This is the October 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
Family Walk and Ride in Sausalito October 4th
International Walk to School Day is October 8th
Bacich Launches Walking School Buses
Miller Creek Middle School Gets New Path and Bike Racks
Personal Safety Presentation Available to Parents
Enter the Lexus Eco Challenge for Teens
Sample Newsletter Announcement
OCTOBER'S CALENDAR
EVENTS
International Walk to School Day
Wednesday, October 8
TASK FORCE MEETINGS
San Rafael Task Force
Thurssday, October 9, 4 p.m.
Davidson Middle School
280 Woodland Ave., San Rafael
Mill Valley Task Force
Thursday, October 22, 9:15 a.m.
Mill Valley School District
4511 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley
Novato Task Force Meeting
Thursday, October 23, 7 p.m.
Location to be determined
Ross Valley Task Force
Friday, October 24, 10 a.m.
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo
Dixie Task Force
Wednesday, November 19, 7 p.m.
Miller Creek Library
2255 Las Galinas Road, San Rafael
Family Walk and Ride in Sausalito October 4
On Saturday, October 4, meet at 9:30 am at Robin Sweeny Park (Caledonia between Litho and Bee Streets). International Walk to School Day is coming right up on October 8th, and the Family Walk and Ride will get both kids and adults ready to go. We'll walk, roll, ride (your choice!) through the great streets of Sausalito. Everyone is invited on this leisurely jaunt through town to celebrate walking and bicyclingl
International Walk to School Day is October 8
Forty-five Marin schools will be participating in this year’s International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 8th. For a list of participating schools go to www.saferoutestoschools.org. All schools in Marin are invited to participate by organizing events and encouraging their students and parents to leave the car at home that day and walk or bike instead. If you live too far to walk all the way, then consider parking ¼ mile from school and walking the rest of the way. Marin’s Safe Routes to Schools program will be providing support for schools that want to participate. We have posters and magnets to give away, plus templates for stickers and a flyer that you can edit with information about your school. You can learn how to organize an event by going to our Walk and Roll Guidebook at http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/Forms/WalkandRollGuide2006.pdf For more information contact Peggy at 456-3469 ext 6# or email peggy@marinbike.org To register your school go to http://www.walktoschool.org/register/index.cfm
Bacich Launches Walking School Buses
On September 17, Bacich School in Kentfield launched a new Walking School Bus program to encourage more walking to school. BEST (Bacich Elementary School Transit) offers five walking routes lines with convenient neighborhood meeting spots where parents can drop off or join other Bacich students to walk to school. Two parent volunteers meet up with each route, rain or shine, every Wednesday. More days might be added depending on participation. So far over 100 students have signed up to join in and more parents are stepping up to form walking school buses in their neighborhood. If you are a Bacich parent and want to join in, contact Cris Prescott at crisgenovese@hotmail.com.
Miller Creek Middle School Gets
New Path and Bike Racks
A renovated path and new bike racks have been installed at Miller Creek Middle School as a result of the Safe Routes to Schools Club’s walkabout recommendations from fall of 2007.
The renovated path project, which was completed just before the start of school, is 765 feet long and connects Marinwood Park (at the tennis courts) to the back side of Miller Creek School. A generous contribution from the Marinwood Community Service District helped pay for the path.
A new lockable larger capacity bike enclosure and racks, relocated from a less secure spot, near the school’s traffic loop is almost filled to capacity each day. The new bike racks near the back of the school at the end of the path are filled up each day and soon will be caged and lockable also. The convenience to students of having racks at this spot has really helped the mode shift to the point that the school district may consider increasing capacity there. Bike travel has more than doubled from 30-40 a day last year to over 100 on most days since school started. Kudos to team leader Kel Harris who led the efforts to aquire the racks and build the path.
Personal Safety Presentation Available to Parents
Safe Routes to Schools offers a new program to further address safety for children. Be Safe Be Strong is a parent presentation that helps parents respond to the concerns about stranger kidnappings. The ½ hour presentation, which can take place at a PTA meeting or a parent night, provides some basics on what parents can do to better prepare their children for being out in the world. It covers some of the basic concepts of personal safety skills using information from KidPower and KidWise, organizations that provide excellent tools for addressing personal safety for kids. To schedule a presentation contact Peggy@marinbike.org.
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Enter the Lexus Eco Challenge for Teens
Scholastic, a global children's publishing, education and media company, is offering a contest for grades 6-12 to win up to $10,000 for entering the Lexus Eco Challenge. There are three categories including Air/Climate focusing on global warming and climate change, ozone depletion and fossil fuels and renewable energy. The school would organize a team of 5-10 students who then develop an action plan for addressing the specific environmental issue that affects their community. The contest takes place between December 17, 2008 and February 6, 2009. For more information go to http://www.scholastic.com/lexus/.
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Sample Newsletter Announcement
Remind everyone about Walk to School Day in your school newsletter. Here is a sample announcement:
Don’t forget, next Wednesday, October 8th is International Walk (and Roll) to School Day. ______ [Enter your school’s name] ______ is proud to be joining millions around the world by encouraging parents to park the car and walk, bike, skate or scooter to school with your kids. We’ll be giving away special treats to all children who participate. Live too far away? Then carpool or take the bus. Better yet, drive part way and park at a designated meeting place to join in the fun [enter information here on where and when to meet up. Let’s fill the bike racks and the sidewalks, not the gas tanks. For more information or to get involved contact [enter your name and contact here].
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:
Project Coordinator:
Laura Kelly
415-456-3469 ext. 2#
laura@marinbike.org
For information on
school classes:
Project Coordinator
for Logistics:
Peggy Clark
415-456-3469 ext 6#
peggy@marinbike.org
