This is the February 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.
Highlights of the Month
Team Leader Valentine Luncheon
Spring Contest Materials Available February 11
Old Mill School's 15 Minutes to School
Sign up for New Assembly
radKIDS in Larkspur
White Hill Bike Club Moved to March
Tidbits for School Newsletter – Laissez Les Bons Temps Roulez
FEBRUARY'S CALENDAR
Dixie Task Force
Thursday, February 7, 7 p.m.
Miller Creek Library (To be confirmed)
2255 Las Galinas Road, San Rafael
Mill Valley Task Force
Thursday, February 12, 11 a.m.
Sewer Agency of Southern Marin Conference room
450 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley
Novato Task Force Meeting
Thursday, February 13, 7 p.m.
Novato Unified School District
1015 7th Street, Novato
Ross Valley Task Force
Friday, February 15, 10 a.m.
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo
Twin Cities (Corte Madera and Larkspur) Task Force
Tuesday, February 26, 3:15 pm
Larkspur Recreation Dept.
240 Doherty Drive, Larkspur
San Rafael Task Force Meeting Kick Off (rescheduled)
Wednesday, March 5, 4–5:30 p.m.
Location to be announced
SCHOOL WALKABOUTS
Dixie School
Friday, February 15, 2 p.m.
1175 Idylberry Road, San Rafael
Hill Middle School
Monday, March 3, 8 a.m.
720 Diablo, Novato
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Team Leader Valentine’s Luncheon
Team leaders and other SR2S school volunteers are invited to our winter luncheon offered with heart, on Wednesday, February 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the San Rafael Community Center, 612 B Street in San Rafael. A catered lunch will be served courtesy of the Good Earth Natural Foods. Attendees will get a sneak preview of the new Pedal Power assembly with a song written by Tim Cain especially for the assembly. We will give instructions on putting on the spring contests. Contest materials will be available for distribution. Please RSVP to laura@marinbike.org or call 456-3469 ext 2#.
Spring Contests Materials Available February 11
Contest prizes, cards, posters and flyers will be available for all schools on February 11th at the Safe Routes to Schools offices 733 Center Blvd. in Fairfax. Prizes include Kaiser sling packs and lunch packs; Trek gloves, racks, and bells; Planet Bike lights and locks; SR2S Frisbees; and, of course, a certificate for a new bike from Marin Bikes provided at cost and paid for with a Kaiser grant. Small rewards will also be provided. If your school signed up for the spring contest you can pick up your package at the Valentine’s team leader meeting on February 13 (see above), or call Laura at 456-3469 ext. 2#.
Old Mill School’s 15 Minutes to School
Parent volunteers at Old Mill School want kids to be able to walk to school safely and quickly. Their goal is to increase the number of students walking to school from about 10% to over 50%. Among other things, that would take at least 150 cars off the road around Old Mill School.
The team has three strategies: educating kids about the multiple benefits of walking to school, changing parental behavior, and working with the City and County to make infrastructure improvements.
Old Mill is a neighborhood-based school, and the majority of families live within a half-mile radius. With the input and comments of the parent community that primarily lives in the hills surrounding the school, the organizers have learned that they face a rather steep challenge – literally and figuratively - even compared to other schools in Mill Valley. Most Old Mill School students live on the side of Mt. Tam, where parents note that there are virtually no sidewalks or shoulders on most of the streets where students live.
Faced with these impediments, they are examining in detail what has to happen to create safe, short and direct routes to school, so that a child can leave home at 8:15 a.m., and be at their desks, ready to learn by 8:30 a.m. Knowing that adding sidewalks or shoulders to the steep, narrow roads will be difficult, they are examining which direct hillside pedestrian routes, if improved, would enable 50% of potential school population to get to school in 15 minutes, door to chair, walking at a kindergartener’s pace. This article was written by Victoria Talkington, creator of Steps, Lanes and Paths, a guide to non-motorized pathways throughout Mill Valley and a parent at Old Mill Schools.
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Sign Up for New Assembly
The song is in and everyone is dancing! Costumes and sets are under construction and the finishing touches are being put onto the script. Sign up now to participate in the new Safe Routes to Schools assembly program to promote your spring contest. The assembly features a new song written by famed children’s songster Tim Cain -- who will be available to appear in person for an additional fee. It will show how children can change the environment and themselves by walking and biking to school. If you would like to schedule an assembly for March or early April, please contact Laura at laura@marinbike.org or call 456-3469 ext. 2#.
RadKIDS in Larkspur
Larkspur Recreation is hosting a radKIDS class starting February 25 through March 25 from 4-6 pm at Hall Middle School. The program is open to boys and girls ages 10-12 years. Sign up now, as space will be limited. This five session course will be taught by the Twin Cities Police Department. RadKIDS is a national children’s safety education and violence prevention program that trains children to recognize, avoid, resist and escape potential danger, empowering them to stop crimes before they start. RadKIDS is not a self-defense course; rather it teaches children how to avoid putting themselves in danger and how to escape if they are in it. Each child is required attend all five classes. To register, call 927-6746. For more information on radKIDS go to http://radkids.org/
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White Hill Bike Club Moved to March
Due to bad weather, the White Hill Bike Club is now scheduled to begin on March 25. Middle school students from all over Marin are invited to learn how to become proficient bike riders by joining the White Hill Bike Club in Fairfax. Learn how bicycling provides both freedom and responsibility. Students will learn how to “drive” their bikes safely on the road. Club classes will cover basic safety procedures, proper equipment, bike maintenance, and trip planning. Students will plan a final field trip as part of the class. The class is offered by Safe Routes to Schools through the San Anselmo Recreation Department and will take place Wednesdays, at 2:20 pm starting January 23, 2008 at White Hill School in Fairfax. For more information, contact laura@marinbike.org. To sign up for the Club, call 258-4680.
Tidbits for the month: Laisez Les Bon Temps Roulez (Let the good times roll)
February is known as Healthy Heart month and it’s a fine theme to encourage more children to walk and bike to school by highlighting the health benefits. February is also Mardi Gras month and this theme can add a flare of flamboyance to your Walk and Roll to School Days. Give out Mardi Gras beads as a reward for walking and biking. Decorate your table with purple, gold and green streamers. Dress up your volunteers at the table with feathered masks and jester sticks. We would discourage having the kids wear masks as it makes it hard to see, a necessity for safe walking and biking, but they can decorate their bikes, helmets or sneakers. Play “When the Saints Go Marching In” or some lively Cajun music on CD, or better yet, with live musicians. At the same time, remind everyone how heart-healthy it is to walk and bike to school, while having a colorful Mardi Gras style parade.
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Safe Routes to Schools
is a program of the
Transportation Authority
of Marin
3501 Civic Center Dr.
San Rafael, CA 94913
www.tam.ca.gov
Project Manager:
David Parisi
415-388-8978
david@
parisi-associates.com
For general
information
on the Safe Routes
program:
Program Director:
Wendi Kallins
415-488-4101
wendi@marinbike.org
For information on
school activities
and classes:
Project Coordinator:
Laura Kelly
415-456-3469 ext. 2#
laura@marinbike.org
