FCPS Safe Routes to School Http

FCPS Safe Routes to School

http.//www.fcps.edu/saferoutes

June, 2017

FCPS Sets New Record for Participation

Seventy-eight FCPS schools hosted students’ parents Fairfax County Bike to School day events in May. We welcomed ten schools as first-time A big thank you to all the police offic- Public Schools participants to the event, six middle ers, teachers, and parents who helped schools and four elementary schools. students get to school by bike! Inside This Issue: FCPS represented 1/3 of all the events Check out the pictures of the Bike to Bike to School Day 1 in Virginia. Thank you all! School events around Fairfax County. Burke ALC hosted a bike rodeo for Family Friendly Bike 2 their students with new bikes for ALC Rides in Virginia that they were able to purchase Mini Grant dates 3 through a VDOT Safe Routes to School mini grant. Two Bike Police Of- ficers from the West Springfield sta- tion were able to join the students at

their rodeo along with the school’s Follow FCPS Safe partner, Parkway Bible Church, and Routes to School on

Students at Rose Hill ES Family Friendly Bike Rides in Virginia Bike month was last month but that doesn’t mean you can’t bike throughout the summer and maybe even plan a Family Bike Ride at one of these Virginia Bike trails:

Virginia Capital Trail

Nearest Towns: Richmond, Charles City, Williamsburg

The Skinny: The completed trail offers 52 miles of pedaling pleasure

Trail Overview: The Virginia Capital Trail — over two decades in the making — is now finished. The paved, signed and well cared for path courses through the lower James River Valley, linking Richmond to Williamsburg, and connecting smaller communities in between.

Bike Rental: James City County Marina, formerly known as Eco Discovery Park, located at the eastern trailhead, among other places.

Recommended Bike Ride: Explore Virginia’s earliest colonial history on this 13.4-mile out and back pedal. Start your adventure at Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum adjacent to the site of the first successful English settlement in the new world. The trail does parallel two-lane VA Highway 5 in places. However, a vegetational screen between the path and the road does wonders for the ride. Initial segments traverse fields. A host of historical markers vies for your attention. Chickahominy Riverfront Park makes a good turnaround point, where the Chickahominy River and Deep Creek flow together before meeting the James River. After the Ride: Complete your historic bike ride with a meal at the Old Chickahominy House in nearby Williamsburg. Enjoy some good ol’ Southern cooking amid an antique store. The eatery, specializing in ham biscuits, offers a complete menu and has been an area classic since 1962. Also, visit the Jamestown portion of Colonial National Historical Park, the place where the first representative assembly in the New World took place, among those intrepid settlers who founded Jamestown.

New River Trail

Nearest Towns: Pulaski, Galax

The Skinny: Extensive rail trail travels along the mighty New River through scenic Southwest Virginia countryside

Trail Overview: The New River Trail is Virginia’s longest state park, a path extending over 57 miles. The rail trail courses along a cinder bed and over trestles that span Chestnut Creek and the New River. Occasional rapids and riverside bluffs satiate the visual palate. Pass through a 200-foot tunnel, adding mystery to a great trail. The trailside is generally forested, though is more open between Foster Falls and Pulaski, where you pass Claytor Lake, an impound- ment of the New River, and location of a fine Virginia State Park.

Bike Rental: Rentals available in Galax, Claytor Lake State Park, Foster Falls near Austinville and Pulaski. Rent at Fos- ter Falls, part of New River State Park, for recommended ride. They offer one-way bike shuttles, too.

Recommended Bike Ride: Make a 14-mile there and back adventure. Start at Foster Falls, where a state park campground, historic village and gorgeous river scenery are located. Head along the New River toward Austinville. Af- ter 1.5 miles, you will pass the historic Shot Tower, where lead bullets were made during early Virginia history. Enjoy more riverside scenery after passing under I-77. Have a picnic at the Austinville access. Ahead, pedal through an old railroad tunnel, adding to the ride. Next comes a high trestle where you can gaze down on the New River. Ahead, reach the Ivanhoe trail access, a good place to turn around, then pedal back to Foster Falls. After the Ride: Overnight at Millrace Campground at Foster Falls. The camp is in excellent condition. Be apprised: this is a tent only campground. There is much to do here: fish for walleye, bass and bream, swim, tube, or paddling. A livery offers tubes, canoes and kayaks for rent. On summer weekends, the equestrian livery is open for business, ena- bling you to ride the rail trail atop a horse! It is all part of the great New River Trail State Park experience.

More rides can be found at Blog Virginia. Other bike rides you will find include the Virginia Creeper Trail, the Mount Vernon Trail, the W & OD, and the High Bridge Trail. Happy Trails to You!

June, 2017 Page 3 Safe Routes to School programs get kids physi- cally active and take cars off the road. In the Fairfax County Public last 40 years we have seen student walking and

Schools SRTS bicycling to school decline from 48% (1969) to 13% (2009).During this same time period, the percentage of parents using Kiss and Ride has increased. The increase in Kiss and Ride users Department of Instructional Services has exacerbated traffic conditions around many Willow Oaks Center 8270 Willow Oaks Corp. Drive schools and has made it more difficult for stu- Fairfax, VA 22031 dent walkers and bicyclists to get to school.

Mini Grants $1000 Mini Grant Applications can be used to support Safe Routes to School activities and health and wellness. Apply early.

http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/ srsm_quick_start_mini -grant_program.asp Mini grant due dates:

August 10, 2017 Sept. 14, 2017 http://www.fcps.edu/ Oct. 14, 2017 saferoutes Feb. 1, 2017

March 1, 2017

April 5, 2017 *Note: These grants are federally funded and require recording in FOCUS if awarded to schools. This does not apply to grants awarded directly to PTAs.