Welcome Briarlake Parents!

Our goal as the PTA is to strengthen our school community and work together to advocate for the success of every child. We are here to support students and families and hope you will feel welcome and willing to participate, in order to help us accomplish our goals.

We have gathered information that we hope will be helpful to you as you begin another great year at Briarlake. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at briarlakepta@gmail.com with any questions!

ABOUT US 

Located in Decatur, Dekalb County, Georgia. Briarlake has enriched and educated Pre-K through 5th-grade students since 1956. 

We are a small, neighborhood school with a wonderful staff supported by our parents and the community.

Our PTA organizes events and activities throughout the year. We hope all of our families will find ways to be involved and participate.

Briarlake Elementary School
3590 Lavista Rd
Decatur, GA 30033
Phone: (678) 874-2502     Clinic: (678) 874-2507

What time does school start?

7:00 a.m. - Building opens, supervision of students will begin. Please do not send your child prior to 7:00 a.m. as there are no staff members on duty at this me. This is a safety issue.

7:20 a.m. - Students are dismissed to go to their classes.

7:34 a.m. – “In the door by 7:34” – we aim for all students to be inside Briarlake by 7:34 a.m.

7:40 a.m. - Carpool ends, front doors close. Students should be in their seats and ready to work when the bell sounds at 7:40 a.m.

After 7:40 a.m. -Tardy - Promptness to class is very important. Students who arrive after 7:40 must be signed in by their parent/guardian. The school counselor will make follow-up calls regarding frequent tardiness. Students in the building before the doors close are allowed to class without a parent sign-in. However, they are considered tardy if they are not in their seats by 7:40 a.m.

What time does school end?

2:20 p.m. - Dismissal begins. Walkers, bus riders, daycare van riders, and carpool riders are called when transportation arrives at Briarlake. 

2:30 p.m. - Aftercare students are dismissed. 

2:40 p.m.- Carpool ends. Remaining students will go to aftercare. Please arrange for students to be picked between 2:20 & 2:40 p.m. Students should be picked up no later than 2:45 p.m. 

Can my child walk home alone?

Students in grades 3-5 are permitted to walk home alone if parents have provided their permission on the Briarlake Student Information Form. Students in grade K-2 are allowed to walk home with an older sibling if the parents have provided their permission on the Briarlake Student Information Form. Students will exit the building through the cafeteria doors to the deck. Parents must complete the “Permission to Walk Home Alone” form.

How do I pick up my child as a walker?

Parents/guardians who walk home with their children will wait for their child on the deck outside the cafeteria. They must show the school issued Walker Number Card then the staff will call for the student. The student will deposit his/her lanyard in the designated container and exit the cafe doors to their waiting parent/guardian.

Late Arrival: 

If a student arrives after 7:40 am, parents must press the call button to the left of the front door to visit the front office to sign the student in. A student arriving after a medical or dental appointment will follow the same procedure.

Early Dismissal: 

Should it become necessary for a child to leave school early, a parent or guardian must sign the student out at the front office. The adult checking the student out must have the dismissal card, be listed on the Student Information Card, or in Infinite Campus and show proper identification to the office staff. The child will be called to the front and dismissed by the office staff. No one will be checked out early after 1:45pm.

Carpool Directions:

Enter the driveway at the Briarlake field entrance. Jim Harbuck Drive is for bus and daycare vans only. NO LEFT TURNS into driveway during arrival or dismissal times. Use both lanes. Do not leave gaps between vehicles. Be mindful of the bus traffic. Patrols and duty staff will assist students with opening car doors. Do not get out of your vehicle. Carefully, proceed to the left lane to exit the school grounds. When exiting the driveway at Lavista Road, please make two lanes to exit---left and right.

Carpool Arrival:

All students will unload and enter at the front entry/portico area.

Carpool Dismissal:

Vehicles must stop and wait at the top of the double driveway until waved up by staff to pull cars forward to the "STOP" cone. All vehicles must display the dismissal signs until students are in the vehicle. If you do not have a sign, you will have to park in the lower lot until staff can contact the office to verify your identity.

Carpool Safety Rules:

- Please alternate lanes when entering the drop off/pickup area.

- No Cell Phones. Distracted driving is unsafe, especially when picking up or dropping off our children.

- Left turns into the driveway to the lower parking lot are PROHIBITED at all times.

- Please use Cedar Canyon Drive to Briarlake Rd. if you are coming from Lavista Rd (see map).

- Slow down and come to a COMPLETE STOP at the 4-way stop at Cedar Canyon and Woodland Park Dr.

- Please only release children beyond the clearance of the trailers into the hands of staff members and student Safety Patrols. Pull all the way up to the farthest available student patrol or staff.

- Parents please do not exit your car in the carpool drop off lane. If you need to help your child out of the car, please park in an appropriate space and walk to the front door of the school.

- If you park on Cedar Canyon, please only park on the Briarlake (NE) side of the road, as cars parked on both sides of the street can impede traffic.

- Get to school early! Avoid traffic and a tardy by arriving early. There is no traffic between 7:00 and 7:15 am.

Reminders: Please have your dismissal card displayed for dismissal. Drive slowly through the school driveway. No cell phones in carpool line. Remain in your vehicle. If you have school business, please park and come in. Do not park along the sidewalk in front of the school.

BRIARLAKE COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS FOR 2023-2024

Weekly PTA Email Blast:  

Get all the latest Briarlake news and calendar updates! Whether or not you decide to become a member of Briarlake PTA (we hope you will!), you definitely want to sign up for the weekly Briarlake PTA Email Blasts and occasional time-sensitive reminders and updates. This is one of the school's main channels of communication for sharing information about everything that is happening at Briarlake. Don't miss out on these important updates! PTA Members will be automatically added or you can sign up under the "for PARENTS" tab on this website.

School Messenger:

Both Briarlake and Dekalb County School District Administration use School Messenger to send important school and district announcements and alerts. School Messenger uses contact information from the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus to communicate with families via email, text, and phone, and all parents/guardians are automatically enrolled.

Principal’s Newsletter – Principal Jones sends out a newsletter to all families via email.

Class Dojo – All classes will use Class Dojo this year. Homeroom teachers will provide further instructions for using Class Dojo.

Friday Folders – Weekly communication folders will be sent home with your child containing student work and paper communications.

Social Media – You can find Briarlake on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BriarlakeElementary. And join the discussion on Briarlake Parents! at https://www.facebook.com/groups/303859534199605.