North Hills School District
Pride • Tradition • Excellence
Dear Highcliff families,

As previously communicated, contract negotiations between the union representing NHSD bus drivers and ABC Transit, our transportation provider, are ongoing but at this time, an agreement has not yet been reached.

We are releasing the plan below under the assumption that an agreement will not be reached and transportation services will be unavailable beginning tomorrow morning.

Should an agreement be reached this evening or prior to the start of school tomorrow, and transportation is available, an automated call will be sent to all families. The announcement will also be made through our typical means of communication, i.e. our website, email and social media.
Arrival and Drop Off

  • As always, morning care is available starting at 6:45 a.m. Any family can take advantage of this program. The cost is $3.50/day. The drop off will continue to be at the cafeteria.
  • We are offering a free early drop off from 7:30 - 8:00 a.m. each morning. If you plan to take advantage of this early drop off, please complete this Google form (one form/child).
  • This early drop off will take place in the lane closest to the building at the Timberlane doors and will be a rolling drop off. Staff members will be outside to direct our students into the building. Please use Gass Road to Peony Ave. to get to Highcliff and exit via Timberlane.
  • Regular drop-off will begin at 8:00 a.m. and run until 8:40 a.m. Please use Gass Road to Peony Avenue to get to Highcliff. We will utilize both lanes in front of Highcliff. There will be staff members directing traffic. We will fill both lanes, stop all cars, and have all students quickly get out of their vehicles and enter through the Timberlane doors. No cars will move until all students have exited their vehicles and are safely on the sidewalk in front of Highcliff. Please make sure your child(ren) is ready to quickly exit your car and walk directly onto the sidewalk (lane closest to the building) or walk to the red cross walk onto the sidewalk directed by adults (lane closest to the street). Staff members will direct cars as to when they may exit out of the Highcliff lot. We ask that all cars take a right out of the HIghcliff lot onto Peony Ave. and then exit via Timberlane. (See the map below.)
  • Families may still walk their children to school. As is our current plan, families can park in the church lot and walk their children to the Timberlane entrance.  
Dismissal and Pick Up

  • We will be dismissing our students according to waves at the following times:
  • Green Wave 2:20-2:40 p.m. - K & 1st grade students without older siblings at HC
  • Yellow Wave 2:40-3:00 p.m. - 2nd & 3rd grade students and their young siblings, without older siblings at HC
  • Pink Wave 3:00-3:20 p.m. - 4th & 5th grade students and their younger siblings
  • YMCA students will be released to the cafeteria at 3:00 p.m.
  • Walkers will be released at 3:20 p.m.
  • Please do not come before your assigned time. Your child(ren) will not be ready and it will hold up our traffic.
  • When you come to pick up, you must have your car rider card displayed in your passenger side window. If you need another car rider card, please email Mary Richardson at richardsonm@nhsd.net. These were mailed to all families in August. The color of your card corresponds to the colored tag on your child’s book bag and the color of your wave.
  • If you are unable to pick up at your assigned time, you may join another wave. If you need to switch your child’s wave, please email Kristy Bilderback at bilderbackk@nhsd.net
  • We are also offering the option for late pick-up. If you need to pick up your child between 3:20-4:00 p.m., please complete this Google form (one form/child).
  • For the late pick up, cars will pull up the Timberlane doors and a staff member will be there to dismiss your child(ren) from our late pick-up care. Please be sure to have your car rider card at pick-up.
  • For the wave pick-ups (2:20-3:20 p.m.), we will have a different dismissal plan than we had last year.
  • Cars must drive from Gass Road up Peony Ave. They will enter the church parking lot as directed by a staff member. Cars will wait to be directed into the Highcliff lot. Please do not come up from Timberlane to get onto Peony Ave. 
  • Cars will be directed to get into two lanes in the Highcliff lot (area closest to the road). Once there, staff members will note all of the car rider cards to prepare our students to exit the building.  
  • One lane at a time, cars will be directed to pull into the lane closest to the school. The students will be dismissed to their cars and once all cars are loaded, the cars will exit the Highcliff lot by turning right on Peony Ave. and exiting via Timberlane.
  • Please see the graphic below to further explain our waves pick-up plan.
  • Walkers will be dismissed at 3:20 p.m. As per our current policy, a walker must have a “walker tag” on their book bag and we must have a walker release form on file in the office. If you would like your child(ren) to be a walker, please contact Mary Richardson at richardsonm@nhsd.net.

Here is a graphic to help explain our wave pick-up procedure:
Please know that we have worked closely with Ross Township police and feel this is the best possible plan to get students to and from our school in the most efficient manner possible.

Traffic will be heavy. We ask that you please be patient and bear with us as we work through this temporary system and please carpool if at all possible.

Thank you, 
North Hills School District Administration
Highclifff Elementary School Administration
Highcliff Elementary School Hours
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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