Safe Crossings, Safe Kids
A reminder to all Elevation Community to use the roads around our school safely.
Student Safety at Drop Off and Pick Up Time
It is common knowledge that the school is exceptionally busy at drop off and pick up time. We have nearly 1200 students at the school this year and the traffic at the end of the school day along our roads is very heavy.
Student safety is the number one priority for all members of our community, especially on the roads at and near school. People driving near schools at school times have extra responsibility to take care.
We want to increase safety for our students at drop off and especially pickup time. The ideas below can help with this:
- Drop off or pick up your child further away from the school: not everyone needs to be picked up at the front gate. Find a location near the school and plan to pick your child up from there. Altamont Road and Vantage Boulevard can be accessed by exiting the Carmichael Road gate and may help avoid the traffic on Elevation Boulevard. Similarly, Precedence Drive and Debonair Parade avoid much of the school traffic.
- Encourage your child to walk or bike: where possible, encourage your child in this. Not only is this increase exercise but also independence. A reminder that is it law to wear a helmet when riding a bike.
- Utilise the bus: families who live in Greenvale have a designated bus service to the school. The 528 bus stops nearby.
- Plan your route: avoid making illegal U-turns. Consider a route that allows you to circle a block and drive forwards, rather than circling back.
- Drive slower than the speed limit in the immediate vicinity of the school: slowing down in uncertain areas (where there are many cars and pedestrians/children) may help keep others safe.
- Stick to the 40kmh speed limit near the school: it is illegal and dangerous to speed.
- Pick up your Primary School child first: some families pick up their child from ESC first before heading quickly off to pick up younger primary school siblings. However it does lead to rushing to make it to the primary school on time. Pick up your primary school aged child first, then (if need be), come to Elevation to pick up your older child second. Your older child can use the time to study in the library, attend Homework club etc. (or walk home if they don’t like waiting). The library is open until 4 pm each day for quiet study.
Dangerous Driving/Parking
On many days there is dangerous driving on Elevation Boulevard and surrounds including:
- Dangerous driving and speeding.
- Illegal U-turns.
- Double and triple parking.
- Not following the crossing guard directions.
- Not driving to the conditions.
This needs to improve.
Officially, the school and the school council have lobbied each of the following for improved services to the school and surrounding area; Hume Council, Craigieburn Police, Hoban (crossing supervisor contractors) with success in improving road safety around the school.
The school and school council have done a significant amount of work in contacting local authorities, alerting them to the issues and seeking support.
It is the responsibility of all in the community to drive carefully. There is now a heightened responsibility on the entire community to act, park and drive in a safe manner near the school. It is not acceptable for our students to be exposed to unsafe conditions near the school.
It is also the responsibility of the entire community to model exceptional driving behaviour so that our students who are becoming of age to get their driver’s license are guided to the best and safest practice.
If you have concerns, queries or questions about the traffic, parking and school crossing situation near the school you should contact Hume Council directly. If you have reports to make regarding dangerous driving near the school, please do so directly to Craigieburn Police of by dialling 000 in the case of an emergency, or on 9303 4433 for the station in non-emergencies.
Safe Behaviours at School Crossings
As kids travel to and from school it’s important for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to be aware and take extra care during these busy times. Following the road rules at school crossings doesn’t just keep our community safe, it is also the law.
To help keep our kids safe, it’s important for drivers to:
- Slow down around school crossings at a speed slow enough to stop safely, if necessary.
- Stop if a hand held “Stop” sign is displayed and you must give way when school crossings flags are displayed.
- Stop and wait until the school crossing is clear of all pedestrians including supervisors.
- Stop if a child or adult is about to cross or is crossing, even if there is no crossing supervisor.
- Never overtake a vehicle stopping or stopped at the crossing.
- Never let children get in or out of your vehicle when stopped waiting at a school crossing.
- Respect School Crossing Supervisors, they’re trained to support children’s safety.
- Always watch out for children near schools and if you see a school crossing, use it.
At school crossings, all road users need to be alert, including pedestrians. Always look and listen for approaching traffic from each direction before crossing. Pedestrians need to be sure that drivers or riders have seen them and are stopping.
Students Crossing the Road
All students are expected to always demonstrate safe road crossing behaviour. This means:
- Using designated crossing areas appropriately.
- Walking across the road (not running).
- Being aware of your surroundings (not talking or looking at your phone while crossing the road).
We encourage all families to discuss road safety with their child.
Angela Lane
Assistant Principal