Drop-off and Pick-up - The Bear Creek School

2023 – 2024

Note: Bear Creek will not offer bus service during the 2023 – 2024 school year. Carpooling is encouraged (see the bottom of this page).

Also see Daily Schedules and Parking pages. Authorized pick-up contacts are designated on your Household Profile (learn how).

Main Building (K – 8)

Please arrive at school during the designated drop-off and pick-up times (see below) for your child's grade level and display your child's color-coded family name card on your dashboard to help us manage the traffic efficiently. You may register your children for drop-off and pick-up supervision to consolidate your morning and afternoon routines.

While waiting in the pick-up line, please turn off your car engine whenever possible. Thank you for your help in reducing everyone’s exposure to exhaust and improving the health and safety of our community.

You may also want to read our FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

Morning Drop-off

For students' safety, do not drop students off in the front parking lot. To avoid traffic backing up onto the street, please use both lanes when entering campus. As you drive around the Main building to drop off students in the designated locations, use the lane closer to the building if you have Lower School students or the outer (right) lane if you have Middle School students.

If you wish to enter through the front door, you may park in the front parking lot and walk your children to the front door or their classrooms. The front doors (1) are open from 7:40 a.m. – 8:35 a.m. (M, Tu, Th, F) and 8:40 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. (W).

Drop-off Time	Grades	Drop-off Location
7:40 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (M, Tu, Th, F) 8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (W)	5 – 8	Parents drop off along the south side of the building (see blue arrow on map). Please pull car as far forward as possible toward the front of the building (X). Students exit the car on the left side and enter through either the main hallway door by the gym (7) or at rear of the Main Commons (8).
8:15 a.m. – 8:35 a.m. (M, Tu, Th, F) 9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. (W)	K – 4	Parents drop off along the sidewalk behind the building (see red arrow on map). Students exit the car on the left side and enter through either the K/1 door (6) or the playground door (5).

Drop-off Time

Grades

Drop-off Location

7:40 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (M, Tu, Th, F)

8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (W)

5 – 8

Parents drop off along the south side of the building (see blue arrow on map). Please pull car as far forward as possible toward the front of the building (X). Students exit the car on the left side and enter through either the main hallway door by the gym (7) or at rear of the Main Commons (8).

8:15 a.m. – 8:35 a.m. (M, Tu, Th, F)

9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. (W)

K – 4

Parents drop off along the sidewalk behind the building (see red arrow on map). Students exit the car on the left side and enter through either the K/1 door (6) or the playground door (5).

Afternoon Pick-up

All students will stay in class until called to the pick-up area. Display your child's color-coded family name card on your dashboard to help us manage the traffic efficiently.

Pick-up Time	Grades	Pick-up Location
11:45 a.m. (M, W, F)	2/3-Day K	Loop door (3)
2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.	Full-Day K	Kindergarten door (6)
2:45 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.	5 – 8	Parents pull car up to the Main Commons door (8). Students exit through that door (under awning if raining).
3:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.	1 – 4	Kindergarten door (6)

Upper School

Morning Drop-off

Parents may drop off students no earlier than 7:40 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays or 8:40 a.m. on Wednesdays (20 minutes before class starts). Students cannot be admitted to the building earlier than these stated times.

Afternoon Pick-up

Parents may line up for pick-up no earlier than 2:55 p.m. To avoid long lines and waiting on the street, we encourage you to pick up students between 3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. There is no need to arrive right at 3:00 p.m. unless you have an after-school appointment. The Upper School office closes at 4:00 p.m.

While waiting in the pick-up line, please turn off your car engine whenever possible. Thank you for your help in reducing everyone’s exposure to exhaust and improving the health and safety of our community.

When picking up students after school, observe the following:

Please DO NOT leave your vehicle unattended in the visitor spaces along the curb any time after 2:30 p.m. as that area is used for after-school pick-up.
At 3:00 p.m., we will begin to direct cars into the parking lot. Please pull your vehicle forward and do not wait on the curb. It is important to keep 208th Ave. NE clear of cars.
You are welcome to park in any available numbered spot but DO NOT park along the tree line as it hinders traffic flow.
Please follow the directions from the traffic coordinator who is working to ease traffic flow.
Create a pick-up plan with your child ahead of time. Know what time your child wants to be picked up on a given day or set expectations about being responsive to communications. This is the single greatest factor delaying the pick-up process.

Upper School students with younger siblings may also walk over to the Main building and find their parents in the front parking lot. Parents should pull into a parking spot; do not stop in the Main building pick-up line to wait for Upper School students.

Preschool

Drop-off

In the morning between 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., parents park and walk their children through the main gate to sign them in at their classrooms.

We start class at 8:45 a.m., but we have morning activities and free play until 9:00 a.m.
A greeter will be there to welcome you at the main gate.
Parents walk their children to class.
As parents depart, they should use one of the gates by the Preschool office.

After 9:00 a.m., check in your child in the Preschool office as all the gates will be closed.

Pick-up

Between 11:30 a.m. – noon, parents drive up, following the route indicated on the map above and staying in their cars. Display your child's family name card on your dashboard to help us manage the traffic efficiently. All students stay in class until called by radio and then are escorted to their cars at the main gate.

Although the school day officially ends at 11:45 a.m., classes begin their closing activities at 11:30 a.m.
To reduce the number of parents picking up at the same time, parents are welcome to pick up their children beginning at 11:30 a.m. We encourage the P3 families to come at that time to start the pick-up process.
If your child's car seat is on the passenger side of the car, we can more safely load your child out of the flow of traffic.

While waiting in the pick-up line, please turn off your car engine whenever possible. Thank you for your help in reducing everyone’s exposure to exhaust and improving the health and safety of our community.

Cubs Club Pick-up

Between 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., following the conclusion of Cubs Club classes, students are brought to their cars in the pick-up line as described above.

Designating Pick-up Contacts

To update your child's contacts, click My Profile in the navbar at the top of your Parent Portal.

Then, in the Household Contacts section, click Contacts for My Children. You will find cards for contacts previously identified with pickup authorization. Use the blue Edit button to check the box next to your child(ren')s name(s) to indicate who each contact may pick up.

Use the + Add New button to add additional pick-up authorized contacts.

Note: Health emergency contacts will be collected on your child's Vital Health Record on the health portal.

Carpooling

Current Bear Creek families interested in forming a carpool with other Bear Creek families may access our school directory.

Log in on MyBC/Parents, then select Parent Portal. (New parents will have access to the Parent Portal in mid-July.)
The Parent Portal will open in a new tab. Select the School Directories button (or Directories at the top of the page).
On the Households tab, look at Nearby Student Households for a list of Bear Creek families who live close to you with contact information and grade levels of children in each family. Given the unique nature of each family’s transportation needs, we encourage you to contact other families and design a plan that is most convenient for you.