In February 2009, St. Thomas Aquinas published its first Safe Routes to School Plan. The Plan outlines recommendations for ways in which to increase the number of students who choose to walk and bike to school.

Recommendations are grouped into four categories:

• Encouragement
• Enforcement
• Education
• Engineering

Based on the recommendations of the Plan, a Safe Routes to School Committee has been formed to begin implementing these initiatives.

Several useful documents have been developed as part of the plan for use in implementation. Please feel free to browse the following links to find more information about the walking and biking in general and about the final elements of the plan, specifically:

• STA Safe Routes to School Plan
• Safety tips for kids
• Safety tips for parents
• STA preferred walking and biking route map

The following links provide useful information about STA's Walking School Buses!! Walking School Buses were a bit hit on Walk to School Day and throughout the 2009-2010 school year. The following information has been updated for the fall 2010 walking school buses, which will begin for the new school year on August 19th (mornings only). The following routes will be operational on the designated days of the week beginning August 19, 2010:

• Red Route: 5 days a week! (52nd/Kenwood at 7:30am)
• Blue Route: Tuesdays and Thursdays (46th/Sunset at 7:25am)
• Green Route: 5 days a week! (43rd/Illinois at 7:40am)
• Purple Route: 5 days a week! (44th/Penn at 7:30am)
• Orange Route: Monday and Wednesday (49th/Penn at 7:30am - Sullivan's Hardware)

Maps and Additional Walking School Bus Information

• Walking School Bus Guidebook
• 2010-2011 Walking School Bus Schedule and Driver Assignments (updated Aug 19, 2010)
• Walking School Bus Route Map (updated Aug 18, 2010)
• Note: See FAQ Part 2 below for more information about Walking School Buses and how you can join one!

And finally, a series of Frequently Asked Questions came home with students in September / October 2009 as part of School Scoops. These 1-page documents provided additional information about the program and the committee's plans. The following links connect you to those fact sheets:

FAQs

• Part 1: What is Safe Routes to School and how is STA involved? (School Scoops 09/23/09)
• Part 2: What is Walk to School Day and how will STA participate? (School Scoops 09/30/09)
• Part 3: How can I be involved? (School Scoops 10/03/09)

For more information on the program or to volunteer, please contact committee chair Jennifer Pyrz at 317.224.9529 or pyrz@pbworld.com.