General Information
School hours for Grades K-5 at GBLUES are 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
School Day
Drop off procedures:
Children should not be dropped off at GBLUES prior to 8:35 a.m. They should be in their seats in the classroom at 8:50 a.m.
- Drop off for all students is 8:35 to 8:50 a.m.
- If you plan to drop your child off at school in the morning, please come to the circle in the front of the school. Please pull around the circle and follow these steps:
- Your child will be greeted by GBLUES staff.
- We ask that all families stay in their vehicles during drop off and that students not be dropped off at GBLUES prior to 8:35 a.m.
- Students should be in their classrooms by 8:50 a.m.
Pick up procedures:
Dismissal time is 3:20 p.m.
Children grades 4 & 5 will use the rear of the school (between Franklin Science Center and GBLUES) for dismissal. Children grades K - 3 will use the front of the school, around the circle, for dismissal.
Teachers and/or staff accompany children for dismissal. The key to smooth dismissal is for you to keep moving forward in the circle. Pull as far around the circle as possible. Do not stop where your child is standing. We will send your children to you around the sidewalk only. No one is permitted to walk inside the circle while traffic is moving. Do not get out of your car at any time while in the circle.
If you want to park your car and walk to meet your children, use the parking spaces. An annual parking pass is available to you in the school office. Never leave your car in the circle during arrival and dismissal times. If you wish to come in to school to talk with anyone, please park in a lined space.
Please respect that our teachers and staff have other obligations following dismissal by promptly picking your children up at 3:20 p.m.
Do not park in the circles and leave your car unattended. The parked car creates a road block to the smooth flow of traffic and can create a dangerous situation. If you wish to come in the building, park in the Visitor Spots and display your parking pass on the dashboard.
Please pass this information along to anyone you designate to transport your child(ren) in your absence.
The visitor spots in front of the school are for visitors only and should not be used for the day if you work on campus or go to classes. You can use them to drop off late/pick up early or to visit during the day. They are not for long term parking. During any given day those spots are filled by our visitors. Luhrs has a limited number of spots. Your car will be ticketed if it is in a visitor's space and you are not in the school.
Attendance
We are a part of the Shippensburg Area School District and we follow the same rules that the District does for attendance policies, etc. Our schedule follows the School District's calendar, not the Shippensburg University schedule. Please review the attendance policy that is in your handbook. Each child is allowed Educational Trip days. This must be approved at least a week before you take your Educational Trip. Trips taken without an approved educational trip form will be considered as unexcused absences.
Also, according to District policy after the 6th absence you will receive a letter telling you that your child has missed 5 days and that after 11 days a doctor's excuse will be necessary for each additional absence beyond the 12th day. This is a standard district wide letter that we are required to send.
We are unique in that we are on the Shippensburg University campus and enjoy that partnership but we are still a school within the Shippensburg Area School District and must follow state laws. We do not want any confusion about how many days your child can miss. There are 180 days in the school year and children must attend school in order to complete their grade level. Therefore, even though the University may be on spring break, GBLUES is not. If you happen to work on campus and wish to go away with your child(ren) during spring break or other University vacations that do not occur concurrently with Shippensburg School District during the school year, those missed days will be considered as being absent from school.
Valuables At School
So that you do not lose valuable items that may get lost in the day to day shuffle of GBLUES, please do not allow your child to bring to school anything that is not able to be replaced or may get broken or damaged. This will help eliminate the problems that may come from the inevitable lost or broken items at school.
Interaction with University
At GBLUES, we are able to offer programs that other schools in the district are unable to offer their children. This is due to the unique situation that we have as being a part of the University as well as the District. We have a number of college students interacting with GBLUES students. An important role for GBLUES is to teach our future teachers how to be teachers. We are able to offer programs such as Camp GBLUES because of the partnership with college professors and students and also because PTO raises the money to pay for it.
Parents Role
Parent's role in our school: The community of GBLUES is based on openness, trust and civility. We deeply value families as partners in providing an exemplary education for children. Parent involvement is encouraged as part of the lab school tradition because we feel it takes a community to raise a child. We ask that you remember that attendance at GBLUES represents a choice, but with limits. There are certain measures of respect; guidelines that must be followed and a policy to which we must adhere. Our main goal always is to provide a safe, fun, learning environment for our children. We ask that you respect our decisions and policies that we must follow and enforce to make that happen.