A Message from Transportation
Dear families,
Welcome back for a new school year!You are receiving this email because at least one student in your household is eligible to ride the school bus to and from their school.
This email will help you:
- Figure out when and where your student will catch the school bus.
- Teach (or reteach!) your student how to ride the bus and get home safely.
- Mark your calendar for important dates when school and bus schedules change.
Bus Routes
To find your bus stop locations and times, check ourTransportation webpageand click on “Infofinder Bus Route Locator.”Please double-check your bus stops, routes, and/or times, as they may have changed since last year. We have also added service in some areas that did not previously have bus service. Although we do not anticipate any major changes, we recommend families check stop times and locations again just before the first day of school.
New Bus Labeling System
We have updated the signage on our buses to more efficiently use our fleet. Each bus now has a placard that says “RT#” and the route it is driving.
Image text: a photo of a bus with a placard indicating route number.
Please show students this photo and let them know to look for the black sign with the white numbers for their bus route. Our schools will also help teach children which bus to ride home in the afternoons.
Do Routes Change?
On occasion,some routes and times may change to better serve our studentsas we make adjustments based on the number of riders. Changes, if any, will be updated daily on theInfofinderwebsite. After the first day of school, if there are significant changes to your route, such as earlier pickup times or a pickup/dropoff change of more than 10 minutes, we will use ParentSquare email and text messaging to notify families, bus riders and schools.
Make sure your family’s contact information is updated into receive transportation alerts about bus route changes, along with other important and helpful school information. We useto communicate about important transportation messages, and families can get emails, texts, and/or app notifications.
Ride Safely
Please take a few minutes and watch our “Ready to Ride” video atour transportation webpageto review how to ride safely. The video will also be shared at your elementary school if your student is a new rider.
In the morning, please arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Additional instructions on how to ride the bus and rules and safety procedures for riding the bus are found on page 43 of the Family Handbook and Calendar (/), which was recently mailed to your home. If you did not receive a copy of this, you can pick a copy up from your school.
Create Your Return Home Plan
All elementary families need to complete a Return Home Plan, which is one of the annual forms that can be filled out through Skyward Family Access. We care about your children and want to ensure that every K-5 family has a Return Home Plan from school, whether your student walks, rides the bus, or is picked up. The safety of your student is our primary concern. Students in Promise K andkindergarten should be met by an adult at their bus stop or tell the driver who they can go home with.
Any Questions?
After reviewing this message and checkingInfofinderfor your bus stop location and time, please contact us at (360) 676-6546 with any remaining questions. Our automated telephone system will help direct you to the person that can best help you. Please listen to the prompts. Your call is important to us, and please be aware that our call volume is high during the first week of school. Your call may not be immediately answered, but please know that we will respond as soon as we can.
Mark Your Calendar
- Thursday, Aug. 29:First day for grades 1-12, and bus service begins for grades 1-12
- Tuesday, Sept. 3:first day of school for kindergarten and Promise Kindergarten, and bus service begins for kindergarten and Promise Kindergarten.
- Thursday, Sept. 5:First Thursday early dismissal for elementary students.Elementary school students are dismissed at 12:20 p.m., and afternoon buses arrive at stops approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes earlier than their regular time.
- Thursday. Sept. 12: First Thursday early dismissal for all schools.Elementary schools are dismissed at 12:20 p.m., middle schools are dismissed at 1:15 p.m. and high schools are dismissed at 2 p.m.
Please see the school year calendar (English/Spanish) for a complete list of all early dismissals.
We can’t wait to be on the road with our students!
Cindy Dennis
Transportation Director
Cindy.Dennis@bellinghamschools.org