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The long, lazy days of summer are drawing to a close and it’s almost time for students to go back to school! Classes in the Cupertino Union School District start August 18, while Fremont Union High School District classes start August 22. Amidst all the preparations – cleaning the lunch box (I thought I told you to throw out that apple core in May!) and buying new clothes (how did you grow that much in two months?!) – don’t forget to take a minute to check out how you’re going to get to and from school! Gas prices are at near record highs and your time is even more valuable. The savings from walking or biking while leaving the car at home are great. Not to mention it’s the environmentally conscious choice. And as an added bonus, using active transportation to get to school has proven academic benefits such as improving concentration.
The Safe Routes to School team here in Cupertino has gathered some resources to help you get ready for that first day. Everything from Suggested Routes to School maps, to tips on what to wear to help you stay safe, to guidelines for deciding when your kids are ready for the independence of getting to school on their own. Check it out!
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School Times Are Changing - Plan Accordingly
A new California state law is going into effect this school year which requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Advocates say teens do better in school when they're more alert, and predict even broader effects: a reduction in suicides and teen car accidents, and improved physical and mental health.
Expect traffic patterns in school neighborhoods to be different this fall. Stay alert to help keep everyone safe!
All high schools in Cupertino will have new bell times: High School Bell Schedule
Lincoln Elementary School is also changing their bell schedule to adapt to the bell times of the high school next door, and de-tangle the traffic from the two schools (more on this in the next section). Lincoln Elementary Bell Schedule
All other elementary and middle school bell times will remain the same as they were last year.
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Adaptations to Schools Closing
Starting school in the fall is always exciting and challenging at the same time. It’s extra challenging for everyone starting at a new school. Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) closed two schools in June: Regnart Elementary in Cupertino, and Meyerholz Elementary in San Jose. Almost 150 students from the Regnart school area will now go to Lincoln, and about 25 students in the Meyerholz area will go to Eaton. The City of Cupertino welcomes new families to both of these schools. The Safe Routes to School team has been collaborating with CUSD over the past nine months, helping to get ready for the influx of new families. Here are the ways we are collectively paving the way for a smooth transition:
- We’ve updated the Lincoln and Eaton suggested routes to school maps to include routes for families in the Regnart and Meyerholz areas:
- The City’s traffic engineers are adding new short-term parking options behind Lincoln Elementary School on Fort Baker and Hyannisport to facilitate pick-up and drop-off. See the new Pick-up and Drop-off flyer.
- The two school districts have collaborated to stagger start times of the schools in the tri-school area (Lincoln Elementary, Kennedy Middle, and Monta Vista High). This is meant to untangle the schools' morning traffic so it's not so concentrated all at once.
- In a great example of partnership, Monta Vista High School is allowing Lincoln Elementary School families to park in the "Cell Phone Waiting" area of their student parking lot before school. This will enable Lincoln families to avoid the traffic snarls on McClellan and Bubb, park near school, then walk with other families to Lincoln. This is great for traffic reduction, gives kids a chance to walk to school even if they live too far to walk from home, and has the potential to build community. We love to see our partners working together for the greater good!
- Eaton is also considering a "Meet and Walk" spot in the mornings at the Cupertino Library - to reduce traffic in front of the school and to build community by walking together.
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Let’s all do the Traffic Dance!
Navigating traffic is a little like dancing - it works best when your partners know what you plan to do.
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Communicate!
Made eye contact with everyone at the intersection and clearly signal any stops and turns.
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Be Visible!
Drivers can’t avoid you if they can’t see you. Wear bright colors and ride with a buddy. Use the pedestrian crossing flags to appear taller and be more visible when walking across the street.
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Be Predictable!
Dancing to your own tune is fun, but not in the middle of the street. Ride in straight lines, signal any turns, and don’t cross the street mid-block.
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Everyone in the City has a part to play in keeping our kids safe, which is why Safe Routes to School is a partnership. Below are some ways you can help.
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Sign up To Be a Parent Champion at Your Child’s School!
Work with us to ensure that your child's school is educating and encouraging students to walk, bike, and carpool to school. We're especially looking for parents at these schools:
Collins
Eaton
Faria
Garden Gate
Hyde
Sedgwick
Stevens Creek
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Sign up for a Middle School Bike Skills Clinic!
These workshops are designed for students who will be in middle school this fall. They prepare students to ride to school and beyond with lessons on the rules of the road, bike handling skills drills, and a neighborhood bike ride to tie all the lessons together.
Give your student (and yourself!) the gift of independence through bike safety. There are a few more openings left on August 20 and 27, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Cupertino Senior Center. Learn more and register here:
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Mark Your Calendars - Fall Bike Fest is Coming Soon!
 Join us on Saturday, September 24 for the City’s annual Fall Bike Fest! This year, the festival is moving to a slightly different location: Civic Center Plaza and Torre Avenue. Torre will be closed to cars for the occasion to make way for the event. This new location is sure to provide a more festive atmosphere!
Activities: Cupertino Safe Routes to School is working with partners to bring bike education and fun to this event: get your bike and helmet checked, decorate your bike, make a smoothie on the blender bike, create bike-themed art and poetry on flags and buttons, learn how to pump your bike tires, join a family bike ride, and kids - go through “Safe Moves City,” (pictured above) - a mini bicycle course to learn to be a safe cyclist.
Contests: You can win a prize for several categories at this year’s event: youngest rider, oldest rider, biggest group (bring your friends to the Bike Fest!), most eye-catching group theme (PG-rated outfits only please; this is a family event!), and biggest bike capacity (can you beat the 12-grocery-bag record?).
Rides: There will be two bike rides this year. A 2.5-mile kids’ ride will go through parks and include activity stops along the way. An 8-mile adult ride will highlight infrastructure projects the City is working on that will make Cupertino even more bike-friendly than it already is.
Come have fun and learn!
Fall Bike Fest
Civic Center Plaza
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
cupertino.org/bikefest
Note: This event is different than Rotary’s Fall Fun Fest, happening 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. the same day at Memorial Park. Start your day with us at Cupertino’s Fall Bike Fest, and finish it off with more fun, games, and food at the Rotary’s Fall Fun Fest!
Fall Bike Fest paid for by :
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The City of Cupertino is also always working to improve its streets. Check out this new video from the Cupertino Green Team!
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Orange Avenue
Construction crews have been hard at work all summer building brand new sidewalks along both sides of Orange Avenue from McClellan Road to Stevens Creek Boulevard. They won’t be completely done until later in the fall, but the west side should be complete by the time school starts. This project is intended to close sidewalk gaps like the one pictured here, and improve conditions along Orange Avenue for students walking to the tri-school area.
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Separated Bikeway for Kennedy Middle
A new separated bikeway along Bubb Road in front of Kennedy Middle School will be installed in the coming months. A pilot separated bikeway last April (pictured) was deemed successful, so the City is moving ahead with a permanent installation. The protective bollards arrived this week, and will be installed once the necessary equipment is ready for use (at least a month from now).
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Local Road Safety Plan
Thank you to all of you who submitted feedback for the Local Road Safety Plan! The Transportation Team received over 300 comments from all over Cupertino. City engineers are now hard at work sifting through all the feedback.
The next steps are to finish developing safety projects for all high-injury locations identified through the project, draft a final report with recommendations, and apply for grants to design and construct safety improvements.
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Join the SR2S Working Group Meetings
Cupertino's Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Working Group meetings are held via Zoom on the second Wednesday of most months. Due to summer vacation, this month's Working Group meeting will be on the fourth Wednesday: August 24th. If there's a topic you'd like the Working Group to discuss during a future meeting, email us! saferoutes@cupertino.org
Visit the link below to register, access agendas and presentations, and view the complete list of dates for this coming school year’s Working Group meetings. We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Working Group Meetings
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Important Upcoming Dates
Agenda and registration link will be posted 72 hours before each meeting at the links below.
- Wednesday, August 17, 7:00 p.m.
Bicycle Pedestrian Commission
Topics: Fall Bike Fest Coordination, Cristo Rey Drive Bicycle Striping Improvements, Bicycle Facilities Improvements
- Saturday, August 20, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Middle School Bike Skills
Cupertino Senior Center (21251 Stevens Creek Blvd)
- Wednesday, August 24, 4:00 p.m.
SR2S Working Group Meeting
Topic: School Closure Accommodations
- Saturday, August 27, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Middle School Bike Skills
Cupertino Senior Center (21251 Stevens Creek Blvd)
- Wednesday, September 14, 4:00 p.m.
SR2S Working Group Meeting
Topics: TBD
- Saturday, September 24, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Fall Bike Fest
Cupertino Civic Center Plaza
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