Summer flew by, and another school year is already upon us, with the majority of Archuleta County’s students set to return to classrooms on Monday, Aug. 31.
The new school year brings with it excitement, a fresh start and so much opportunity.
We wish all of the students, educators, administrators, other school officials and parents/guardians a happy, successful school year full of growth, adventure and learning.
We can’t wait to see the successes of the students and staff, and to report to on a few of the many highlights we know will come.
We also wish everyone a safe school year and, as usual, we’d like to offer a few safety reminders.
Following are safety tips from the American Red Cross that can help our students have a safe year (some of the tips can help us to be safer pedestrians, too).
If your student is younger or going to school for the first time, teach them:
• Their phone number, address, how to get in touch with their parents at work, how to get in touch with another trusted adult and how to dial 911.
• Not to talk to strangers or accept rides from someone they don’t know.
If your child walks to school, teach them to:
• Walk on the sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing traffic.
• Stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.
• Cross the street at the corner, obey traffic signals and stay in the crosswalk ( and, in our case, ensure they know where they can and cannot safely walk with the ongoing construction).
• Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars.
If your student takes the bus to school, teach them to:
• Get to their bus stop early and stand away from the curb while waiting for the bus to arrive.
• Board the bus only after it has come to a complete stop and the driver or attendant has instructed them to get on. And teach them to only board their bus, never an alternate one.
• Stay in clear view of the bus driver and never walk behind the bus.
If your student rides their bike to school, teach them to:
• Always wear a helmet.
• Ride on the right in the same direction as the traffic is going.
If you drive your child to school, teach them to:
• Always wear a seat belt. Younger children should use car seats or booster seats until the lap-shoulder belt fits properly.
If you have a teenager driving to school, make sure they:
• Use seat belts.
• Don’t use their cellphone to text or make calls, and avoid eating or drinking while driving.
Drivers should remember to slow down, and remember:
• Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is getting ready to stop — slow down and be prepared to stop.
• Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign indicate the bus is stopped and children are getting on or off.
And, as a reminder, motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped. Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
We wish all those in our education community a wonderful, educational, fun and safe school year.
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