Arrival and Departure

School Hours 

  • School opens to students at 7:45 AM

  • School begins at 8:00 AM

  • School day ends (M, T, Th, F) at 2:30 PM

  • Early release Wednesday dismisses at 12:10 PM

See the district calendar on the Camas School District website for a view of school holidays.

We have early dismissal every Wednesday at 12:10 PM. Teachers use this early release time to plan and prepare lessons, attend training, and meet with teaching teams in professional learning communities.

NOTE: Please contact the school office before 1:30 PM (10:30 AM on Wednesdays) if your child will be going home from school in a non-typical way. (Example: Student usually rides the bus but will be picked up by parent today.)

Attendance matters!  Grass Valley students are expected to be at school on time every day!

Classroom doors open at 8:00 AM and the tardy bell rings at 8:05. All students should be in their class prior to 8:05. If dropping off any time after 8:05 AM, parents and guardians will need to park their car and accompany their student(s) into the building to sign in their student(s) at the front office. Time, signature, and reason for tardy must be provided. Our goal is for each and every GVE student to have a pattern of regular attendance. Students arriving after 8:05 should always be accompanied by an adult.

Coming and Going

Morning Arrival

Children may come to school from several directions. There will be a crossing guard on 38th Avenue at Gold’s Gym and another in front of the school on Fremont Street. Children are welcome to arrive any time between 7:45 and 8:00 AM, but not before 7:45. Children riding the school bus will unload at the bus canopy in the back of the school. Children in cars should be driven to the main entrance and enter through the front doors.

Walkers and bike riders can enter through the north entrance sidewalk or the back gate off of 44th Avenue.

Bikes can be left in one of the three bike racks (outside the first-grade classrooms near the bus canopy, outside the cafeteria, or on the west side near the music room). We ask that you please use a bike lock, as GVE is not responsible for bikes. Children can head to the cafeteria or their lineup spot until the 8:00 AM bell. Staff will be out supervising at 7:45 AM. The classroom wings are not open before school begins. Our campus is considered a “closed campus” while students are on-site. When you drop off or pick up your child(ren), please stop at the campus entrances (kindergarten fence, 44th Avenue gate at the back of the school by the portables, or the maintenance gate in the front of the building). From here, students should walk independently to school and after dismissal. This practice ensures that we keep our campus secure and that we are aware of all visitors on-site.

School Neighbors

Please be courteous to our neighbors and do not use private driveways as a student drop-off and/or pickup zone. 44th Avenue is very busy with bus traffic during drop-off and pickup times. Please drop your student off at the corner of 44th Avenue and Emily Way if you cannot utilize the designated Grass Valley parking lot drop-off area. Please do not use Grass Valley Court to park, drop off, or pick up students. We ask that you use the main entrance to Grass Valley school.

Afternoon Dismissal

All students will be designated as bus riders or walkers. Students designated as walkers will be walked to their dismissal location. Students have the option of walking home or meeting up with parents at our designated locations (kindergarten fence or the 44th Avenue gate at the back of the school by the portables). Kindergarten students will be met at the kindergarten fence by a parent or guardian, or walked to the 44th gate/maintenance lot to meet a parent or guardian. Kindergarten students who meet their older siblings (in grades 1-5) will be walked to sibling checkout near the playground to meet and dismiss. It is important that parents communicate with their child(ren) where to meet and remind them to head back to the office if no one shows up to meet them in a timely manner. Staff members will be on the playground to monitor the area from 2:30-2:40 PM. We ask that you plan to arrive to pick up your child by 2:30 PM (by 12:10 for Wednesday’s release). All bus riders will be walked by their teachers to the bus loading area and placed on their assigned bus.

In the event that a kindergarten student is not met by an adult at their bus stop after school, the bus driver will reroute the student to Camas Extended Day program at the ZAC, 841 NE 22nd Avenue, where the student will be supervised until the parent/guardian arrives. Similarly, an older student may also be rerouted to Camas Extended Day if circumstances warrant it and contact cannot be made with parent/guardian. The phone number for CED is 360-833-5540 and the program manager is Mary Weishaar.

Student Dismissal Plan

In order to make sure we are accountable for the safety of every student, our school has parents/guardians establish their “typical dismissal plan” each year. This is the plan that their child(ren) will follow on most days. Any day in which the plan is altered, the school office must be notified in writing at the start of the day. Individual office notes are provided daily to students who will be varying from the typical plan. Teachers will not allow students to change their dismissal plan without an office note that came from direct parent/guardian permission. If we don’t have a note, phone call, or email, the child will be sent home via their typical dismissal plan.

In the event that a kindergarten student is not met by an adult at their bus stop after school, the bus driver will reroute the student to the Camas Extended Day program at the Zellerbach Administration Center, 841 NE 22nd Avenue, where the student will be supervised until the parent/guardian arrives. Similarly, an older student may also be rerouted to Camas Extended Day if circumstances warrant it and contact cannot be made with parent/guardian. The phone number for CED is 360-833-5540.

Occasional Parent Pickup: If you plan to drive your child or walk home with them from time to time, please notify the office—preferably with a note sent to school that morning—and we will give your child a Walk slip for that day. You will meet your child at one of the designated meeting locations after they have been dismissed by the supervising staff member.

  1. If your child is going to be walking or biking occasionally, notify the office in the morning and we will give your child a Walk/Bike note for that day only.

  2. If your child is going to be walking or biking regularly, notify the office and we will put your child on our daily Walk/Bike list.

All bikers must wear a bike helmet at school for their own safety and protection!

Change Of Plans

We do realize that there are situations that may require a change in plans on a specific day. Please call the office to let them know. We ask that you let us know by 1:00 PM M, T, Th, F and by 10:30 AM on Wednesdays. Safety is our number one priority. Our dismissal process begins long before the day is over. Last-minute changes after 1:00 PM or 10:30 AM can not be guaranteed.

Please note that students are not allowed to text or call home to change their plans or arrange playdates at anytime during the day. We do not honor these requests and ask that our formal dismissal process be adhered to.

Late Arrivals

The tardy bell rings at 8:05 AM. If dropping off any time after 8:05 AM, parents and guardians will need to park their car and accompany their student(s) into the building to sign in their student(s) at the front office. Time, signature, and reason for tardy will be requested. Our goal is for each and every GVE student to have a pattern of regular attendance.

Early Departures

When your child must leave school early or go for an appointment, please come into the office. We will call the classroom and have your child sent directly to you in the office. Before you leave, we will ask you to complete a sign-out process.

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