Parking Lot Changes - by Miss Patty

Parents,

Please read this message in its entirety. As we are nearing the end of construction at Good Shepherd, the church still has a few big projects to complete, all of which will benefit the preschool! Not only will the church be replacing the entire parking lot, but they are also replacing some sidewalks and concrete in our circle drive as well as placing bollards within the preschool area as an enhanced safety measure. While these will certainly be welcomed upgrades, it won’t come without some challenges.

Patience, Grace and Safety - Personally, I’m a creature of habit. I’m not going to love all of these changes, especially as I’m getting ready to celebrate my son’s wedding at the end of next week. But I’m going to put on my smiling face, navigate the unexpected and do so knowing that it is a small inconvenience for such a great upside in improvements. I’m asking for you, too, to show patience and offer grace as we navigate new routes. Even more importantly, I ask that you put safety first. Please drive slowly, stay off of your cell phones, keep children buckled in their car seats and don’t take short cuts through any section of the parking lot. I know we can all work together to make this as seamless as possible. If you need help on breathing techniques to get through stressful situations, I can give you tips as I’ve already started practicing!

If you’ve ever managed renovations around your house, you know how fluid timelines can be. I’ve been told that this work could begin very soon, potentially as early as next week! Keep reading to hear about how our team will be communicating with you throughout this process.

Phase 1: Concrete and Sidewalk replacement in Circle Drive- 3 days (weather permitting)

During this phase, most of the sidewalk will be replaced in the circle drive by Door 5. They will be removing some curb to create a curbless handicap entry by our main door. Bollards will also be installed as an additional safety feature.

Pick up / drop off procedures during Phase 1:

ALL cars will enter the southern most entry off of Shepherd Drive (parking lot entrance #3). This is typically where our 4s enter. ALL cars will proceed using the 4s parking lot route. The first car will pull all the way up to the shed at the end of our playground. We will be bringing ALL ages of kids into the building through our playground and the two classrooms off of the playground. Knowing this line will be twice as long, we will begin drop-off at 8:45am each day. You will still be able to exit along our normal route that takes you up towards 75th Street and then back towards Shepherd Drive parking lot entrance #1.

We will use this same route for pick up at both 11:30am and 1:30pm each day. All drivers MUST pull up to use our “Buckle Zone” to ensure the lines move quickly.

Parent entry for birthdays or mystery readers will be Door 4 which faces 75th Street and is at the top of the stairs close to our circle drive. Please check in at the Welcome Desk and they will radio down so a preschool staff member can come up to meet you.

Phase 2: Parking Lot replacement in the north lot (where 2s/3s drop off) - 3 to 4 days

During this phase, the north lot will be ground down to the base layer and asphalt will be replaced. Once we have more clarity, detailed directions will follow.

Phase 3: Parking Lot replacement in the south lot (where 4s drop off) - 3 to 4 days

During this phase, the south lot will be ground down to the base layer and asphalt will be replaced. Again, detailed directions will be provided as we get closer to this phase.

Please note the following:

Each morning by 8:00am we will put out both a Bloomz message and email to make you aware of our route for the day and provide a map. Please forward that message to any person that will be driving your child to school that day. If you haven’t been receiving our emails in a while, please message Helen at petzold@goodshepherd-naperville.org and she can assist you.

Parent assistance - we would love to have 3-5 additional hands on deck each day during each of our drop off and pick up times. We have created a Bloomz Signup if you are interested and available to help us inside the building in moving children, standing by a group of children as an extra layer of safety, or working outside and walking the carpool line to do our sign out. The times would be 8:40-9:00am, 11:25-11:45am and/or 1:25-1:40pm.

Pray for good weather! The church has worked hard to create a timeline so that we will have a completed parking lot prior to our May 6 Closing Program.

If you have any questions, please contact the Preschool Office at 630-961-9055

Thank you! We’re excited for some more big changes that will surely benefit the preschool for years to come!

Sincerely,

Miss Patty