Students at Morrish Public School (PS) have been busy connecting their learning to the changes taking place in their neighbourhood!

 

In 2017/18, Morrish PS was one of 15 TDSB schools enrolled in the TDSB’s Traffic Safety Program (TSP). This program, delivered in partnership with Green Communities Canada, supplies a dedicated facilitator to selected schools. In collaboration with TDSB staff, the school community and City of Toronto, the facilitator helps the school identify travel issues, develop workable solutions and encourage families to choose active school travel whenever possible.

 

Through their involvement in the TSP, Morrish PS was selected to participate in the City of Toronto’s Active and Safe Routes to School Pilot Project. The goal of this project is to promote active travel to school and increase safety on designated walking/biking routes. This pilot has introduced new pavement markings and signs within the school community such as painted hopscotch activities on sidewalks to encourage walking to school, and signs to encourage drivers to slow down.  

 

The school community has embraced the Active and Safe Routes to School Pilot Project and made it an integral part of this month’s math strategy for students.

 

Teachers asked students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 to develop and solve math questions using diverse strategies. “The idea was to use mathematics as a tool to explore active transportation problems and situations relevant to their everyday life,” says Principal Arif Nathoo.

 

Students’ learning included calculating the amount of steps from home to school, identifying transportation-related patterns on their route to school and analyzing the early impact of the City’s Active Safe Routes to School Pilot Project through a school-wide census.

 

“By raising awareness and beginning the conversation, we hope that more families will leave the car at home and choose to walk, or bike thus increasing safety along designated walking and biking routes to school”, adds Principal Nathoo.      

 

Parents had a chance to view their kids work during Parent-Teacher Interview Night earlier this month.  

 

To learn more about Active Transportation & Road Safety, please visit the TDSB website.