What is the Sacred Heart bus program?
The SHS Bus Program is run 100% by parent volunteers in cooperation with the school. It provides bus service to and from Sacred Heart Schools in several neighborhoods where our children live. The stops are centrally located where our families are “clustered.”
Currently, the buses follow the lower school bell times. In the 2006/07 school year, buses will be able to accommodate middle school students as a result of the revised start/dismissal times.
There is currently no dedicated bus service for kids in the after school program.
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What are the bus routes?
We currently have six buses. Please note times are approximate. (Territory Map)
Red Bus
Purple Bus
Blue Bus
Green Bus
Orange Bus
Yellow Bus
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Who can ride the bus and how much does it cost?
We currently have six buses servicing our neighborhoods. The bus is open to any family who agrees to our three simple rules: 1) you must do your share of chaperone duty (see chaperone responsibilities below), 2) you must sign our Authorization and Release form and you and your children must sign and abide by our Parent/Child Agreement, 3) you must pay (in advance) an annual fee which is determined based on the number of kids who participate.
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Will there be room on the buses for my children?
With the inclusion of Middle School students, siblings and new Kindergarten families, we plan to grow the bus program. Registration forms and deposits are due by TBA. Capacity will be based on a first come, first served basis with priority given to two-way riders.
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When will I be able to sign-up for bus service?
We'll start soliciting families for the 2006/07 academic year in TBA. See the bus calendar below for details on the enrollment process. Please send an email to shsbusinfo@yahoo.com if you are interested in riding the bus next year and/or interested in volunteer opportunities.
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How is the bus program structured, who manages the buses?
The bus program is coordinated by a group of volunteer parents. There are bus coordinators who are responsible for the overall program-wide coordination of the bus program and are the point of contact for the bus company, parents and the school. They manage the bus company relationship, communicate notices to/from school, lead the effort to determine bus capacity and routes, accept all inquiries and redirect as needed, handle escalated situations, coordinate with bus captains and maintain annual calendar. Please email any questions or comments to shsbusinfo@yahoo.com.
There are two treasurer/registration coordinators. They manage the entire registration process, assist with route/capacity and maintain a bank account and handle bus payments.
Individually, each bus has a captain and a chaperone coordinator. The bus captains handle any discipline issues and are the liaison between parents, program coordinators and the bus company. The chaperone coordinators put together and maintain the chaperone calendar. See more about these roles below.
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What does the bus captain do?
Communicate with bus coordinators, serve as intermediaries between the coordinators and families, and address disciplinary issues and any other issues particular to their bus. Foster a sense of community for their “bus family”. If necessary, develop system for handling unique disciplinary needs (ie: kids who can't sit together) and reporting.
Parents, chaperones and riders should first direct all questions and concerns to their bus captain. If captains feel they cannot handle a certain issue, they should then refer them to the bus coordinators.
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What does the chaperone coordinator do?
Create and distribute parent chaperone schedule 2x annually (Sept-Dec and Jan-June). Call and report chaperones who fail to ride on their scheduled day.
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What are the chaperone responsibilities?
Each participating family must serve as a parent chaperone 4-8 times throughout the school year, depending on the number of families with children on the bus. If a parent can't chaperone on their assigned day, it is their responsibility to arrange for their own substitute. For insurance purposes, babysitters, nannies or other non-family members are not allowed to chaperone. Violators will lose their bus riding privileges.
Basic chaperone duties are as follows:
• Ride the bus for the entire route; board the bus at the first stop and get off at the last stop.
• Make sure that no child is left alone at a bus stop.
• Provide your own transportation to/from school.
• Be familiar with the bus route and stops; be prepared to direct the bus driver.
• Assist with loading and unloading children.
• Ensure kids are secured in seat belts, facing forward, staying seated and that the noise level is reasonable.
• While the children are on the bus, enforce discipline standards as outlined in the Parent/Child Agreement and consistent with the SHS Student Handbook.
• Monitor and manage behavior issues and report any problems to the bus captain.
• Refrain from talking on cell phones
• Collect “left” items and return them to their owner or give to the school for the lost & found.
If a chaperone habitually misses their assigned days, the family may be asked to leave the bus program.
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How many kids ride the buses – and how is the capacity determined?
We use the same buses as the Chicago Public Schools. We bid the contract out each year to bus companies in the city. Technically, the capacity is 60 students although in the interest of safety and comfort we hold our capacity at 45 children per bus. One-way riders are allowed when space permits – priority goes to two-way riders.
Kids are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis each year. When demand exceeds supply, we will explore adding more buses to the program, as long as we have a sufficient volunteer pool to manage them.
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Do I have to let anyone know if my child is NOT going to ride the bus on a particular day?
You do not have to alert anyone in the morning – but if your child is not riding the bus home in the afternoon you should notify his/her teacher so that he/she isn't loaded onto the bus at dismissal.
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What if I'm late getting to the bus stop?
In the morning, the bus will leave without you! In the afternoon, another parent at the stop will have to take your child. The chaperone must stay on the bus and can't wait for tardy parents. Best advice is give yourself some extra time and try not to be late!
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What if there is bad behavior on the bus?
Day-to-day, it is the bus chaperone's responsibility to manage the children's behavior while they are on the bus. However, differing parenting styles and tolerance results in inconsistencies. It is the duty of parents to report all misbehavior to their bus captain who can then spot trends, identify habitual offenders and notify parents as situations arise. The school will be alerted to chronic discipline problems and assist in resolving severely escalated situations. If unable to come to an understanding, bus program volunteers reserve the right to terminate the bus riding agreement.
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How do I get information and updates on the bus if my child is riding?
All communication for this program is via email. Frequency varies throughout the year with the “high communication” months being August and September, followed by enrollment time in April and May.
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What is the bus calendar for the year (registration, etc.)?
Click here to view the calendar.
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Where can I find the required forms?
Bus Registration Form
(2008-2009)
Bus Authorization & Release Form (2007/2008)
(PDF)
Bus Parent/Child Agreement (2007/2008)
(PDF)
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How can I contact the bus program coordinators?
shsbusinfo@yahoo.com
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