Recommendations from a school bus driver

[shortbun]

Before any child rides a school bus... He or she should know or have their full name, address, location of bus stop, phone number and cell phones and other emergency contacts should home phones be out of order or go unanswered . This information should be on them-in a back pack or jacket pocket that they can pull out or can be found. I have had students who are too little and too afraid to talk to me get on my bus who do not know where they live, their phone number or their bus stop. Many do not know their full or real names. One of my friends asked a little girl her name. the answer she got was "Pookie." The little girl's real name was Mellisabet. Some names are so unusual and children's speech so hard to understand that it does not matter if they can say it all, we can not understand. Please make sure your children have ID. Believe me, as school bus drivers, we WANT to get your children home as quickly and safely as possible. The last thing we want to happen is have unidentifiable children on our buses driving or sitting and waiting until someone else figures out they are missing. The other thing is this: MEET your children who are 2nd grade or younger. Do NOT allow them to walk home alone, EVER. Meet the older ones the first few days to make sure they know where to go. Even 2 blocks can be confusing at first.
IF YOUR ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER and CELL PHONE HAVE CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR, how does the school know this unless you tell them? Children get on assigned buses only to tell their drivers at the stop, "this is my old stop, we moved." And, they do not know their new address.
Just f.y.i.

 

[EthansMom]

Thanks for the recommendation. I used a cheap key ring with attached label to put DS's name and our phone number on the zipper of his backpack.

 

[GlennandAnn]

This is really valuable information- thanks for thinking of posting it! As the mom of a 2nd grade school bus rider, I really appreciate it, and am going to make an index card with his information on it and stick it in his backpack right now!!

Ann

 

[golfgal]

We moved in June. Our twins know our new address/phone number but my HIGH SCHOOLER doesn't. He is just too lazy to memorize it. Maybe I should pin a note to his shirt with his name, address and phone number .

 

[EthansMom]

We moved in June. Our twins know our new address/phone number but my HIGH SCHOOLER doesn't. He is just too lazy to memorize it. Maybe I should pin a note to his shirt with his name, address and phone number .

Yeah, that would go over well!

The school sent a nametag for DS to wear on the first day of Kindergarten. On the second day, I didn't know if he was supposed to wear the nametag again. I put the nametag in DS's backpack and made sure to show him where it was in case he needed it. After he came home, he told me that one girl had worn her nametag to school, but no one else had.

DH and I were both teased a lot when we were younger, so I try to be sensitive to things that might make DS stick out too much or embarrass him.

 

[sameyeyam]

Our school uses the Disney bus character system. They give each bus a large picture of a Disney character in the front & first side window.

Then the little kids get a small picture of their particular Disney bus character. They pin it on their backpacks and have their name/address/phone listed on the back. They keep it on their backpack all year because sometimes the bus number change around, but the drivers take their Disney character picture to the new bus. Then the kids aren't confused, they know they ride Donald Duck, or Goofy bus!

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Thank you for the advice.

DD won't be riding a bus until next year but I'll make sure she knows name,address,phone number,bus #,bus stop intersection and has it written down on a tag.

 

[Samandmom]

Our school uses the Disney bus character system. They give each bus a large picture of a Disney character in the front & first side window.

What a great idea!! Did you give them the idea?
Our schools have a little sign on the side window. The buses are assigned a number, a letter and a color. The color is used more for the younger kids and numbers and letter are for the middle and high school.
To the OP thanks for the recommendations. My DS started taking the bus this year he is 1st grade. He knows all his info (full name, phone number, and address) But I think putting that on piece of paper to keep in his backpack is a good idea.

 

[PaulaSue]

Just added the info too.

My second grader is pretty good but last year we had a ton of different drivers so it doesn't hurt. Besdies neither of them can remember my cell number so it is very useful info if then need me. (info on file but that can take a while to find.)

 

[DisnyMama]

I can only imagine how stressful it is to have little ones riding the bus back and forth to school, especially in the beginning. Our situation is much different. My DS is in High School and the problem we have been facing is sometimes he has a different bus driver going home who doesn't know the route. My DS stop is new because we live on a new street name and in new contruction and since it is not on the actual list they have almost made him get off the bus over a mile away. Luckily my DS was persuasive and got the driver to take him to his actual stop. Also, he is much older and bigger so the extra walk wouldn't be that big of a deal and we live in a nice area but I would just get worried because I expect him home at a certain time.

 

[miss missy]

Our school puts that info on a tag and lamanates it, hangs it on the backpack. Good advice!

 

[sameyeyam]

What a great idea!! Did you give them the idea?
Our schools have a little sign on the side window. The buses are assigned a number, a letter and a color. The color is used more for the younger kids and numbers and letter are for the middle and high school.
To the OP thanks for the recommendations. My DS started taking the bus this year he is 1st grade. He knows all his info (full name, phone number, and address) But I think putting that on piece of paper to keep in his backpack is a good idea.

Wish I could say I was brilliant enough to have given them the Disney character idea! But it has actually been in place for many, many years. My DD is going into high school and they were using it when she started in 1st grade!

I live in a small town town and we have a co-op that shares school buses with 3 other nearby towns, so the bus numbers and drivers can change frequently! To be honest it even helps the big kids. They try to keep the buses in the same place in line each day, but even the high school kids know which Disney character they ride!