St Cecilia’s School Traffic and Parking Code of Practice

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we continue to prioritise the safety and well-being of our students, I want to address the ongoing challenges we face regarding parking and pick-up/drop-off procedures at our school. We understand that these issues can be frustrating, and we are actively working to find solutions that ensure the smooth flow of traffic while maintaining the utmost safety for all. With the increasing number of vehicles during peak times, congestion in our parking spots and surrounding areas has become a concern. We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation as we explore strategies to alleviate these challenges. Your adherence to designated parking zones and adherence to our established protocols will greatly assist us in creating a safer environment for everyone. We appreciate your ongoing support in this matter.

Please read carefully the following information so that you clearly understand what is expected at pick up and drop off times.

Unfortunately there have continued to be family members and carers parking and leaving their cars in the drop off / pick up zone. It is making this area dangerous for the children and causing significant traffic issues.

Please make sure that anyone who is helping out with pick up or drop off is aware of the rules, particularly that there is no parking in the drop off / pick up zone on Hillside Pde. This includes parents hopping out of the car to organise school bags or arrange playdates with other families.

Please also ensure that cars are not standing in Van Ness ave, in the areas signed no standing (see attached pictures). This includes the disabled car park outside the front entrance. This may mean that if you are wishing to use the pick up zone, but there are already cars lined up, you may need to drive around the block to avoid idling in a no standing zone.

Further reminders:

The Drop off / Pick Zone

Also, there is also a No Parking / Two Minute Drop Off Zone in Hillside Parade which applies 8:30 to 9am and 3:15 to 4pm. Anyone wishing to use this zone, must stay in the car. No cars are to be left unattended in this area during the assigned drop off and pick times listed above.

It is also very important that cars lining up in Van Ness ave waiting to approach the pick up zone keep the school crossing outside the front entrance well clear so that our crossing guard and pedestrians can be seen and can cross safely (refer photos again).

Younger Siblings in Cars

Please also ensure that at no stage are children left unattended in cars. This is obviously a serious safety concern and potentially a criminal issue.

The church driveway is not to be used by school parents at any time of the day. Parents are kindly requested not to drive through the Church driveway, or to park or drive into the following driveways: Father McGovern’s, the Church or the school driveway. This is for safety reasons- as students may be walking through these areas. These entrances to the school need to be kept clear in case emergency vehicles need to attend the school or we need to quickly evacuate the premises.
We also ask that the Staff Car Park beside the Church be kept free from obstruction at all times (in case staff need to move their cars for an emergency, appointments, etc).
We also ask that parents not pull into the back driveway of the Parish House on Malvern Rd for dropping off or picking up, as this requires backing into traffic on Malvern Rd. This is for obvious safety reasons.
No vehicle should ever park to block (or partially block) any driveway, including the church or presbytery driveways. Access to both the church and presbytery is required at all times as, of course, is access to local residences.
No school families are to park in resident driveways (including vacant lots). While this may seem obvious, the school continues to receive calls from residents who have been unable to access their property. At least once this term a resident was blocked in by a school parent parking in their driveway and was then unable to leave to pick up their own children from school.
Please try to use available parking space appropriately and not park so as to use more than one space or make it difficult for others to access available spaces
It is not appropriate to do u-turns or three point turns using the driveways or intersections on Hillside Parade, Van Ness Avenue or Malvern Avenue due to the high volume of traffic. If you need to change direction, please continue a safe distance from the school and other traffic before doing so.
Parents are requested to note the “No Standing” signs which are located in Van Ness Avenue near the school and are applicable between 8:00 and 9:30 am, and 3:00 and 4:00 pm.
No children should be dropped off or picked up at the pedestrian crossing in Van Ness Avenue. The only drop off/pick up location is on Hillside Parade adjacent to the MCG.
Bike and scooter parking is currently available in the covered area between the Library and the Hall. This area is easily accessed from either the Van Ness Avenue or Malvern Avenue gates, however students are reminded not to ride bikes or scooters inside school grounds but to dismount and walk them to the parking area. A purpose-designed bike/scooter parking area is available behind the library.

Unfortunately we are at the point where we may need to take down the registration numbers of cars that are breaching the rules and report them to the council to ensure that pick up and drop off is conducted safely and within the signed road rules.

Please note: A Boroondara Council officer regularly attends the school and issues fines to those who park illegally.

NB Please pass this information on to all people who may be dropping off or picking up students from school (including Grandparents, aunts, uncles, carers etc) as many of them seem to be unaware of these procedures.

If you require another copy of this note to give them, please ask for one at the office.

We would encourage all families, wherever possible, to walk or ride to school as this will also ease congestion around the school at pick-up and drop off times.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping St.Cecilia’s a safe place to be and for respecting others at the school and our local residents.

Most of all, thank you all for continuing to keep the safety of our students our highest priority.

Kind regards,

Marty McKenna

Principal