Welcome Back!

It's a great year to be a Hawthorne Eagle and a great time to enjoy Safe Routes to School. Hawthorne Elementary School students will join children around the world as they observe International Walk to School Day (“IWALK”) October 3^rd, 2007. The international event is aimed at bringing forth permanent change to encourage a more walkable America — one community at a time. For more information about International Walk to School Day, visit http://www.walktoschool-usa.org

Hawthorne Elementary’s participation is unique, as IWALK day will also kick off our yearlong commitment to our Safe Routes to School program.

Each Wednesday of the school year, our students will be commuting to school via walking, biking, riding skateboards and scooters, carpooling, and using buses during participation in their Safe Routes to School program.

The first official Walking School Bus will leave the Meadow Park parking lot at 8:00 sharp on October 3rd. Adult participation is welcome.

Feel free to organize your own "walking school bus" or "bike brigades". This is a great time to meet your neighbors, chat with your kids and enjoy a little exercise. Remember to follow the rules of the road and keep your eyes and ears open!

WE DID IT!!!

Hawthorne had it's last Safe Routes to School day on Friday, June 8th. Like always, it was wonderful to see our students arrive at school happy, energized, and feeling good.

Thanks again to Mr. Collins and all the volunteers who made this program a success.

Have a great summer! Stay safe, get lots of exercise and have a ton of fun!

P.S. Remember to wear your helmet if you're riding something with wheels!

Again... and AGAIN!!

Two more Safe Routes Days have occurred with fantastic results! May 25th had 201 participants, and the numbers from June 1st are still being compiled. Our Safe Routes kids are having a ton of fun. One volunteer noted that the kids arriving on Safe Routes days seem very friendly and proud. They are so excited by their commute that they look for people to greet and share smiles with.

In other Safe Routes news, participants in the SuperCyclers class have been doing great. They are learning so many new techniques to keep themselves safe on their bikes. In a meeting for parents before the class began, instructor Kevin Christian pointed out that we are careful to teach our children so many things. We send them to instructors and coaches for music and sports and language... yet we often give them a vehicle (bike) and let them interact on the road with other traffic without any formal instruction. Kevin's curriculum is incredibly well-planned, organized, effective AND taught in a way that's fun for the students. Kevin, our thanks go out to you!!!

Safe Routes Friday #2

The second Safe Routes Friday was even more successful than the first! We passed the 2/3 mark this week with over 200 kids arriving at school by bike, foot, skateboard, skooter, bus or carpool. This week kids received neon bracelets as prizes and there were so many participants that the jewels were running out at the end of the morning.

30 kids joined Ms. Carr walking from Meadow Park and the bike racks were almost full. The penguin and scientist that entertained kids at the assembly were at school giving out prizes and greeting kids.

This was a great warm-up for the very fun and successful Jog-a-thon later on Friday.

Great job and keep up the good work! See you next week.

just a little update

Friday is our next Safe Routes day and students are already getting excited. The jewel-studded charts on their classroom doors are a great reminder that Fridays are special.

Safe Routes was discussed on the Dave Congalton show about childhood obesity. Safe Routes volunteers Susan Coward and Rod Hoadley provided comments about the importance of exercise and the role Safe Routes can play in making exercise a family experience.

The SuperCyclers bicycle safety course is going great. Instructor Kevin Christian seems to be enjoying the class almost as much as the kids. They have been working on some essential skills, such as how to safely enter the road from a driveway, and proper use of hand signals. Kevin is great at keeping things fun and exciting while imparting the message that a bike is a vehicle and must be driven properly and with great awareness.

WOW!

Hawthorne Students Love Safe Routes to School!

Hawthorne's first Safe Routes to School day was a great success! According to figures compiled by Mr. Collins and Mrs. Grady, 61% of Hawthorne's students arrived in walking or biking groups, used carpools, rode skateboards or scooters, or rode the bus. The number of cars dropping off students was greatly reduced.

The Safe Routes kids had a great time. Excitement was in the air as Mr. Collins and Peggy Mandeville from the City of SLO handed out Safe Routes buttons and chart jewels to participants. So many students participated, Mr. Collins had to go inside to get more buttons and jewels!

We are so proud of our Safe Routes team!!
Hawthorne Eagles, you are the best!

Remember, if you weren't a part of Safe Routes today, it's not too late. Join us every Friday for the rest of the school year. The details are right here!

Safe Routes Has National Attention

Did you know that in the 1960s nearly half of all students arrived at school on foot and bikes? Now it's fewer than 15%. But people all over the US are ready to turn this trend around as they commit to helping our children enjoy healthier lives in a healthier environment.

Here's some information about Safe Routes programs.

You can even listen in as NPR reports.

Safe Routes programs help alleviate the concerns of parents who aren't walking their children to school. Here are some typical reasons parents are driving

• I have other kids, too, it's too hard to drag them all along!

Have your child join an existing group or start a group among friends and neighbors. Or consider this a healthy way for your family members to spend time together. Find ways to make it fun! Songs, stories, games like "I SPY" and a little nature exploration along the way turn a commute into an adventure.

• It takes too long!

Are all the members of your family getting their daily recommended amounts of exercise? A morning walk can actually save you time by getting everybody's exercise in early. Those extra minutes are a great investment in your good health.

• We live too far away!
  

Drive to an area that's NOT too far away, then walk the rest of the way. You'll avoid the traffic and long lines in the drop-off area and start your day refreshed. Or have your child carpool or ride the bus.

• I'm afraid something will happen to my child on the way.
  

Safe Routes programs, such as the one at Hawthorne Elementary, provide adult Route Leaders to help children get to school safely. Hawthorne has both walking and biking groups with parents and teachers assisting students.

Remember, it's not about, "I can't, because..." it's about "Here's how I can...!"

Enjoy your Safe Routes Program!