Morning:

• Third – 8th grade morning carpool begins at 7:30 AM. Families can drop off in the north or south lots in the morning. Children may not be dropped off before 7:30 AM.
   
• Please remember, do not drop your child off on any streets connected to the STA property or directly across from STA. This includes the corner of the church at Kenwood and Alderson, Kenwood and Abrams Road, and anywhere along Alderson past the athletic field. It is very dangerous to have children crossing the street to the sidewalk during morning carpool.
   
• School starts promptly at 7:50 AM

Afternoon:

• All cars will enter the South parking lot at Gate #3 and ANNOUNCE on PikMyKid.
• Carpool tags must be displayed.
• Drivers will pull forward toward the field house and follow the path set and marked by cones. 
• Drivers will follow the guidance given by school personnel as needed.
• The carpool will end in the front parking lot.
• All students will be picked up in the front parking lot.
• When exiting onto Kenwood drivers must turn left. 

Important: There will be no walkers or bicycle riders during the first week of school at the Upper School. To ensure a safe and smooth dismissal as we adjust to new teachers, new students, and our incoming third graders, walkers and bicycle riders will be permitted beginning Monday, August 18th.

For the safety and supervision of all students, effective this school year, only those students who live within the boundary south of Mockingbird, east of Skillman St., north of Richmond Ave./Lakewood Blvd., and west of Williamson Rd./ W. Lawther Rd. and walk all the way home without being picked up in a car will be permitted to walk home at dismissal. Please consult the map below.

STA is introducing a new designated “walkers zone" for the 2025–2026 school year, based on a strategically mapped area within reasonable walking distance from campus. Supervision will continue to be provided for these students until they exit the school grounds. While we anticipate the return of our Kenwood/Abrams crossing guard, Johnny, we do not currently have a crossing guard at Kenwood/Alderson.

This update comes after several years of thoughtful planning and collaboration, including guidance from the City of Dallas Traffic Management, recommendations from the Dallas Police Department, input from STA’s Director of Security and administrative team, staff supervision logistics, feedback from a diverse group of parents, and consideration of our surrounding neighborhood community. This change aligns STA’s procedures with those of neighboring elementary schools and others within the Diocese of Dallas.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we implement this update. Please keep in mind that the first two weeks of school are a time of transition, and it’s not uncommon for dismissal procedures to take extra time as routines are established. To ensure a smooth start, no students will be dismissed as walkers during the first week of school. This allows staff to learn each student’s dismissal plan, fine-tune carpool operations, and ease into the school year with greater efficiency.

The designated walker zone will go into effect starting Monday, August 18, 2025. Thank you for your continued partnership.

If your child is in the approved walker zone, we ask that you talk with your child about being respectful to our neighbors’ yards and property.

The carpool lane is the safest and easiest way to pick up your child at school and is almost always finished about 10-15 minutes after school is dismissed.

Questions about walkers? Please contact Principal, Jen Watts.

Pikmykid: To maintain a secure and efficient dismissal process, we kindly ask that all families:

• Use the App Daily: Please check in through the Pikmykid app EVERY day to ensure the proper dismissal has been selected. 
   
• IMPORTANT: No changes to PikmyKid will be accepted after 2:30 PM on full school days and after 11:30 AM on half days. Please make any necessary updates before these cutoff times to ensure a smooth dismissal process.
   
• If your child's dismissal plans changes after 2:30 PM, students will be taken to a HOLD area, and parents will be contacted to arrange pick-up only AFTER all other students have been dismissed. 
   

• All drivers must “ANNOUNCE” using the Pikmykid App daily!
  To ensure a smooth and safe carpool process, all drivers must “ANNOUNCE” their arrival using the Pikmykid app upon entering the carpool lane.
  
  You can announce your child through the Pikmykid app by following these steps: On the assigned day, your child will appear under the “Pickup” tab. Simply select the green “Announce” button to confirm your arrival. Drivers who DO NOT use the app to announce their arrival will be directed to a designated holding area until the app has been used.

By using Pikmykid consistently, we can work together to create a safer and more organized dismissal process for all students. We appreciate your partnership in this important effort.

Our goal is always to get your child to you as safely and quickly as possible!

If you are uncomfortable using the Pikmykid app or still have questions about how to use the app, please contact Amanda Neinast at aneinast@staschool.org to set up a call.

More Information

During carpool, the safety of our students and teachers is our highest priority. Please follow the rules below at all times.

• Important: There will be no walkers or bicycle riders during the first week of school at the Upper School. To ensure a safe and smooth dismissal as we adjust to new teachers, new students, and our incoming third graders, walkers and bicycle riders will be permitted beginning Monday, August 18th. See new policy information above for walkers and bicycle riders at the Upper School.
• Do Not Speed Keep our neighborhood and families safe and drive slowly during carpool. 
• Stay in the Carpool Queue. Do not drop off your child at any other place on campus.
• Do not Attempt to Pass other Vehicles.
• Carpool Tags Tags must always be displayed in order to pick up children from school carpool. If you need extra tags, contact the receptionist.
• Stay in your Car Do not get out of your car during carpool. 
• Communicate any changes in afternoon carpool arrangements to your child and the school through Pikmykid. Please do not request that students be released after 2:30 PM.
• All drivers must “ANNOUNCE” using the Pikmykid App daily! To ensure a smooth and safe carpool process, all drivers must “ANNOUNCE” their arrival using the Pikmykid app upon entering the carpool lane.

Upper School

Amanda Neinast | Receptionist
USfrontdesk@staschool.org
Main Number and Attendance: 214-826-0566, opt. 1
Health Services:  214-826-0566, opt. 3

Lower School

Cheryl Neeley | Receptionist
cneeley@staschool.org
Main Number and Attendance: 469-341-0911, opt. 1
Health Services:  469-341-0911, opt. 3

Every Minute of Every Day – The STA Way: Attendance and Academic Success

Attendance is vital for student success at every grade level (PK–8). For many students, the best learning happens at the beginning of the day, and tardy arrivals disrupt instruction. Class begins at 7:55 AM in the Lower School and 7:50 AM in the Upper School. Students must be in their classrooms and ready to learn by these times.

We ask families to avoid scheduling vacations during the school year, as it places unnecessary stress on both students and teachers. The school calendar offers long weekends and extended holiday breaks that are ideal for travel. Teachers will not provide assignments in advance of vacations. While emergencies and illnesses are sometimes unavoidable, vacations are not. Thank you for your cooperation!

Our Promise:

• We will collaborate to support students facing attendance barriers.

• Both campuses will keep you informed with regular updates on attendance and tardiness.

• We will reach out if a pattern of tardies or absences arises.

A strong parent-school partnership is essential in fostering a culture where punctual, daily attendance is the norm. If you have questions or need further details about our attendance policy, please contact your campus principal.

Click HERE (policies 207–210) for the full STA Attendance Policy.

Reporting Absences:
We understand students may occasionally miss school due to illness or other reasons. Please report your child’s absence using one of the options below and include the reason for the absence. This helps us monitor potential viral illnesses and maintain a healthy environment. All information will be kept confidential.

Online Form:
Fill out the ABSENCE FORM on the school website or by using your MySTA App.

Absence Form

Email:
Upper School: Amanda Neinast
Lower School: Cheryl Neeley

Call: Call the Upper School or the Lower School and press 1 to leave a voicemail.

• Upper School: 214-826-0566
• Lower School: 469-341-0911

Our front desk team follows important rules and protocols to help ensure the safety and smooth operation of our school. Help us stay focused on your child’s education and safety by following the Front Desk Rules!

At the Beginning of the School Day

• Report an absence if your child will be out for the day.
• No items or messages will be delivered after the 7:55 AM bell, unless it is an emergency. In the event of an emergency please call the receptionist.
• Students should either bring a lunch from home each morning or purchase lunch from the cafeteria. Upper School students who bring lunch from home must bring it with them when they arrive in the morning. If you need to drop off a forgotten lunch, please do so by 9:00 AM. For safety and efficiency, outside food delivery services are not permitted. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

During the School Day

• Students are expected to be present in school for the entire day and attend every period.
• If a student will be leaving for an appointment, parents will need to email the homeroom teacher and the receptionist to let them know what time the child will be picked up.
• Come inside to sign your child out.
• A doctor’s note is required for students returning to school after dental or medical appointments, including those that occur at the end of the day. Please be sure to send the note with your child on the day they return to school.
• Students may not be pulled from class for a sibling event (except for Kindergarten Graduation and 8th Grade Graduation/Tribute).

At the End of the School Day

• To avoid classroom and dismissal disruptions, no student may be picked up after 2:30 PM for an appointment.
• Students may not be pulled early from school for extra-curricular activities.
• Follow the carpool rules.
• Students not picked up on time will be escorted to Extended Day, and an additional fee will be charged to your FACTS account.

The St. Thomas Aquinas Parent/Student Handbook is located on the Parents page of the website. This is a live document that changes as the Diocese and school administration implement and modify policy. All families electronically signed the acknowledgment of handbook policies when enrolling/re-enrolling their children in the spring. Please feel free to refer to these policies and procedures at any time, especially those which pertain to uniform dress code and free dress policies.

HANDBOOK

The School Directory is online through the MySTA App and FACTS Family Portal. The school directory contains all the contact information for parents and families. Please keep all contact information current with the school by emailing any changes to rrussell@staschool.org.

STA Directory

* The St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School directory information includes parent and student names and addresses, parent e-mail addresses, and home, mobile, and work numbers. This directory is online and password protected. The directory is for the personal use of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School families only. It may not be sold or used for mailing lists or solicitation purposes of advertising personal businesses or promoting outside businesses.

If your child is sick or not attending school, please do one of the following:

• Option 1: Notify the school of absences as soon as possible by emailing your child’s homeroom teacher and the school receptionist:
  
  Upper School: Amanda Neinast, USfrontdesk@staschool.org
  Lower School: Cheryl Neeley, cneeley@staschool.org
   
• Option 2: Fill out the absence form on the school website or log into your MySTA App. 
   
• Option 3: Call the Upper School or the Lower School and
  press 1 to leave a voicemail.
  
  Upper School: 214-826-0566
  Lower School: 469-341-0911

REPORT AN ABSENCE

Every Minute of Every Day – The STA Way: Attendance and Academic Success

Attendance is vital for student success at every grade level (PK–8). For many students, the best learning happens at the beginning of the day, and tardy arrivals disrupt instruction. Class begins at 7:55 AM in the Lower School and 7:50 AM in the Upper School. Students must be in their classrooms and ready to learn by these times.

We ask families to avoid scheduling vacations during the school year, as it places unnecessary stress on both students and teachers. The school calendar offers long weekends and extended holiday breaks that are ideal for travel. Teachers will not provide assignments in advance of vacations. While emergencies and illnesses are sometimes unavoidable, vacations are not. Thank you for your cooperation!

Our Promise:

• We will collaborate to support students facing attendance barriers.

• Both campuses will keep you informed with regular updates on attendance and tardiness.

• We will reach out if a pattern of tardies or absences arises.

A strong parent-school partnership is essential in fostering a culture where punctual, daily attendance is the norm. If you have questions or need further details about our attendance policy, please contact your campus principal.

Click HERE (policies 207–210) for the full STA Attendance Policy.

Per Diocesan policy, notes from the doctor/dentist office are required to return to school from an appointment. Submit this written doctor’s note to the front desk upon the your child’s return to school.

The clinic does not supply medication for students. Parents must supply all medications in original pharmacy bottles. All prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications must be kept in the clinic. Students are not allowed to hold medicine or self-medicate. If your child has prescription medicine, please use the Diocesan Medication Form below and located on the Parents page of the website when bringing the medication to the school. Parents are expected to communicate and plan with the nurse. In consideration of your child, classmates, and our staff, keep your child home from school if his/her is ill or not feeling well. 

Over the Counter Medication Form

Prescription Medication Form

• Nikki Ramos, LVN
  Lower School Nurse
  nramos@staschool.org
   
• Renée Pinkston, RN, BSN
  Upper School Nurse
  rpinkston@staschool.org

At STA, there are monthly opportunities for dads to support our children, teachers, and school in meaningful ways. From fun ways to earn your required service hours (just be sure you're Safe Environment cleared—contact Tim Smith at tsmith@lpc.com for help getting trained and badged) to connecting with other dads through fellowship and social events, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Don’t forget about FOSTA Fridays—join us for carpool duty one Friday each month!
 

• Brad Levy
  FOSTA President
  bradelevy@gmail.com

• New to STA Dads Get-Together
  Saturday, August 9th
  Drew Ray's House
  6815 Lakeshore. Dallas, TX 75214
  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
   
• FOSTA Membership Kickoff Event
  Thursday, September 4th
  Yogi's Sushi and Sports Bar Casa Linda
  6:30 PM - 10:00 PM
   
• FOSTA Christmas Event
  December 12th