The Safe Routes to School team at Cupertino High School (CHS) was showcased by the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) at their February board meeting. Each year, each school site picks one student group to be recognized for their great work in the CHS community. This year, SR2S was selected! The school’s SRTS team, comprised of students and parents and led by Assistant Principal Steve Puccinelli, meets monthly throughout the school year to discuss all things related to walk and roll safety and encouragement on campus. They assess conditions and attitudes among students for walking and rolling, create solutions to safety problems, and plan encouragement and educational events on campus throughout the year. Some of their most impactful projects include leading ‘Bike Trains’ during orientation each year where incoming freshmen can join a guided bike group ride to school to learn their safest route to school, hosting ‘Don’t Drive for Donut’ days on campus, and hosting a bike drive and bike repair clinic on campus. We are continually inspired by the effective and passionate efforts of this team and are so proud!

We Celebrated our 100th Working Group Meeting with a Bike Rodeo!

There is no better way to celebrate the 100th meeting of the Safe Routes to School Working Group than to ride bikes together. To celebrate, the team took it out on two wheels last Wednesday afternoon.

Mayor Moore joined the regular Working Group members for a bike rodeo featuring useful skills like navigating a narrow bridge, weaving through obstacles, and tossing a newspaper onto a porch.  The Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office was on hand to make sure all riders came to a full and complete stop at the stop sign.  The team then mingled and enjoyed refreshments together with some of its newest high school representatives and parent volunteers who’ve been on the team since the first working group meeting in 2016. We're now full speed ahead for the next 100 Working Group meetings! 

Countywide Bike Rack Decorating Contest Open for Entry

Calling all students and schools to bring out your creative talents to compete against schools all over the county for the best decorated bike rack! Racks may be decorated any time from April 1^st to May 15^th with photos of finished artwork due May 15^th.  The winning school will host the perpetual trophy and have bragging rights until next year. The first 20 schools to sign up will even receive a starter decorating kit! Last year’s winner was our very own Sedgwick Elementary School – we highly encourage all of our schools to join in the fun this year!

Learn more about how to register your school here: www.sccphd.org/walkbikeevents.

E-Bikes & Youth Safety- Community Meeting on May 6!

Join us for a community meeting on Youth E-Bike Safety on Wednesday May 6, from 6- 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be in-person at Cupertino Community Hall, with the option to join online.

The session will feature presentations from Bob Mittelstaedt of EBike Access and Gwen Froh of Marin Safe Routes to School, and will cover current trends, legal considerations, and youth e-bike use in Bay Area schools. Their presentation will be followed by a live Q&A - your chance to ask your questions about e-bikes and youth safety. This free, hybrid meeting is open to parents, school and district staff, enforcement partners, and community members and will share accurate information and support safer e-bike practices in Cupertino. Please join us and help us spread the word!

For more information, please visit Cupertino.gov/ebikes.

Introducing Middle School Bike Classes with E-Bike Education

Once again, we are encouraging all Middle School students to sign up for Middle School Bike Skills classes. These classes begin in June and will run throughout the summer. These in-person classes provide highly attentive on-bike skills and safety training for incoming 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders desiring to bike on their own or with friends to school (and really anywhere).

We have two new offerings in addition to our regular MSBS 101 class this year. The follow-up class, MSBS 102, will be a class specifically for e-bike riders.  In this class, students will learn how to safely ride their e-bike, which is typically faster, heavier, and less maneuverable than a regular bike (legal e-bikes only, pre-requisite is MSBS 101 or the online Smart Cycling course).  We also have a new stand-alone basic bike maintenance and repair class, MSBS 103.  You can learn more about each of these classes and sign up by visiting Cupertino.gov/saferoutes/msbs. Our first class is on June 13!

Mindful Driving Challenge: Speed Cop

Driving the speed limit on the way to school (or work) can feel torturously slow, especially when you’re running late.  The temptation is to go faster because you know you can control your car at a faster speed.  After all, you’ll get to school faster and you’re unlikely to hit anything because you’re still going “slow”.  But did you know that adding a mere 10mph will more than double the chance that any pedestrian or cyclist you might hit will be seriously or fatally hurt instead of just bruised?  That’s not a risk you want other drivers to take with your children, so don’t take it with their children.

This month we challenge you to drive at or under the posted speed limit on the way to school. Kids- you be the traffic cops, helping your parents to find the speed limit signs and monitoring your car’s speedometer.