Share your success stories with us! Email us at info@saferoutestoschool.ca with your story, we'd love to hear it.
Winter Walk Day started off a chilly -6o and some areas of the province had snow but the sun shone brightly for most of the day. We’ve received the following delightful Winter Walk Day updates from schools – if you would like your school featured, send your story to info@saferoutestoschool.ca .
Have you registered your school for iCANwalk to school...can you? You can track your kilometeres walked and be eligible for prizes, donated by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and StepsCount!
Military Trail Public School, Scarborough
Students from the Mournelle Court Safe Walking program who attend Military Trail Public School walked with MPP Margarett Best, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, on February 6. Thanks to MPP Best for her promotion of Active & Safe Routes to School!
Churchill Alternative Public School, Ottawa
Churchill Alternative Public School held a Winter Carnival and Neighbourhood Walkabout. All families were encouraged to walk all or part way to school. There was a carnival celebration in the school yard with hot cider & coffee as well as music/activities/mascot provided by a team of animators from the nearby Dovercourt Community Recreation Centre. The bell was delayed by 15 mins, then all Gr1-6 classes went on a 1.5 km walk through the neighbourhood (Kinders walked around the yard) before returning to school and entering class. - Wallace Beaton, School Travel Planning Coordinator, Ottawa
Holy Trinity School, Guelph
Sean, a student from Holy Trinity School, organized a walk to school campaign in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that result from receiving car rides to school. Sean is fascinated with marine life, and when he found out about the state of the Arctic and the loss of polar bear habitat due to global warming, he decided he needed to get involved. He showed everyone that we can all make a difference! - Jeanette Ondercin, Principal
Fr. Frederick McGinn , Richmond Hill
It was a fabulous day with heart charms handed out to students to add to their IWalk bracelets they received at our kick-off Jan 2013 Walk to school day. This was special as it ties in to our Jump Rope for Heart event that is coming up on February 15th. That's why you can see the Heart Mascot that our local Heart & Stroke Foundation office lent to us. York Regional Police came to help control crowds and be a presence for the community to see. One particular street rallied together to show their support for walking and for Heart & Stroke – congratulations to them! Thanks for your guidance in this fabulous community building event! - Josie Ruggiero-Khan, Health & Physical Education Teacher
St. Anthony Catholic School, Ottawa
On Wednesday, February 6th for Winter Walk Day, the students at St. Anthony Catholic School participated in a variety of different outdoor activities. The Primary Language Class, Kindergarten classes, and Grade 3 class enjoyed the fresh winter air by taking a walk around the neighbourhood. The Grade 1 and 2 classes took a field trip to the Mill of Kintail for some snowshoeing on the trails. The Grade 4/5 and 5/6 classes walked down to the Rideau Canal and then laced up their skates for a fun afternoon on the ice. The entire school did their part to get active and enjoyed our beautiful winter weather! - Natasha Belaire, Teacher
St. John the Baptist School, Hamilton
Winter Walk To School Day was a success. 60% of our students walked or rolled to school. A grade 1 class had the highest percent of walkers – a whooping 86%. They received It Is Cool To Walk To School Umbrellas. - Enza DeTina, Teacher
Woodroffe Public School, Ottawa
Woodroffe Public School’s first Winter Walk to School Day on Feb 6th was a huge success! Over 160 children walked to school that morning. This was a 300% increase from when children were surveyed in the fall! Wallace Beaton, Green Communities Canada’s School Travel Planning Coordinator in Ottawa described this increase as “truly exceptional.”
One of the more heart-warming stories from that chilly winter morning was the trek made by students living in the Britannia area. They started out over 3 km away from the school as a group of 16 students and as they walked, their numbers grew to over 25 strong. “It was tiring but fun!” said one student after completing the walk. Other students throughout the school’s catchment area also walked considerable distances with their friends and family making it a unique family event.
Everyone – students who walked and those who weren’t able to this year – met in the school yard and participated in a winter carnival parade. They were supported by parent volunteers, City councillor Mark Taylor, OCDSB trustee Theresa Kavanagh, Ottawa Public Health staff and ‘Phizz’ the physical activity mascot! Teachers joined the children at the bell for an additional 15 minutes of walking and some Zumba fun lead by Mme. Natalie and her Grade Three Class.
A big thank you to everyone who made the morning a success and we look forward to building on the excitement with a bike rodeo and other active living activities in the spring! - Alice Hutton, parent on the School Travel Plan Committee
WINTER WALK TO SCHOOL DAY PROCLAMATION IN OTTAWA!
The City of Ottawa officially declared Wednesday, February 6 to be Winter Walk to School Day, thanks to the work of Elmdale Public School.
February 6th, 2013
WHEREAS , the City of Ottawa strives to promote safe, healthy and environmentally-sound forms of transportation; and
WHEREAS , walking to school models healthy lifestyles for children, raising the next generation of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users while providing much-needed physical activity, and helps children arrive at school ready to learn; and
WHEREAS , reducing vehicle traffic around schools promotes pedestrian and cycling safety, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and reduces congestion in residential neighbourhoods; and
WHEREAS , walking to school forges stronger school and neighbourhood connections, building healthier communities; and
WHEREAS , schools across Canada celebrate the benefits of year-round active transportation to and from school on the first Wednesday in February;
THEREFORE , I, Jim Watson, Mayor of the City of Ottawa, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 as Winter Walk to School Day in Ottawa.
October is International Walk to School month and all over the world children walked to school for IWALK day, week and month! Here in Ontario 225 schools registered their participation with Green Communities Canada and the feedback we have received indicates that walking to school and at school is an easy and effective way to promote healthy, sustainable and safe communities. The graphs below indicate some of the results.
The following stories show how schools celebrated IWALK and offer inspiration to other schools to promote and encourage active school travel now and throughout the school year.
To track kilometres walked to school and at school throughout the year, register for iCANwalk to school...can you? and be eligible for prizes, donated by the Heart and Stroke Foundation!
Bridges Community Health Centre, in partnership with the Fort Erie Active Transportation Committee, coordinated a local walk to school initiative under the banner of ‘IWALK’ the week of October 8-12, 2012. Eight out of twelve elementary schools in the Municipality of Fort Erie elected to participate with six of the eight schools collecting pledges from a total of 172 students. In order to gain a better understanding of how the initiative contributes to improved outcomes (more students using active transportation to get to and from school) students were asked to make a pledge to walk or bike to school the week of October 8th whether they normally walk or bike to school. According to the responses, 55% of students stated “yes” they normally walk or bike to school, 28% checked they “sometimes” walk or bike and 17% responded “no” they do not walk or bike to school. The feedback suggests that community initiatives such as IWALK act as an incentive that encourages students to use active transportation as a means of travel to and from school.
Media Coverage: Bridges celebrating International Walk Week
Fr. Frederick McGinn C.E.S., Richmond Hill
"IWALK day was a huge success and we are very proud of the positive turnout. I would like to mention that we have a very dedicated teacher, Mrs. Josie Khan, leading our healthy schools initiative and IWALK days. We are grateful for all her efforts". - Linda D'Andrea, Vice-Principal
Bowmore Road JS Public School, Toronto
Bowmore is a Toronto DSB Gold EcoSchool and they are working hard this school year to achieve Platinum status. IWALK was a huge success with over 200 students and their families walking and biking to school on October 10.
To prepare for the walk students traced and mapped their travel routes to school and on the day community police officers supervised the walking routes while parents and teachers volunteered their time to hand out hot chocolate for all.“Our iWalk campaign re-emphasizes that preserving the environment requires everyone to collectively do their part in any way possible,” said Peppi Kondilis-Minos, Vice-Principal. “As a whole, we can move mountains if we want too. This energy is the epitome of our efforts. We are calling everyone to take action in order to make our world a better place.” See more details at http://www.tdsb.on.ca/media/ , http://bowmoresc.com and http://bowmoresc.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bowmoreoctober2012.pdf . A collage of photos from the iWalk event can be found here .
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Carlisle
Thank you so much for these resources and posters. Our School had a Walk AT School as our students are entirely bussed in from neighbouring communities. Classes from grades 1 to 8 walked around the perimeter of the school on a 1 KM trail that borders neighbouring farms. -Rema Passarelli, School Administrator
St. Marguerite d'Youville Catholic Elementary, Hamilton
St. Marguerite d'Youville in Hamilton continues to be a school in motion. We celebrated International Walk to School Day with another Yellow Walk and Roll To School Day during the second week of October. It has become a part of our school community tradition to capture our eco friendly and healthy spirit with a photo session. We will hang these photos with all the others in our hallway as a reminder that healthy lifestyles makes for a healthy earth. We are a strong supporter of active transportation and safe school routes. -Kevin MacIsaac, Principal and Lucy Hunt, Teacher/ Eco Rep
Swansea Public School, Toronto
It wasn't the best of mornings weather-wise but our Walk A Child to School event went off really well again this year! -Virginia Wheeler, Parent
P.L. Robertson Public School in Milton set an innovative culture from day one when they opened their doors for the first time. Children here are strongly encouraged to walk, skate or bike for the short trip to and from the school, prompting some to call it the first “walking only” school in Ontario. It helps that 98 per cent of the children who attend the school live within easy walking distance, but for those in outlying areas, there are designated drop-off points that still allow children a healthy walk to reach the school. The capital cost for the designation of this “walking only” school was largely for bicycle racks - enough for 280 bicycles. This unprecedented move built great awareness of the importance of the daily choice to use active school transportation. P.L. Robertson is getting attention around the country and around the world for its innovative measures, appearing in a profusion of news articles from trade papers to general newspapers. Now that’s worthy of attention!
When the school parking lot at Montgomery Village PS became dangerously overcrowded with cars, they felt confident that the choice to close it to non-staff would be good for everyone. “Patty Pylon” and staff members greeted walking and wheeling students with house points every morning. To encourage more parental observation on the streets, the school also awarded points to parents who actively travel with their children (parent points apply to the child’s house team, too). Indeed, they got whole families moving more! Continued reminders that the “kiss and ride” area, the fire lanes and the bus zones were now “No Park Zones” and “No Drop Off Zones” were floated to parents through stories in the school newsletter, signage on the roads and pavement repainting – drivers could not miss the message! By fall, the school was in the active travel groove. They applied for, and won, the Canadian Olympic School Program by pledging to create a better Canada by helping children and their families walk to school safely to improve their overall health and to reduce pollution in the community. The prize included a Run, Jump Throw kit delivered to the school by Olympian Mark Boswell, who was welcomed by a gathering of children, staff, parents and community members. The school is currently working with a town planner to change some parking facilities in an effort to completely eliminate pick up points on school property so that all children will cover some distance on the way to school and learn how to walk safely. In addition, they’re working with the Orangeville police on a Pilot Program called the “School Zone Traffic Safety Program” based on zero-tolerance enforcement of all traffic-related Federal, Provincial and Municipal by-laws. So what’s ahead for Montgomery Village? A Freikometer ! The school wants to win this state-of-the-art piece of counting technology so they can be part of the Canadian initiative to create statistics on active school transport. Paying it forward so that others can benefit – Thanks, Montgomery Village!
This was teacher Danielle Viola’s first Winter Walk Day at St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Toronto. Danielle, who is also the Eco Team leader for the school, noted “quite a few students do walk but we have lots that travel on school buses.” On February 8 approximately 100 students walked to school, making a positive contribution to the environment, and they were rewarded with a cup of hot chocolate! Danielle hopes to double the number of walkers for their upcoming Spring Walk. In addition to these exciting walking events, St. Alphonsus students have accepted the ‘stuff diet’ in honour of Lent – do not buy anything new for 40 days and 40 nights!
May was a busy month for the Windsor-Essex Active & Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) team. Two schools, St-Jean-Baptiste and Amherstburg, launched the ASRTS program in Amherstburg while a third school, Princess Elizabeth Public School in Windsor, launched their program.www.saferoutestoschool.ca/walking-school-bus ).http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca http://www.wechealthunit.org/about-us/news-and-announcements/active-and-... and http://www.ourwindsor.ca/2012/05/active-and-safe-routes-to-school/ .http://www.amherstburgecho.com/ http://www.rivertowntimes.com/ . The school board (CSDECSO) published an article for their website www.csdecso.on.ca/ - Ça marche en grand à l’école Saint-Jean-Baptiste.http://www.wewalktoschool.ca/getactive.html
