As we return for the new term, so does the traffic congestion around the school before and after school.

We have worked with the Stonnington Council to put plans in place to help with traffic flow around the school and to provide options for parents as they get their children to and from school.

All the planning and discussion in the world won’t solve the problem however if parents do not follow the directions and traffic / parking rules and be prepared to walk a little further to get their children safely to school.

We understand that some mornings are rushed and that you have to get to work or an appointment quickly, but the safety of your child and others must come first. If one or more mornings each week are a bit tricky, we also have Out of School Hours Care that may be able to take some pressure off.

The plans we have in place have two basic aims:

Student safety – having students walk or cycle/scoot to school safely
Reduce the congestion – by designing a constant flow of cars along Tooronga Road using the two ‘Kiss and Go’ zones. This means children are not put at risk by parents double parking, etc on Tooronga Road.

Some of the strategies we have put in place and are asking parents to support us with include:

Where possible walk to ride with your child to school from home
Park further away from the school and walk your child to the school from there, or if your child is old enough have them walk from a drop off point further away from school
Use the Kiss and Go to stop briefly to drop your child/ren off. This is particularly useful if you don’t have time to walk your child into school or they are too young to walk themselves all the way to school. Parents cannot park and leave their cars in the Kiss and Go zones to drop children off, they must remain at the car
In the afternoon, arrange a place outside the school to pick up your child if they are old enough to walk there by themselves
Obey the road rules, particularly around the school at busy times. This includes but is not limited to, not doing a u-turn on Tooronga Road, particularly at the traffic light. This is so dangerous for all road users, but in particular our children
Using the crossing appropriately. You must cross in a straight line across the crossing. If you cut corners (J Walk) you are putting your child’s safety at risk, not only at the time but when at some time in the future your child copies the behaviour when they don’t have an adult with them to protect them
When you are spoken to by a staff member or a Traffic Inspector, don’t ignore their guidance, it is coming from a place of concern and care both for you and your child, and that your response is respectful
Remember that your child/ren will observe everything you do and your responses to others, they will also copy this behaviour when you are not around. As annoying as it can sometimes be, please think safety first.
If you have time on the weekend, teach your child/ren about road safety by using the roads with them and talking to them about the rules you are following. This will mean as they are old enough to travel by themselves, they have a better idea about road safety. This can include: not running/riding/scooting out from between cars, looking both ways as they cross a road, keeping to the left of the footpath, using traffic lights correctly, getting out on the footpath side of the car (unless you are the driver), wearing seatbelts, etc.

Along side the measures at the school the Council has also put other safety measures in around the surrounding streets to improve the safety of parents and children as they walk, ride/scoot to school. This includes speed humps to slow down traffic.

Road safety is the responsibility of us all. Please remember as you move around the school that children are unpredictable and that the rules are there to protect them from harm.

Please think Safety First.

Robyn James

GRADE 3 NEWS

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