is a thoroughfare for students walking and riding their bikes to school and becomes highly congested before and after school. The Irvine Police Department cites autos parked in this area.
· No Left Hand 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 the “no left hand turn” will be in effect. Left hand turns are not permitted from our parking lot and Deerfield Elementary School’s parking lot between 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m on school days.
· Cell phones — Please refrain from using 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 the crosswalk when crossing Deerfield. Once on the Venado side of the street, students are to stay on the sidewalk and not cut through the parking lot to access the school. When riding a bike, skateboard, or scooter to school, students are to walk them through the campuses until they reach the public sidewalk. They should also be wearing a properly-fitted helmet.
· Parking Spots – Venado has a limited number of parking spaces and most of them are reserved for staff parking only. Please do not park in the staff parking stalls. We have a few visitor spots for parent use.
Thank you for taking the time to review our Venado parking lot safety reminders.
~Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal