School Grounds

Spring has sprung in the Ross Road Front Garden, thanks to the Front Garden Clean-up Crew!

/ Ross Road PAC

The front garden at Ross Road is our pride and joy! We walk by it every day and enjoy seeing the greenery, the trees and the warm colour of the mulch.

Well… without the hard work of Ross Road parents, this lovely green entrance to our children’s school would be a hard concrete surface, because the School District can no longer afford to maintain it! Many parents at RR already know this, but just in case there’s still someone out there who hadn’t heard, we thought it worth mentioning once again!

This past month, Shan Bodie, our talented and dedicated new front garden coordinator, gathered a group of parents to take care of some spring clean-up out front and what an amazing job they did! They pulled out the weeds, pruned everything and added new landscape fabric (much needed) and a truck load of new mulch – all of which took place in the course of a very long Saturday in April! Thank you very much to Shan for stepping up to coordinate this work! We very much appreciate that!

Many thanks also to Karen Vannierop and Don, Pieter and Leo MacDonald, Anja and Ben Andrew, Madeline Tattersall, Kim Ivany, Jackie and Peter Hicks, Alison Hammond, Lisa Brown, and Amelia, Myles, Shan & Jeremy Bodie for all their work on the front garden that day.

The garden is now at a point where a little maintenance and weeding each year will ensure that this natural space doesn’t get paved by the District. As a community, we find this especially important, since the children of Ross Road Elementary really enjoy playing in this area and watching the flowers grow!

— Ross Road PAC

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New signs help establish a bike route to Ross Road

/ Ross Road PAC

Dear Ross Road parents,

Some of you may have noticed the new signage to control the flow of traffic down Kilkenny during the busy morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.

My daughter, Sadie, and I ride bikes to school almost every day, and we’re happy to see them.

The engineers at the department of transportation at the District of North Vancouver took an opportunity to install new “Do Not Turn” and “Bicycles Excepted” signs in early February.

The signs may have changed but nothing has practically changed for motor vehicles coming to the school.

  • Motor vehicles are prohibited from turning westbound onto Kilkenny from Hoskins and must get to the school by turning onto Bushnell from Ross Road.
  • What is different is that bicycles have been clearly and officially excepted from the turn restriction. This establishes Kilkenny as the preferred route for bicycles to get to and from Ross Road. See map below.
  • Drivers of motor vehicles should please note that while you cannot turn onto Kilkenny during the restricted times, Kilkenny remains a two-way street. You should be prepared to share the road with bicycles.
  • Bikes should come to a complete stop at the intersection of Bushnell and Kilkenny.
  • Parent volunteers with the Valet Service will stop motor vehicle traffic from making the turn so cyclists can safely cross Bushnell to the school grounds.

Sadie and I hope to see more bicycles joining us on the road, especially as the weather starts getting warmer. And drier.

If you need a little extra encouragement, you might find it in a new study [http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/kids-who-walk-or-bike-school-concentrate-better-study-shows/4585/] released last year. It found children who walked or biked to school performed better on concentration tasks than kids who didn’t. The effects lasted for up to four hours after school began.

Thanks for driving safely, and for sharing the road.

– Blaine Kyllo
(Ross Road parent)

Ross-Road-bike-route-map

Woodland Walk Community Clean-up a huge success!

/ Ross Road PAC

Message from the Ross Road Environment Club:

What a fabulous day!  What a fabulous turnout!

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Loads of families, loads of work, and loads of fun is how it went down on Saturday at the Woodland Walk Community Clean-up.  I can’t thank everyone enough who showed up and made a daunting task a very enjoyable event.  Within a few hours all of the invasive bramble had been cut and removed and a special thanks to Don and Karen MacDonald for the use of their utility trailer.

I would also like to acknowledge Delany’s for their generous donation of hot coffee, which kept us buzzing, and to John “The Tree Surgeon” for hauling away the mountain of debris and trimmings.

I was amazed to see so many children willing and eager to help out. What a wonderful opportunity it was for the parents to act as role models and share the benefits of volunteering with their children.  Although I’m not sure who was role modelling whom?

A job well done.

Thanks,
Gillian Gorton and the Environment Club Team.

Each year the school district strongly suggests they remove all of the trees and bushes on the property for a low maintenance playground.  The general consensus from the parents is that they are opposed to this and have promised to maintain the upkeep as a community.

The belief is that the natural setting of the greenery encourages free play and imagination.  The Environment Club wishes to enhance this with the addition of the Woodland Walk.  This, however, puts the onus on the Parent Body to maintain the grounds.  All help on Community Clean-up Days is very much needed and appreciated.  Stay tuned for future projects and ways to get involved.

Ross Road “Valet Service” is up and running again…and needs parent volunteers!

/ Ross Road PAC

As promised, the Ross Road Valet Service began on the first full day of school and it was a huge success! It was amazing how smoothly the first morning drop-off went!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:

  • This valuable service is run 100% by parent and student volunteers and so to keep it going throughout the year we need more parent volunteers to step forward.
  • The time commitment is small – it only involves volunteering for 25 minutes (from 8:25am to 8:50am), one day a week for one month.
  • If you can help out now or in the future, please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com

The Valet Service runs from 8:30 am to 8:45 am, Monday to Friday in order to help relieve the congestion in the drop-off zone (see map below) during the morning rush and to ensure the roads in front of the school are safe for pedestrians and drivers.

To help the valet service run smoothly, here are a few important points to remember:

  • Look for the volunteers in the safety vests and follow their directions.
  • Have your children ready to go (i.e. jackets on, backpacks with them, explain to them that you will not be getting out of the car)
  • There is NO PARKING in the drop-off zone.
  • All drivers must remain in their cars.
  • If you would like to walk your children to class, please park in the designated area on Ross Road or Kilkenny Road.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Ross Road Front Garden – what an amazing transformation!

/ Ross Road PAC

The Ross Road front garden was a wild tangle of overgrown plants in September 2010…now after many months of planning and hard work it is a beautiful, colourful, thoughtfully laid out oasis for the Ross Road Community to enjoy each day!

It has also provided a wonderful educational experience for many students. Members of the Environment Club and several classes have planted edible plants (peas, lettuce, strawberries etc) in pots and raised beds and are looking forward to harvesting the fruits of their labours!

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The front garden project was an ENORMOUS amount of work for parent volunteers who in the fall of 2010 pulled out every single overgrown plant and then replanted some of the best shrubs along with some new fall and spring flowering perennials. The second stage, in the spring of 2011, involved laying down mulch and rocks, and installing and filling the raised beds with plants.

A huge thank you goes out to Susan Chalmers who did so much work and took the lead on this project. Those helping out included: Kirsten Clarke, Lene Burgmann, Simone Stewart, Johanna Mantinsen, Bettina Harris, Janice Sardari, Tiffany Hillier, Sophia McDonald, Layne and Michael Christensen, Dale Weidman, Ruben Sluis, Kristen Oostinde and any others we may have missed! Also a big thank you to John Terjesen who donated some bark mulch, Nicole and Santi Palacios for the rocks, and Karen and Don MacDonald for the wood to make the raised beds.

Thank you to Gillian Gorton for her work with the Environment Club and to the Environment Club members for maintaining their “Edible Garden of Eat-In” pots in the front garden so conscientiously!

“Project Safety” Valet Service will continue in September!

/ Ross Road PAC

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We are happy to announce that due to the success of the Project Safety pilot project, the Project Safety valet service will be offered throughout the next school year!

Thank you to all the parent and student volunteers who showed up each morning and courteously and safely helped students out of their cars, and also to drivers for supporting this service and helping to keep the traffic flowing smoothly during the busy morning drop-off period.

Volunteers are always welcome! If you are interested helping out next school year, please contact Nancy Barton: nancybinbc@hotmail.com.

Thank you,
Nancy Barton

Gardening help still needed!

/ Ross Road PAC / Leave a comment

The garden at the front of the school is looking lovely with its seasonal blooms, but is in need of a spring clean-up!

Susan Chalmers will be working on the front garden over the next few weeks every morning from drop-off (8:40 am) till kindergarten pick-up time (11:14 am) and is still looking for helpers! Even an hour of people’s time would be much appreciated.

Show up with a proper shovel, maybe a garden recycling bag or two, coffee and lots of cheer for a morning of fun and weeding!

Project Safety begins on Monday May 2nd. Are you ready?

/ Ross Road PAC

Project Safety is a pilot project for the month of May offering a valet service in the drop-off zone at Ross Road.  It will run from 8:30 am to 8:45 am, Monday to Friday.  It is our hope that this program will help relieve the congestion in the drop-off zone (see map below) during the morning rush as well as ensure the roads in front of the school are safe for pedestrians and drivers.

To make Project Safety a success there are a few important points to remember:

  • Look for the volunteers in the safety vests and follow their directions.
  • Have your children ready to go (i.e. jackets on, backpacks with them, explain to them that you will not be getting out of the car)
  • There is NO PARKING in the drop off zone.
  • All drivers must remain in their cars.
  • If you would like to walk your children to class, please park in the designated area on Ross Road or Kilkenny Road.

For more information about Project Safety, click here.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Project Safety – call for volunteers!

/ Ross Road PAC

Click image to read more about Project Safety

Thank you to all the volunteers who have stepped forward to participate in Project Safety, the pilot project featuring a valet service at the morning drop-off.  Plans are coming together to introduce the service during the month of May.

We still need volunteers to make it a successful project so if you can help out one morning a week for 20 minutes please contact Nancy Barton at nancybinbc@hotmail.com.

Thank you,
Nancy Barton

Other PAC News:
• The latest PAC e-newsletter has been released, click here to view/download
• The next PAC General Meeting is Wednesday, May 25th – details to follow
This is also our Annual General Meeting so please join us for an evening of grassroots democracy, refreshments and discussions about our fundraising efforts! ELECTIONS WILL ALSO BE HELD for Executive positions on the PAC next year – consider getting involved!


“Project Safety” is starting in May! And we need volunteers!

/ Ross Road PAC

During the month of May, the Ross Road PAC, with the support of the administration at Ross Road School, is launching “Project Safety.”

It is our hope that this program will help relieve the congestion in the drop-off zone during the morning rush as well as ensure the roads in front of the school are safe for pedestrians and drivers.

What is “Project Safety”?
Starting in May, it will be a valet-style drop-off zone at Ross Road from 8:30 am to 8:45 am, to help students exit from their cars and also to direct traffic and clear congestion.

How will it work?
Look for volunteers in safety vests. Follow their directions and pull into the line of cars. When it’s your turn, a volunteer will open the door and help your child out of the car. It’s easy – you do not have to park or get out of your car. Please have your children ready to go (jackets on, backpacks with them, explain to them that you will not be getting out of the car) and follow the directions of the volunteers. Pull up as far ahead as possible to let other parents follow in.

Do I have to use it?
No, of course not, you are welcome to park safely in any legal parking zone along Ross Road and Kilkenny and walk your children over to the school.

What can I do to make this work?
Volunteer! We are looking for volunteers to help make this project work.  The time commitment is very small, about 20 minutes in the morning one day a week. Volunteers can pick the days they wish to help.  We need two adult volunteers per day to work with three intermediate student volunteers.

If you can help, please contact Nancy Barton:
nancybinbc@hotmail.com

Thank you!