School Drop Off & Pick Up

Around any elementary school, a few challenges exist. Of greatest concern is the automobile traffic around the school and the related congestion at arrival and dismissal times. For this reason, in collaboration with the Irvine Police Department and the City of Irvine, very specific procedures have been created and exist for dropping students off, picking them up, and parking. Your cooperation and flexibility is requested with these established guidelines. The Irvine Police will be patrolling surrounding areas and violators will be cited.

• Loading and unloading zones are for dropping off and picking up students. At no time should a driver leave their car unattended and parked in the loading zones. In addition, double parking is illegal and unsafe and may result in a traffic violation fine. If you need to park your car you may use any of the empty parking spaces in the adjacent park, on the street, or in unmarked spaces in the school parking lot, and walk your child safely onto school grounds.
• Drivers are asked to respect the handicapped spaces. Do not park in them or block them in any way, unless you have the appropriate placard.
• Please provide ample time for dropping off your child before school to alleviate undue stress for you and your child. Adult supervision is provided by Oak Creek staff ten minutes prior to the start of school.
• Eaglecreek: OC parents who do not live in the gated neighborhood adjacent to our field are reminded to refrain from attempting to access this street to drop off your children. IPD will be patrolling as well to ensure compliance.
• Lighted Crosswalk: Please exercise caution on Dovecreek as you approach the crosswalk. Please be vigilant for WISE Owls and community members who may be crossing the street

And finally, as a courtesy to the residents of our surrounding neighborhoods, please be considerate in your driving and parking practices. Please be mindful of your speed, observant of existing signage, and refrain from impeding access to or entering a gated neighborhood in which you do not reside. IPD traffic officers will be present occasionally throughout the year to “encourage and reinforce” your compliance and safe driving. 

At Oak Creek Elementary there are two drop off locations.

The blue arrows and green arrows designate both drop off locations. The yellow bars are the designated crosswalks. We will provide further details below describing how to navigate each drop off location.

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The blue arrows above denote the appropriate flow of traffic and drop-off zone for parents in the main parking lot. Students may be dropped off in either lane, but please note that students dropped in the middle lane MUST proceed to the crosswalk to get safely to the curb.  The crosswalk is shown with the yellow bar.

PARKING:
The center lot is reserved for staff parking. Oak Creek families may use the visitor parking spots, public parking at the park, or street parking for their vehicles.

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Dove Creek Drop-Off and Pick-Up: The green arrows below show the flow of traffic for motorists who are dropping off or picking up students in the drive-thru lanes along Dove Creek. The green bar shows where they may be dropped off or picked up along the sidewalk only (please do not allow your child to exit the vehicle while in the passing/exit lane). Kindergarten students’ parents wishing to accompany their children to and from the classroom must park on the street or in the lot. Cars may not be left unattended in the drive-thru lanes.

Please also yield the right of way to the busses as they are required to load and unload on this curb. 

Crosswalk: The safest legal place to cross Dove Creek between Valley Oak and Royal Oak is the crosswalk highlighted in yellow above. Although this is already a lighted crosswalk, the City of Irvine also provides a crossing guard to attend to the safety of pedestrians who utilize this crossing area. Motorists are reminded that it is illegal to enter the crosswalk while the crossing guard is anywhere in the crosswalk.

Families residing in the Spectrum apartment communities may be eligible for fee-based bussing to and from Oak Creek each day. For more information, please visit the transportation department link on our district website or call (949) 936-5370. Enrollment in this program is not done at the school site.

Students who are transported to school by bus are expected to adhere to the IUSD rules governing bus riders and to conduct themselves in a safe and respectful manner at all times when they are on the bus.

If your child will be walking or riding to school please discuss a safe route with them. In addition, please review using the sidewalks and crosswalks as appropriate. Refer to the Oak Creek bicycle guidelines if your child will be riding to school.

CLICK HERE for the suggested routes to school provided by the City of Irvine.