New Year's Resolution: Walk & Bike More!
This is the January 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
Sign up for White Hill Bike Club
Sign up for New Assembly
Novato Winter Walkabouts
radKIDS in Corte Madera
Ross Valley District Schools Overflow
Tidbits for School Newsletter!
DECEMBER'S CALENDAR
Mill Valley Task Force
Thursday, January 10, 9:15 a.m.
Sewer Agency of Southern Marin Conference room
450 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley
Novato Task Force Meeting
Thursday, January 17, 7 p.m.
Novato Unified School District
1015 7th Street, Novato
Ross Valley Task Force
Friday, January 18, 10 a.m.
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo
Twin Cities (Corte Madera and Larkspur) Task Force
Tuesday, January 29, 3:15 pm
Larkspur Recreation Dept.
240 Doherty Drive, Larkspur
San Rafael Task Force Meeting Kick Off (tentative)
Wednesday, January 30, 4–5:30 p.m.
Location to be announced
Dixie Task Force
Thursday, February 7, 7 p.m.
Miller Creek Library (To be confirmed)
2255 Las Galinas Road, San Rafael
SCHOOL WALKABOUTS
Coleman School
Friday, January 25, 8:15 a.m.
150 Lovell, San Rafael
Dixie School
Monday, January 23, 10 a.m.
1175 Idylberry Road, San Rafael
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White Hill Bike Club Starts in January
Middle school students 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.
Sign Up for New Assembly
Sign up now for the new Safe Routes to Schools assembly to promote your spring contest. It will feature a new song written by famed children’s songster Tim Cain -- who will be available to appear in person. 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#
Novato Winter Walkabouts
Parent leaders from Loma Verde and Rancho schools in Novato led traffic engineers on a tour of the major issues facing children who wish to walk or bike to school. Loma Verde has many children who walk to school but they must cross busy Ignacio Blvd., which poses a safety hazard. Rancho students come from far away so are mostly driven. However, there is a church near the school that allows its parking lot to be used as a remote drop off. There needs to be better pedestrian access from the church parking area to the school and better auto access to the church. SR2S traffic engineering team will look at solutions to these problems with input from traffic engineers from the City of Novato and the County of Marin Department of Public Works.
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radKIDS in Corte Madera
Corte Madera Recreation is hosting a radKIDS class starting Jan 8 from 4-6 pm
for elementary school kids. They will take a total of 15 kids and there
is one opening left. Another session will be offered in February. 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 927-5072. For more information on radKIDS go to http://radkids.org.
Ross Valley District Schools Overflow – Transportation Issues Considered
The Ross Valley School District (RVSD) is faced with a major increase in enrollment that will force it to redirect new students from Fairfax to San Anselmo Schools. Recognizing the transportation issues associated with children attending schools far from home, the district came to the Ross Valley Safe Routes to Schools Task Force meeting for input. The District plotted the location of all students to determine the best possible school for students based on their location. The SR2S task force suggested that Fairfax students who live on the east side of town could be sent to Brookside schools and still be able to be bike to school with their parents. Students who would normally go to Brookside but live on the south side of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. could attend Wade Thomas School and actually have a safer commute through back roads without having to cross Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The RVSD is to be congratulated for taking transportation issues into account while making these difficult decisions.
Tidbits for School Newsletter: New Year’s Resolution – Walk and Bike More!
Get the New Year off to a great start and resolve to walk or bike your kids to school at least once a week (if you are not already doing so). If you live too far to walk or bike, try forming a carpool with one of your neighbors. You could also find a drop off spot a short distance from school that would allow you and your child to walk part way and reduce congestion around the school. Walking or biking is a great way to start the day, allowing your child to arrive at school refreshed and awake. Use this opportunity to Walk and Talk. If you are not behind the wheel of a car you can give your child your full attention. You can also use the opportunity to review homework; practice spelling words, multiplication tables or geography facts.
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
