Walk to Anywhere Week, a celebration of walking
Like everything, we changed our traditional Walk to School Day to adjust for our virtual learning environment so this year we hosted a Walk to Anywhere Week Oct. 5-9. Minnesotans came through and made this event their own! Many schools celebrated for a week and focused on both walking and biking, other schools are celebrating all month long with activities. Families engaged in the activities as well as Physical Education teachers adding materials to their curriculum. This year continues to prove that walking is easy, accessible and fun for kids and families even during a pandemic.
Our three photo contest winners sharing where they like to walk:
Ideas for everyone
We still have resources you can use—these can be used in-school, by classroom or PE teachers in a distance-learning context and by families at home:
Grant solicitations open through Nov. 25
Fall funding opportunities:
New “School Streets” guide
School Streets and Park & Walk programs allow more students to experience walking and biking to school by shortening walking distances, opening up streets for learning and play, and providing adult supervision. Best of all, they can be quickly implemented at little to no cost to schools. Check out the new guide and consider implementing this year!
School Streets are temporary car-free zones adjacent to or leading up to a school that are strategically closed to vehicle traffic and open to children walking, biking and rolling. School Streets help manage traffic and improve safety during school arrival and dismissal by eliminating vehicle congestion in front of schools and creating an environment where children can safely walk, bike, roll, play and learn before, during and after school.
MnSRTS Network survey
Have you joined the monthly MnSRTS Network Calls? It is that time of year when we assess our activities to inform how best to support SRTS next year. Please take the 2020 MN Network survey. We are asking questions about this year and interests for future Network calls, training and general comments. It only takes a few minutes to complete.
Never been on the Network Calls? If you’d like to join us on the third Thursday of every month from 10-11:00 a.m., please email center.communications@bluecrossmn.com
Student transportation COVID-19 Resources
This year, schools may be changing from in-person to hybrid or virtually quickly and looking for transportation opportunities with minimal spread of germs. We have resources to support walking and biking to school, a low viral transmission way to arrive to school ready to learn.
Find tool and ideas at MnSRTS COVID-19 resources for Safe Routes to School.
Safe Routes National Partnership has released back to school recommendations for Safe Routes to School programming and SRTS school messaging guide.
Please reach out to saferoutes.DOT@state.mn.us if you need any technical assistance.
Upcoming events
Dec. 10th at 11:00 a.m. – MN SRTS network call
Share and learn with those working on SRTS from across Minnesota.
To join the Minnesota Safe Routes to School Network, email center.communications@bluecrossmn.com
More about MnSRTS
Visit: mnsaferoutestoschool.org
Follow us on Facebook! facebook.com/MinnesotaSafeRoutestoSchool
MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all. If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or other reasonable accommodation, or need documents in an alternative format (such as braille or large print), please email your request to Janet Miller at ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720.
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