Calling all walkers and bikers! Natomas Park Elementary's Walking Wednesdays program is off to a great start for this school year. Principal Johnson invited us back to Natomas Park Elementary because of the success of the program last year.

How does the program work? Walking Wednesdays is designed to reward children who use other modes of transportation to get to school: walking and biking. Frequent walker/biker cards will only be given to those children who participate. Every Wednesday, your child should come to the Walking Wednesday table in the courtyard to get their card hole punched. Every other week, they will receive a new charm to put on their Walking Wednesday key chain.

Now that the student body has increased, so has the participation. Last year when we kicked off the Walking Wednesdays program, 211 students came out. This year, 260 kids participated in the first Walking Wednesday. Way to go! Keep up the good work Coyotes!

May is Bike Month was a huge success - our best year ever! 8 local North Natomas schools cycled a total of 34,160 miles! Way to Go! Regency Park Elementary School logged 9,468 miles and is the top school in the region. They won the North Natomas TMA perpetual trophy as well as a plaque from the Sacramanto Area Council of Governments (SACOG) for being the region’s top school. Regency Park Elementary’s participation calculated out to be 52% of the student body riding weekly.

Here are the standings for all other participating North Natomas schools:
Witter Ranch Elementary - 4,925 Miles 35% participation weekly
Heron School - 3,971 Miles 30% participation weekly
Natomas Park Elementary School - 3,872 Miles 31% participation weekly
H. Allen Hight Elementary School - 3,476 Miles 31% participation weekly
Westlake Charter School - 3,335 Miles 37% participation weekly
Leading Edge Program - 3,142 Miles 49% participation weekly
Performing and Fine Arts Academy - 1,971 Miles 32% participation weekly

Keep up the good work! Remember that biking instead of driving is a great way to keep our air clean, great for your body and spirit and it’s tons of fun!

Rain or shine first grader Alexander Akin has walked to school every Footloose Friday for the last 14 weeks. Alexander’s mom tells us he is so excited to walk on Fridays that he gets up early and runs half way to school. He gets really excited when it’s raining outside on Footloose Fridays because it’s a great adventure walking to school! His mom, dad and even dog, Pearl, often join him on his walk to school. They have valued their time as a family when they walk to school and have found it much more enjoyable than driving in the car. When he arrives on campus he heads to the quad to get his card punched and picks out a token. He is a great role model for his friends because walking and biking to school builds a greater sense of community and kick starts a super day of learning.

Way to go, Alexander!

The North Natomas TMA just kicked off a wonderful bike safety program called Project Ride Smart at Heron Elementary. In partnership with Heron’s Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Vigil, cycling instructors are teaching this course which is a part of the 4th and 5th graders physical education. Children will learn skills including bike control, safety, awareness, rules of the road, and much more. The kids are very excited to get on their bikes and to learn the rules of the road! This valuable information will benefit these children for many years to come.

Heron School's SAFETY with HELMETS NIGHT – a success!!
9/25/2009

The North Natomas Transportation Management Association, in partnership with the PTSA and Natomas Unified School District, sponsored a Safety with Helmets night at Heron School. Hundreds of families came to the event, and over 300 helmets were given away or replaced! Students were asked to bring their helmets if they had one, and every helmet was inspected for damage and fitted correctly. If a student did not have a helmet, or their helmet needed to be replaced, they were given one for FREE.

The event included a safety presentation for students to learn the importance of wearing a helmet and traffic safety questions presented by our local police department, among other fun activities. Free dinner was also provided.

Here is what a couple of the participants wrote about the event, “Thanks for the helmets! Great information for the kids!” and, “This is the best party ever and thanks for the helmet”.

The success of Safety with Helmets Night compliments the school’s focus on encouraging students to get to and from school by walking, biking, scooting or skating. Each Friday, or Footloose Friday, students are encouraged to join the walking school bus, where parent volunteers walk groups of students to school. Parents can drop off their students starting at a ‘meet-up zone’, or join the group on their journey.

For questions or information on how to get involved, please contact:
Mellissa Meng
School Programs Manager with the North Natomas TMA
916-416-9955
mellissa@nntma.org

New School Year, More Programs
8/6/2009

The 2009/10 school year is shaping up to be an active year for students and families attending North Natomas schools. The TMA is working with the seven elementary and middle schools in the area to initiate and continue programs encouraging children and their families to walk and bike to school. The reason for the effort is simple; to promote healthy, safe children, improve air quality and reduce vehicle congestion. Walking and biking to school is one of the best ways to reach this goal.