Hamilton's Wear Yellow Days are coming back!!

Wear Yellow and Walk to School Day

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 is Wear Yellow Day, Join the Movement!

Celebrate active transportation by wearing yellow.

On June 5th, schools and parents are encouraged to allow children to wear yellow clothing and support students and staff using active transportation (walking, cycling, rolling, bus) to get to school.  Parents that must drive can park 1km away and let students walk in to join in on the fun.  Remember to 'turn it off' when parked as Hamilton has a no-idling by-law.

Your Tree Poster is a 5 foot high Tree of Active Transportation. Students and staff will add a leaf to the tree when they walk, cycle or roll to school. Schools are encouraged to make their own 'leaves' to stick to the tree on Wear Yellow Day. Once your tree is complete, take a picture of the tree with participating students and submit it to WearYellowDay@gmail.com

Register your school! The most creative schools that submit pictures and have high participation rates will win an honourable mention! Your picture and participation rate will be posted on the Wear Yellow Day website where only the top schools will get recognition.

• Photo (maximum of 2 original, un-modified photos at minimum 300dpi) of participating students with their Tree of Active Transportation (be creative!)
• Number of students in your school
• Number of leaves on the tree or number of staff and students that participated on the day
• Principal’s contact information and name of school

Photos will be judged based on participation and creativity.

*NEW FOR 2013*

Those schools that have participated in at least two Wear Yellow Days in a calendar year will receive a certificate and letter from the mayor recognizing the school's annual effort in promoting sustainable and healthy ways of travelling to school! Your school could be the first school to receive this certificate and letter!

February 2012 winner Immaculate Conception!

Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School was named the winner in a highly competitive winter edition of Wear Yellow Day!  The number of great entries was so overwhelming that the judges decided to award Special Award status to St Marguerite D'Youville and Holy Name of Jesus schools as well.  Congratulations to all of the great participants and start brainstorming for the next Walk to School Day in June of 2012.

In addition to the initial package you will receive, please see the Resources section below for sample letters to parents and promotional materials.

Resources

Contacts

Public Health

Kelly Scott

kelly.scott@hamilton.ca

Public Works

Peter Topalovic

peter.topalovic@hamilton.ca

Resources for Students and Teachers

• SAMPLE Principal Notification Letter
• SAMPLE Poster
• SAMPLE Morning Announcement Script
• Shoe and Bike Leaves Template

Resources for Parent Council and Parents

• SAMPLE Parent Council Notification Letter
• SAMPLE Parents Notification Letter

Do you want to do more active travelling?

October is International Walk to School Month (IWALK)

IWALK is an international event promoting active travel to school and around the community

Register your school at www.saferoutestoschool.ca/registration

 Find useful IWALK resources at www.saferoutestoschool.ca/international-walk-school-daymonth

October 2011 winner Holy Name of Jesus School

Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Elementary School was named the winner of the October 2011 edition of Wear Yellow Day.  They embraced the creative spirit and enthusiasm that this event has inspired over the past two years and had students and staff create an image of the Sun.  Congratulations to everyone.

June 2011 winner St. Margaret Mary school was celebrated in the HWCDSB news

October 2010 Winning School for the Banner Competition

St. Margaret D'Youville

Over 500 students and staff from the central mountain school of St. Marguerite d’Youville in Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board participated in International Walk to School Day in October 2010.

Students wore yellow and walked or biked to school. The school took up the challenge with the City of Hamilton’s Smart Commute Active Transportation Team in finding eco-friendly alternatives getting to school and the school won the Smart Commute Challenge.

Classes also participated in Daily Physical Activity (DPA), using walking to promote a healthier life style. The EcoTeam and HAT Healthy Action Team) arranged for a photo session where everyone helped build a human tree and held up green leaves to show their commitment to active transportation.

This is a great example of an activity combining environmental learning and action with whole school engagement. This initiative could be claimed for points toward certification in the Environmental Stewardship section of the EcoSchools program.