Follow the West Woodland Way

These rules keep kids safe and make arriving and leaving school easier for all!

During busy drop-off and pickup times, please follow the traffic directions in the map below. If we all work together we can make it easier — and safer — for everyone coming and going from the school. 

Map & Traffic Flow

Cars: Always keep the school on your right

• Only go South on 4th Ave NW.
• From 3rd Ave NW, turn West on NW 58th Street then turn South on 4th Ave NW.
• Do not go East on NW 58th between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave.
• Do not go West on NW 56th between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave.
• Drop-off: Only on 4th Ave in the loading zone.
• Drop-off only on 4th Ave in front of the school. NO PARKING.
• Do not drop-off on NW 56th Street. 
• Do not drop-off on NW 58th Street especially near 5th Avenue NW.

Build these Safe Habits into your routine 

Drop and go: Using the marked drop-off zone, let your kids out with a kiss. Stay in your car! Pull forward as far as possible. Use your turn signals moving in and away from the curb. Have your kids ready to enter or exit quickly on the curb side. 

Walk, bike or ride the bus: Walking or biking to school is healthy for kids and means one less car crowding the streets.  Park and walk: Finds a legal parking place in the neighborhood and walk with your children to the school front door. Enjoy a couple blocks of fresh air in the morning. 

Plan a meeting spot: When you and your child are ready for more independence, arrange for your child to walk away from the school to meet you in the neighborhood. Agree on a safe meeting spot for your child such as a corner near the school or a friend’s home.

Remember these driving rules for safe Drop Off & Pick Up

Don’t stop the flow of cars, keep all pedestrians safe. The actions listed below, during the busy pickup and drop-off times create a dangerous environment for children and ultimately slow down the traffic for all. 

Never back up: In busy school environments, backing up is one of the riskiest driving behaviors. The combination of large cars and children make it more likely that a driver will have difficulty seeing people. Our neighborhood streets are hilly, narrow and at times only allow one car to pass. This is one reason we are directing cars to only go one-way on NW 58th Street and NW 56th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue. Don’t get stuck going where you must back up. 

Never make a U-turn: U-turns are only legal when they can be done without impeding the travel of another vehicle or person. In busy school zones, this is rarely the case. When combined with mid-block crossings, large cars and short students, this is dangerous behavior in a school zone. Never make a U-turn on 4th Ave. Only drive South on 4th Ave. Keep the school on the right at all times. 

Don’t park in the loading zone: Before and after school the loading zone on 4th Ave is restricted to picking up and dropping off. Don’t leave your car here even for a minute! If you do, you stop the flow of traffic, defeating its purpose and causing a domino effect of other bad behaviors.

Don’t stop in the bus zone: If the signs are out, the bus is on the way. Never stop in the bus zone — even to drop-off when the bus is not there. If the signs are in, it’s okay to drop-off there.

Don’t pull into the loading zone in the wrong direction: Not only do you impede traffic while moving in to the curb, you do so again when moving away from the curb. Your visibility is limited and you’re doing something that pedestrians and other cars don’t expect.

Don’t block pedestrian crossings: Parking too close to a corner or crosswalk blocks the line of sight between drivers and pedestrians, increasing the risk for children crossing the street. Never block any crossing, whether it is painted as a crosswalk or not — not even for a minute!

Don’t drop-off in a travel lane: When a driver stops to let kids out while still in the traffic lane, you put kids at risk. Don’t do it.

Don’t stop in a no parking spot: The reason some areas are marked as no parking is because if a car stops there traffic is blocked. This includes stopping for a moment to drop-off or pickup a child. Just don’t do it. Respect all no parking signs.

Don’t block a sidewalk or walkway: When drivers block a sidewalk or walkway by idling in driveways or pulling onto sidewalks where a curb isn’t present, they force people to walk in the roadway. Be considerate, don’t stop where people are walking, even for a minute.

And remember…keep it slow

We have a lot of children walking to school on all the neighborhood streets around the school. If you drive, slow down — 20 is plenty. And, when you slow down, you help keep other cars on the streets traveling slowly as well.