Marin County Safe Routes to Schools
Team Leader Newsletter
January 2005

Team Leader Meeting
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
11 am to 12:30 pm
San Rafael Community Center
618 B Street. San Rafael
Llunch and childcare provided

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1.. Team Leader Meeting February 2nd
2.. More Staff Changes for Safe Routes to Schools
3.. February is Healthy Heart Month
4.. Youth Earth Day Event April 24
5.. We need a Cargo Van
6.. Featured School - Richmond Borough in England

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1.. Team Leader Meeting February 2nd

Our next Countywide Team Leader gathering will be Wednesday, February 2nd from 11 am to 12:30 pm at the San Rafael Community Center on B Street. At this meeting we will be providing information and distributing the posters and materials for the winter/spring promotions including the Frequent Rider Miles Contest, School Pool and Walk and Bike Across America. This is a great time to get together with Team Leaders from all over the county and share ideas and stories. Food and Childcare will be provided. Please RSVP to Kim@marinbike.org or call 456-3469 ext. 2#. We need to know in advance if you require childcare.

2.. More Staff Changes for Safe Routes to Schools

Chris Davis, who developed and taught our Safe Routes to Schools traffic education programs for the last four years, has been hired by the Texas Bicycle Coalition to run their Safe Routes to Schools education program. We are sorry to lose Chris but wish her luck in her new and exciting career move.

We have already reported that we hired Jason Agar in our last month's e-newsletter. Jason will now fill Chris' shoes as our Bicycle Education Coordinator. He is a League Certified Instructor, and moved to Marin from Eugene Oregon, where he coordinated bicycle education programs for four years for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. He has worked in the fields of environmental education and outdoor leadership for the past 10 years, and enjoys doing theater, scripted and improvisational. You can reach Jason at Jason@marinbike.org.

Since our program is growing to many new schools, we will be hiring contract teachers to assist us in teaching our in-class presentations. We will be training new people in February to assist us in rodeos, middle school Street Skills and to teach in the classroom. If you are interested in joining our team, either as a paid teacher or a volunteer assistant, contact Melanie Grubman at Melanie@marinbike.org or 456-3469 ext. 5#

3.. February is Healthy Heart Month

Now is the time to start gearing up for the good weather to come. (Did you see the sun peeking through last week?). Encourage your parents and their children to start the year with good, healthy habits. New federal guidelines recommend that adults get 30 minutes of exercise a day and children get 60 minutes. Yet, physical education and, even recess, is being cut back in schools because of budget woes and the need for more academic time. This is not wise, as a new study by the California Department of Education has proven that children who are physically fit, also score better on their tests. Even in P.E., children are often only aerobically active for 3 minutes. A brisk walk in the morning will guarantee, that children get their daily activity. Attached you will find the new, revised Healthy Hearts Talking Points to use in your school newsletter to encourage more children to walk and bike to school. It includes these points and many more. We also have posters you can put up around school. They will be distributed at our Team Leader meeting on February 2. Remember, March is Safety Month; April is Environmental Month; and May is Just for the Fun Month.

4.. Youth Earth Day Event - April 24

Safe Routes to Schools is partnering with other youth-oriented environmental organizations to produce a very special Earth Day event on Sunday, April 24, 2005. We will kick off the day with Ride 'n Seek, A Rolling Treasure Hunt for families, followed by activities and entertainment for kids of all ages. The entire week preceding will be filled with activities provided by Safe Routes to Schools, The Environmental Education Council of Marin, Next Generation and Marin Conservation Corp. Stay tuned to find out more.

5.. We Need a Cargo Van

Safe Routes to Schools needs a cargo van to transport our Rodeo equipment. If you know of a van to donate, or have a connection to a car dealership that could donate a lease on a van please contact Wendi Kallins at wendi@marinbike.org or 488-4101. We would also accept the loan of a van or truck for the months of March through May.

6.. Featured School - Richmond Borough, England

This month we take a peek across the ocean to the Richmond Borough in England. In England, each School develops a School Travel Plan, similar to our efforts, which identifies safety improvements and develops contests and events to encourage more walking and biking. These plans are largely focused on students and their parents. Teachers can sometimes feel left out. Richmond Borough Council decided to do something about it. It launched a Bikes 4 Schools initiative.

Under this initiative, schools that have completed their school travel plans can apply for a free bike, to be used by the school's teachers. Cycle manufacturer Cannondale bikes has provided Richmond with 36 road bikes to give away to schools. The bikes can be used to run errands, and, if the school has a split site (such as the Brookside Schools here in Marin), the teachers can use the bikes to travel between schools. Some newly qualified teachers are using the bikes to get to and from school. The cycling teachers are acting as role models for young people to get them cycling too.

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 Marin County Congestion Management Agency and the County, Cities and Towns of Marin