International Walk to School Day

                                         

Gorman Fort Banks Elementary School

celebrates

International Walk to School Day on October 3, 2012

WHAT:                       William P. Gorman Fort Banks Elementary School in Winthrop, MA will be joining schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 3, 2012. Parents will walk with their children to school from home or a designated meet-up area nearby school.

                                   

WHERE:                    Walks with designated group leaders will start from 3 locations:

1.    Public Lot on George St./ Winthrop St.; 0.59 mi to school

2.    Franklin St./ Payson St. along Veteran’s Field; 0.4 mi to school

3.    Crest Ave public lot; 0.49 mi to school

WHEN:                      Groups will meet at these areas at 7:40 AM and walking will begin by 7:50 to be at the school by 8:05 AM.      

SIGNIFICANCE:      Approximately 200 students from the Fort Banks Community will walk to school on Wednesday October 3rd, along with parents, and community leaders.

In the U.S., International Walk to School Day is expected to include more than 4,000 events across all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.

Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

The event is being organized by Dawn Sullivan, please feel free to contact with questions or ideas at des02152@comcast.net

Parents must accompany their child/children to school. There is no dropping off at the above locations.

Click here to Safety Tips for the walk to school.

Access Road Meeting, September 19

On Monday night September 19th at 6pm there will be an informational meeting at the Gorman Fort Banks Elementary School regarding the establishment of an access road off Kennedy Drive.  If any of you have ever had the pleasure of dropping off a student or picking them up, you know how challenging the traffic is. Your attendance will show your support for the efforts to alleviate this problem.

School Dropoff

For those of you who are old-timers you know how difficult school drop off at the Fortbanks can be. And for those who are new to the school, we have a legendary traffic reputation. The road configuration right now is "one way in, one way out." The key to making morning drop off work is through our parent volunteers. Do you have 15 to 20 minutes one morning a week?

All you need to do is stand in the loop from approximately 7:50 am to 8:05 to open car doors and be sure the children safely exit their vehicle and get onto the sidewalk.

What can you do to make drop off work like a machine:

• Consider installing your child's car seat on the passenger side if it is currently on the driver's side.
• Make sure your child is holding their backpack and lunch bag or have it in their immediate reach as you are entering the loop.
• Run through a check list with your child as you wait in the traffic line, "Do you have your backpack ready? Is your hat on..."
• Be cautious of pedestrians in cross walks.
• Do not park in the DPW lot.
• If you must travel with your pet during drop off. Be sure they are properly secured in their kennel or by leash. Drop off time often causes excitement or anxiety in pets. For the safety of the children, volunteers and your pet, please try to leave them for the brief time at home. Again, if they must travel with you, keep your pet secure and away from the volunteers and the exiting vehicle door.
• If your child does not know how to disconnect their seatbelt, now is the time to teach them and go over appropriate safety rules. Remind them that they should not disconnect their belt until the vehicle comes to a full stop.
• As the driver, DO NOT EXIT THE VEHICLE! This is why we ask for volunteers. Pull your car up to a volunteer and they will open your child's door.

Please add your name and e-mail to the comments if you are able to volunteer. Note, this information will not be posted on the blog but will be forwarded to the PTO.

No Parking Zone Enforcement

Please be aware that the police are now enforcing the No Parking area along Kennedy Drive. Do not park or leave your vehicle unattended or it will be ticketed.

Support for Traffic and Pedestrian Safety - 2/15 Town Council Meeting

One of our Gorman Fort Banks parents, Scott Kinsella, would like you all to be aware that he will be attending the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, February 15. He hopes to make the Council aware of the ongoing issues of traffic and pedestrian safety along Kennedy Drive and request a short term solution as the town pursues an access road. As parents, we are all concerned about the safety of our children. We hope you will have the time to attend to show your support. Below is Mr. Kinsella's request to the PTO:

There is a Town Council meeting tomorrow night at 7.  I feel strongly we present the petition to the Council, along with a packet of information (I will print)...

1)  The Dave Hickey letter sent home in the backpacks in December.

2)  My emails to the Manager from June '10 and the one's from last week.

3) The picture of the truck blocking traffic taken last week (I had 20 color copies made).  I am working on a poster-size one so it can be seen on TV.

The link to the agenda for the meeting is below.  The public comment is at the very beginning (that way we can leave once we've said our piece).  I don't want to do this unless we can get some bodies there and we all stand up together.  I think the situation at the school Friday morning where the firetrucks had trouble getting down the road is a great catalyst for a broader discussion with the council.

http://www.town.winthrop.ma.us/Pages/WinthropMA_Calendar/S02EA5B5C-02EA5B8C.0/doc20110211115542.pdf

My home email is sckinsella@yahoo.com

Let's do this...