Jeffco & ParkCo Back to School-Registration, Calendars, etc

Course Registration for South Park High School Students!
Information regarding course registration was sent to parent and student emails. Registration can be completed ONLINE by clicking here: forms.gle/3c787pWJ3WQBsSUM9
Please check your email for more information! If you did not receive the email or need assistance please email Gretchen Panicucci at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please spread the word!

WEST TRANSPORTATION
7000 Highway 73
Evergreen – 303-982-5215

The start of school is just a few days away, and soon you’ll be seeing lots of big, yellow school buses on the roads. The West Transportation Terminal for the foothills of Jefferson County is located on Hwy. 73 mid-way between Evergreen and Conifer. The West Terminal employees 49 full and part-time drivers who drive 40 routes twice a day. On an average day West Area employees cover nearly 200 square miles taking students to and from 11 schools from Elk Creek elementary on the south to Ralston Elementary on the north. In addition students are bused to schools “down the hill” and of course to special events around the state like sporting events, field trips, and competitions for band, theater, and academics.
School bus drivers go through more than two weeks of extensive training to qualify for the job, and receive on-going training and testing throughout the year on topics that include safe bus operations, first-aid and CPR, behavior management, transporting special needs students, and emergency situations. School buses have long been recognized as some of the safest vehicles on the road. Each bus is inspected each time it goes out (morning & afternoon as well as before every extracurricular trip), and each bus is equipped with safety equipment like first-aid kits and a fire extinguisher. In fact, last year one West driver spotted a pickup truck on fire beside the road and stopped and extinguished the blaze before the fire department arrived.
If your children ride the school bus, there are many things you can do to make each day stress free for the kids and the school bus driver.

It’s a good idea to confirm your bus route, stop location, pick-up and drop-off times before school starts. Our Info Finder tool on the Jeffco Schools Website can help you with that. Click the Bus Transportation link on the left side of the home page, then on the Info Finder link in the gray box on the Transportation Page. If you still have questions, please call West Area Transportation at 303-982-5215.

Besides meeting your student at your after-school stop on that first day, it’s also helpful to make sure your child has an index card or ID tag in or on their backpack (or a lanyard around their neck) with information detailing the child’s first and last name, address, and phone numbers. In a rare situation it might be necessary to contact you after schools are closed for the day, so please ensure that your contact information in the Jeffco database is current and includes a street address.

The most difficult time of the year for bus-riding students and school bus drivers is the first weeks of school. That’s because many of the bus routes have changed, there are new kids on the route who are not familiar or understand bus safety rules on their expectation on riding the bus, and because it may be a new driver on your student’s route. Also, after those exciting first days of school, a lot of kids simply can’t remember which bus they ride. In addition during the school year a substitute driver may be on the route for the first time, so anything you can do to help him or her find your house will go a long ways to keeping the bus on time, and your kids not standing in the dark and cold.

It’s common for buses to run late during the first week; a school may need to delay releasing the buses, parents at stops may want to talk to the driver, or a younger student might need a little extra attention. Despite’s everyone’s best efforts, sometimes a child boards the wrong bus. Our radio system ensures that we can locate misplaced children quickly, but getting them back to their parents can take a little time because of the distances involved. Please keep in mind that as long as your child is on a Jefferson County school bus he or she is in a safe place.

About Scheduling –
Scheduling bus service for more than 11 schools is a complex process and there are many factors in determining bus stops and times – with safety first and foremost. Our mountain environment is unique and beautiful, there are no sidewalks and yes at times, we share the trail with our wildlife. Be aware and be prepared! Educate your students on safety and awareness. A single change to a bus route invariably affects others riders as well as arrival times at schools. Please keep in mind that, while we do our best, it’s not possible to accommodate each of the dozens of requests we receive for changes to stops or routes. With that in mind, we also ask that if you do propose a change that you allow two weeks for us to contact you with a final resolution.

Bus Stop Location
First, understand that your mailbox is your most important landmark for the school bus driver. Stops at road intersections are easy, but finding your house for a driveway pickup is difficult without your help, and practically impossible in the early morning and late afternoon hours during the winter when it’s dark. Here are a few things you can do to help with those residential stops:

• Put your address on both sides of your mailbox. Many people only put their address on the side of the mailbox facing the direction the mail truck comes from. Our buses often drive routes in both directions for a variety of reasons.


• The bigger the numbers, the better. Some people use numbers less than 2-inches high, and sometimes they’re hand-written with permanent marker. BIG numbers are sure easier to see.
  Contrasting colors are great. Black on white or white on black are best. Gold on black may look classy, but are extremely hard to see in the dark.


• Numbers that reflect headlights really help.


• Some people even have address numbers that light up in the dark. Bus drivers really like those people!

If you don’t have a road-side mail box, please post your address next to the road. Some neighborhoods have communal mail boxes, and the residents often just place the address on their house. Even if those houses are next to the road, those addresses are virtually impossible for a school bus driver to see. Please consider posting your address next to the road beside your driveway. And finally, if your mailbox is right next to your neighbors, consider placing your address numbers on top of your box so they can be seen. Sure your neighbor’s number might be just a few digits different from yours, but there are some areas where the numbers aren’t in sequential order and the bus driver may miss your stop.

Safety Tips:
With daylight savings time ending on November 3rd, many of our kids will be getting on their school busses in the dark. Make sure your kids have a small flashlight or have their cell phone light on so we can see them standing beside the road.

If your kids have to cross the road to get on the bus, or cross the road to return home, remind them to watch the driver for a signal when it’s safe to cross. Far too often people will drive past the bus even when the flashing red lights are on and the stop sign is out! The bus driver checks the traffic in both directions before giving the students a signal to cross. And, for kids getting off the bus at the end of the day, be sure to walk out in front of the bus about 10 feet so the driver can see you. If an elementary student walks right in front of the bus’s bumper the driver may not be able to see him or her. If the driver honks their horn, it’s to get your attention not to cross as he has detected an unsafe situation. Communicate to your students the critical importance of bus safety, it takes us all to ensure a safe ride to and from school.

If you or if you know someone who would be interesting in becoming a school bus driver or bus assistant. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 303-982-5215 or visit our website at www.jeffcopublicschools.org . We are all looking forward to a great 2019-2020 school year.

“WE DELIVER THE FUTURE”

With most Jefferson County students scheduled to return to school on Aug. 14, the district is encouraging members of the school community to stay in the know on important dates, events and tips for success this school year.

As the year gets underway, parents and community members can stay on top of what's going on in Jeffco Public Schools by keeping five things in mind:

1. Follow social media accounts
2. Download the Jeffco App
3. Enroll in free and reduced lunch
4. Check in on Jeffco Builds
5. Board of Education elections

Welcome Back JeffCo Students!

With children heading back to school on Wednesday, August 14, we at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office wanted to share these safety reminders with you:

1. Watch your speed in school zones! Be aware that school zone speed limits may vary in hours and speeds. Be sure to follow the posted limits.
2. Slowdown in residential areas. Watch for children crossing the street and congregating near bus stops.
3. Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic in both directions on undivided highways must stop when students are entering or exiting a school bus (the red flashing lights and extended stop sign arms are your cue to stop). On a divided roadway, all traffic behind the school bus must stop.
4. Be alert! The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children walking to and from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings and more likely to take risks, ignore hazards, or fail to look both ways when crossing the street.
5. Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign, school patrol officer, or designated crossing guard.

For more tips on school safety, check out the National Safety Council's Back to School Safety Checklist: bit.ly/2KIPh8T

We will also have 14 school resource officers at all middle and high schools in unincorporated Jefferson County who will be there every day to welcome your children, answer questions and keep the schools safe.