This is the April issue of the Marin Safe Routes to
Schools ENewsletter. This newsletter provides you with
monthly updates of the Marin Safe Routes to Schools
program, including highlights of the month.

CALENDAR

April Highlights

Presentation to joint meeting of San Rafael City Council
and School Boards

Safe Routes to Present on Health and the Built Environment

Davidson Students Learn New Ways to Think about Transportation

Mill Valley Middle School Students Discuss Global Warming

Rodeo Season Begins

Task Force Activity
Larkspur - Hall Middle School Students liven up the meeting
Ross Valley Plans Share the Road Campaign
Mill Valley gears up for the Fall
Novato Plans for the Future

Calendar

Sun Valley Task Force Meeting
Wednesday, April 18, 8:30-9:30 am
Sun Valley School
75 Happy Lane, San Rafael

Novato Task Force Meeting
Wednesday, April 18, 7 pm
Margaret Todd Senior Center
1560 Hill Road, Novato

Twin Cities Task Force Meeting
Tuesday, April 24, 3:30 pm
Larkspur Parks and Recreation
230 Doherty Drive, Larkspur

Mill Valley Task Force
Tuesday, May 8, 9 am
Sewer Agency of Southern Marin Conference room
450 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley

Ross Valley Task Force
Thursday May 18, 10 am
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo

Team Leader Meeting
Thursday May 31, 11:30 am – 1 pm
San Rafael Community Center
618 B St.,  San Rafael


Presentation to joint meeting of San Rafael City Council
and School Boards

On March 14, Safe Routes to Schools made a presentation at the
annual meeting of the joint boards of the Dixie and San Rafael School
Districts and the San Rafael City Council. After a scrumptious meal
provided by the city Program Director, Wendi Kallins delivered a
PowerPoint presentation which included the activities in the schools
within the two San Rafael districts.  Board members were very excited
about the program and offered to assist us in getting a presence in the
remaining San Rafael Schools.


Safe Routes to Present at Health and Human Services Event

On April 18, Safe Routes to Schools will lead an interactive session at an event called “Impact of the Built Environment on the Health of the Community,” produced by Marin County Health and Human Services. The Keynote speaker will be Dr. Richard Jackson, a national expert on the subject. The event will bring together county health professionals with countywide planners, traffic engineers and others involved with the built environment. The aim is to develop a dialogue on how changes to the built environment can help to provide more healthy opportunities for Marin residents.

Davidson Students Learn New Ways to Think About Transportation

Students in the 7th and 8th grade science classes at Davidson Middle
School in San Rafael began thinking outside the box when it comes
to transportation.  In a series of 80-minute classes taught by Teen
Coordinator Aviva Joseph, the students played a game to think of all
the different ways in which people, animals and even plants move from
place to place.  By getting beyond human activity they could see that
there are many sources of propulsion including slithering, crawling,
and blowing in the wind.  The exercise opened their minds to new
possibilities for thinking about transportation.  Using a transit guide
and bike map, they learned how to make use of the options already
available to them .

Mill Valley Middle School Students Discuss Global Warming

Students from the NET class at Mill Valley Middle School have taken on Safe Routes to Schools as a project.  They participated in an in-depth discussion led by Aviva Joseph on how transportation affects global warming.  They discussed the barriers and opportunities of using alternative modes and began to plan out the upcoming spring contest and a bicycle field trip to Sausalito.

Rodeo Season Begins

The rodeo season has begun with a bicycle rodeo at the Bahia Vista Safety Fair on March 24.  Over 100 students went through the rodeo, learning the importance of stopping at stop signs and practicing techniques for developing balance and control of their bikes. Extra bikes were provided by Trips for Kids. Thirteen more rodeos are scheduled around the county during regular school, through May.

Task Force Activity

Hall Middle School Students Liven up the Larkspur Meeting
Students from the Leadership Committee entertained the Larkspur
Task Force with a slide presentation on the baseline information for
their schools.  Each student was given a few questions to answer and
they then compiled the results in a PowerPoint presentation that
included a video showing the bike path from their school to the end
of the Sandra Marker Path in Corte Madera. 

Ross Valley Plans a Share the Road Campaign
Concerned about the safety of children biking in Fairfax and San
Anselmo, the Ross Valley Task Force is planning a Share the Road
campaign.  A subcommittee was formed to develop the elements of
the campaign. They’ll look at targeting specific messages to children,
parents, adult bicyclists and drivers, with a message to be safe and
considerate of all road users. 

Mill Valley Gears up for the Fall
Edna Maguire School in Mill Valley is gearing up for a Fall School
Pool program with a Neighborhood Directory.  In years past, Mill
Valley had a grid system to identify neighborhoods for school buses.
Deborah Cole co-leader of the Task Force, reported that the school
secretary never stopped in-putting that information, so they now have
it ready to refer to as they create a neighborhood directory.  Deborah
plans to have a package sent out at the beginning of the school year
to promote SchoolPool.

Novato Plans for the Future
The Novato Task Force began development of their goal and
objectives to achieve a successful Safe Routes to Schools program.
In three years’ time, they want to see that every child has a safe route
to school. Thay also want to: increase kids’ health by increasing
walking and biking; reduce cars around campus by 25%; reduce
vehicle speed around schools; reduce risk of injuries at intersections;
increase police visibility at schools; provide crossing guards at every
school; and have school coordinators at all schools.