August 31st, 2023

14 Elul 5783

Dear Parents,

As we start the new school year, we are excited to report that our new parking area is ready for use! The next phase will be the construction of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Early Childhood Center which will continue throughout the school year. 

We also want to remind you of our general carpool guidelines and give you specific NEW arrival/dismissal instructions for the beginning of this school year. While this email is lengthy, we encourage you to read through in order to familiarize yourselves with the new procedures and we ask for your patience in the coming weeks as we all adjust to the new plans:

General Reminders and Guidelines:

• All cars that enter the campus must have the blue sticker displayed on their car windshield and please have windows rolled down for security purposes.
• At the beginning of the school year and until further notice the old entrance and Lower Lot/old Blue Zone/Toddler Dropoff area will be closed due to construction.
• For arrival and dismissal, all cars will now enter the campus through the center driveway located on South Woodland Street closer to Palisade Avenue than the old entrance. Once reopened, the old entrance will be used as an exit driveway. The third entrance (driveway closest to Palisade Avenue) will remain an exit driveway.
• The center driveway is two lanes and cars may now make both left and right turns from South Woodland Street into this driveway. If approaching from Palisade Avenue turn into the left lane of the center driveway. If approaching from Mountain Road or East Linden Avenue, turn into the right lane of the center driveway. Following security, the right lane should then turn left onto campus to the far side of the median, to the two lanes closest to the building. The left lane should turn left to the near side of the median, to the two lanes furthest from the building. During arrival and dismissal, please follow the specific directions below regarding the two lanes.

New Carpool Guidelines and Maps:  

Arrival

• All cars should enter campus through the center driveway.
• Students who do not need faculty assistance entering the building are welcome starting at 7:55 am. Between 7:55 am and 8:15 am, cars may enter campus via either lane of the center driveway. If approaching from Palisade Avenue turn into the left lane of the center driveway. If approaching from Mountain Road or East Linden Avenue, turn into the right lane of the center driveway. The right lane should then turn left onto campus to the far side of the median, to the two lanes closest to the building. The left lane should turn left to the near side of the median to the two lanes furthest from the building. Cars in all lanes should then pull all the way up and around to the shul. Children should only exit the cars through the passenger side and once the cars are parked along the sidewalk. Students can then proceed down the sidewalk and enter the building through the nursery set of doors.
• For those carpools with children not needing assistance, and arriving after 8:15 am, cars should enter campus via the left lane of the center driveway. These cars must approach the school from Palisade Avenue. Following security, make a left to the near side of the median to the two lanes furthest from the school building. Please then pull all the way up to the shul and students should exit the car in the same way as above.
• For carpools with children needing assistance, starting at 8:15 am, the Early Childhood faculty will greet children in front of the building. These carpools should enter campus via the right lane of the center driveway. These cars must approach the school from Mountain Road or East Linden Avenue.  Following security, make a left to the far side of the median and stay in the lane closest to the school building. Follow the directions of the faculty and pull up along the sidewalk closest to the building. Children should only exit the cars through the passenger side and once the cars are parked along the sidewalk.
• We ask that all parents remain in their cars and do not exit, in order to help the line move as efficiently as possible.

Dismissal

• All carpools should enter through the center driveway.
• Toddler 1:00 pm dismissal will take place at the front entrance. Parents should enter the center driveway, park their cars by the curb closest to the school and meet their children in the lobby.
• GOLD Zone Carpools (those with children in Toddlers through Pre-K) should enter campus via the right lane of the center driveway. These cars must approach the school from Mountain Road or East Linden Avenue. Following security, make a left to the far side of the median and stay in the two lanes closest to the school building. For the safety of all on campus, your children will be walked to your car by a faculty member.  
• BLUE Zone Carpools (those with children in Kindergarten through 5th grade) should enter campus via the left lane of the center driveway. These cars must approach the school from Palisade Avenue. Following security, make a left to the near side of the median and stay in the two lanes furthest from the school building. For the safety of all on campus, your children will be walked to your car by a faculty member.  
• Middle School Carpools may enter campus via either lane of the center driveway. If approaching from Palisade turn into the left lane of the center driveway. If approaching from Mountain Road or East Linden Avenue, turn into the right lane of the center driveway. Following security, the right lane should then turn left to the far side of the median to the lane beside the median (second lane from the building). The left lane should turn left to the near side of the median to the two lanes furthest from the building. Parents should pull up to the shul area and wait for their carpool to be called. For everyone's safety, students may not enter the cars until the cars are parked along the sidewalk next to the building.  
• We ask that all parents remain in their cars and do not exit, in order to help the line move as efficiently as possible.

Thank you for your help in ensuring a smooth and safe arrival and dismissal process for all of our children.   

We want to conclude by thanking our outstanding Building Committee, focused on ensuring that every part of our construction is conducted safely and with the least disruption to our school and students as possible. Nevertheless, all construction projects produce noise, dirt and disruption. As this work continues, we will work hard to limit the number of disruptions to parents, faculty and students and try to give as much advance notice as possible, if we have to reroute carpool or anticipate delays. If you are not already on our text message alert system, please sign up for it by texting the word "alert" to 22300. All of the short-term hassle will be well worth the final result and rest assured that despite the construction, the experience of the Moriah community on-campus will not be diminished.

Looking forward to a wonderful year!

Rabbi Daniel Alter

Head of School

Erik Kessler

Executive Director

Ranit Shiff

President, Board of Trustees

Jason Goldberg

Chairman, Board of Trustees