Marin County Safe Routes to Schools
Team Leader Newsletter
April 2005

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TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. Marin Earth Day 2005 - April 24 at College of Marin
2. Play Ride n' Seek on Earth Day from 10-Noon.
3. Volunteers for Earth Day Needed
4. Sign up for Bike Clubs
5. Bike to Work Day - May 19th
6. SR2S Capital Grants Due June 30th
7. Featured School - Laurel Dell

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. Marin Earth Day 2005

Sunday, April 24 from 10 am to 5 pm
College of Marin, 835 College Ave., Kentfield
Admission is free.
For more information call 415.456.3469 ext 2#

On Sunday, April 24, upwards of 1,000 people will join Marin County's Earth Day 2005 celebration at the College of Marin. The all-day, outdoor festival will feature a full lineup of hands-on activities and entertainment with a special emphasis on families, children and teens.

Entertainment will include everything from high school talents in music, dance and poetry to professional acrobatics, musicians and jugglers. Activities for families and teens will offer real opportunities to get dirty, get involved, and get inspired around environmental issues including transportation, healthy food, green building, and recycling. See attached for details on the workshops.

Featured speakers include Ocean Robbins and Kevin Danaher, and dozens of green businesses and organizations - as well as local artists and craftspeople - will be on hand to showcase exciting eco-friendly products, services and campaigns.

Free Valet Bike Parking will be provided by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition - get to the fair in a healthy way! For more information or to volunteer call 456-3469 ext 2# or visit www.MarinEarthDay.org for a full line up of the entertainment.

2. Play Ride n' Seek on Earth Day

At Marin Earth Day 2005
College of Marin, 835 College Ave., Kentfield
10 am to noon
Admission is free.
Bring your bikes.

Ride n' Seek, a Rolling Treasure Hunt will ride again on Sunday, April 24 from 10 to noon as the kick-off event for Marin Earth Day. This fun-filled event sponsored by Marin General Hospital and Schwinn Bicycles takes families bicycling along the multi-purpose pathway in Kentfield solving the clues to find the hidden treasures. The five teams with the fastest time will get time bonus points. The team that solves the most clues can win a kayak rental for four from Blue Water Kayaking, a climbing lesson for four at Class 5 climbing and fitness center or a free membership at Fitwize 4 Kids. After you are done you can stow your bikes at the free valet bike parking provided by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and enjoy the rest of the festival.

3. Volunteers for Earth Day Needed

We need volunteers to help out with Marin Earth Day set up on Saturday and during the festival on Sunday. We need people to assist with registration for Ride n' Seek on Sunday morning and also to assist with Valet Bike Parking all day Sunday. We also need assistance with the kid's area and to staff other tables at the event. If you would like to help out please call Wendi 488-4101 or wendi@marinbike.org.

4. Sign up for Bike Clubs

Would you like your kids to become better bike riders? Sign them up for a Safe Routes to Schools After-School Bike Club sponsored by REI. Kids learn to ride safely with Safe Routes bike instructors through games, rides, drills, fun and a graduation party.

There are spaces open within two of our five Bike Clubs for 3rd and 4th graders. You can sign up for the Tuesday "Hub Club" from 3:15-4:15 PM at Wade Thomas School by calling San Anselmo Parks and Rec at (415) 258-4645.

A Wednesday Bike Club will run from 3-4 PM at Sun Valley School. To sign up, call the Sun Valley PTA After School Enrichment Program at (415) 454-7870.

5. Bike to Work Day - May 19th

Tens of thousands of Bay Area residents will be out on their bicycles on the morning of Thursday, May 19th for the 11th annual Bike to Work Day. There will be over 170 Energizer Stations throughout the Bay Area. Make sure to stop by any Energizer Station location to pick up a complimentary musette bag filled with fun give-aways. You can find Energizer Station locations and register for Bike to Work Day on www.511.org. When you register to participate in Bike to Work Day, you are not only pledging to bike to work and/or bike to transit but you will also be eligible to win a free bike, a free vacation and many other bike-related prizes!

Marin will be providing sixteen Energizer Stations on Thursday, May 19 to cheer on the cycling commuters-many of whom, we hope, will be cycling a commute for the first time. Between approximately 6:30 and 8:30 AM we'll be passing out the ever-popular musettes along with patch kits, energy bars, fruit and literature. Riders can also stop by GravyWheels in San Anselmo between 4 and 6 PM for an end-of-day snack and some socializing. For more information go to http://bayareabikes.org/btwd/index_template.html

6. SR2S Capital Grants Due June 30th

The deadline for Safe Routes to Schools Capital Grants is June 30th. This year, Marin Safe Routes to Schools will be assisting the cities of Novato and Corte Madera in writing grants for infrastructure improvements. We have successfully assisted the cities of Fairfax, San Rafael, San Anselmo, Mill Valley and the County of Marin in acquiring funding for improving the safety around schools. Each year we choose two communities to assist in obtaining grants. You can find out more about the grants by going to http://www2.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/saferoute2.htm

7. Featured School - Laurel Dell

Lost cards has often been a problem for those running the Frequent Rider Miles contest, as well as children having difficulty filling out the cards. Laurel Del Team Leader Marcella Hauser came up with a solution. "The cards did not go over well at our school since at first we did not want to send them home to avoid them getting lost. The teachers were worried about the difficulty in marking the cards in an efficient fashion every day in class, especially with the younger grades (K-3rd). The teachers asked if I could make charts so I took the class rosters, expanded them on my computer and cut and pasted like a madwoman overnight so charts were in the rooms the following day. I decorated them with black and yellow striped tape to make them look like roads. Now all the teachers simply ask in class at circle time or roll call and it takes them less than 2 minutes. I am planning to gather the charts weekly on Monday mornings and then the children will come to my booth at morning recess for their prizes and raffle tickets to sign and turn in to me."

Thank you for your leadership in your community! For more information please contact Wendi Kallins, Safe Routes to Schools Program Director at (415) 488-4101 or wendi@marinbike.org

Safe Routes to Schools is a program funded by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and administered by the County of Marin on behalf of the Transportation Authority of Marin and the County, Cities and Towns of Marin.