The end of the school year is fast approaching and here are some important things that you need to know and a couple I need your input on. It's certainly been a learning experience for me but one that has brought with it a lot of fulfillment. The kids and parents of Almond have been great and I almost hate to see the school year come to and end :)2009 Awards Ceremony !
The kids have done an outstanding job. We are going to do this a little differently than the way the other Freiker schools have done awards. Everybody will get something so don't worry :-) We are going to recognize 3 different groups of riders. I will send the names of the kids in each group to everyone the weekend before.
- Group 1 - These are the kids that have not missed a day since the program started. They will each get an iPod shuffle for all of their hard work. There are about 8 of these kids. They will be recognized at the 8:30am assembly on Monday, June 8th in front of the whole school. There are 4 of them that will be the masters of ceremony and will get a special treat as well. This crew is destined to become the mail carriers (Neither snow nor rain nor heat of day nor gloom of night shall stay these Almond students from the swift completion of their journey before the Freikometer shuts off).
- Group 2 - These are the kids that have ridden 75% of the time. There will be a drawing for gifts that range from a $50 savings bond, bike helmet, bike computers and tail lights. There are about 60 kids in this group. They will be called to a special assembly on Tuesday, June 9th at 2:00pm
- Group 3 - These are the rest of the Almond Freikers. They will each receive a bag of goodies for there efforts. This includes a lime green Freiker bracelet, some jelly belly beans, a bicycle water bottle and some stickers. These will be given out in class.
We will meet in the Almond School parking lot at 1:00pm on Sunday, May 24th. Please wear your helmets.
We'll take the kids on a journey over to Egan Jr. High. If you have a graduating 6th grader who will be moving on to Egan next year, this will be a great time to learn the Panchita Way cut-through and where the bike racks are located at Egan. The approach to Egan is a little tricky if you are crossing at Portola and San Antonio. We'll stop and talk about the right way to navigate that corner - there are a couple of options. We'll do a little tour of the campus as well. From there, we'll head down Los Altos Ave. and into downtown where we can stop at Baskin-Robbins to cash in some of those ice cream awards that have been accumulating :-P
We have 3 Freiker Rolls events that work up to our grand finale at Hidden Villa. Each one builds a little more on the last. If anyone wants to volunteer to help me for the Hidden Villa trip, let me know - I need all the help I can get!
- May 31st @ 10:30am - Freiker Rolls to Redwood Grove: Bring a picnic lunch with you (a backpack works fine) and we'll take a nature walk around Redwood Grove. We'll also hang out in the shade of Shoop Park while the kids burn off some extra energy. Approx 5 miles.
- June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been there? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles.
- June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles.
In the Almond library for Wed, June 27th from 7-8:00pm.
I want to talk to all of the Almond parents about what has worked with the program and what has not. What can we do to make the program more effective next year? My goal is to see us push the ridership up to 25% of the student population. While we will then need more bike racks at the school - IMHO, that's a good problem to have!
- We have about 50% of the student body signed up for Freiker. What about the other 50% who didn't? What would have helped them get over the hump?
- We now have about 20% of the school commuting to school by walking or biking every day. What about the other 80%?
- We have kids that ride and walk every day but aren't Freikers... why not?
- I've had lots of questions about t-shirts, etc. I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Would you buy them if they were offered?
- We were going to change a registration fee this year. I actually wanted to but someone talked me out of it - it was a good thing :) I don't want to change one next year either but store-to-store solicitation is a lot of work. What are you thought?
Freiker Night for LASD !
In the Almond multi-purpose room on Wed, Jun 3, from 7-8:00pm.
As you all know, there has been lots of interest from other schools about the Freiker program but there is also very little understanding about what it is and how it works. Can you imagine that? Now you know what the pioneers must have felt like... :)
Anyway, Egan has a grant for a Freikometer and Santa Rita has just been offered a grant for a Freikometer - now they just need to come find out what that all means to them. Anyone of the Almond parents that wants to come and share their perspective on Freiker are welcome. You folks probably have a lot more credibility and expertise about this program than most people on the planet. I'll be giving an overview of the program and walking through the Almond program for this year, the costs, where the efforts go and the logistics of setting it up.
Unregistered Freikers !
I still have a lot of folks who have not yet registered their Freikers at www.freiker.org. If you aren't registered, I CAN NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD THEIR JUST REWARD! As they say at Nike... Just Do It! Here are the culprits...
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Anyway, that's all for now. If you have any questions, you know how to get ahold of me.
EVERY RIDE COUNTS !
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