D-P Catholic board offering Young Rider Orientation day

May 24, 2018 · 0 Comments

A free Young Rider Orientation Day on August 25 will help new students feel more comfortable taking the school bus. This year, approximately 65,000 Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board students will ride the school bus each day. Both boards have provided joint busing service since 1994.

Now in its 26th year, this orientation will give children confidence when riding the bus to and from school and will reinforce the importance of bus safety. Parents and children will watch a bus safety video, discuss their bus safety concerns and ride on a school bus.

The program, designed for Kindergarten children and their elementary-aged siblings, as well as eligible French Immersion students, will run every hour between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.

To help children feel more at ease with their first school bus experience, parents can:

– Talk about bus rides as fun adventures. Parents should try not to be anxious in front of their children.

– Establish a routine by taking a few walks to the bus stop before the first day of school.

– Keep children organized. A backpack is easier for students to carry than many small items.

– Make sure children recognize their bus stop location and carry identification in case they get lost.

– Teach bus safety rules – listen to the bus driver’s instructions, stay seated on the bus and respect other students

– Teach traffic safety. If children must cross the street to get to the bus stop, remind them to wait until the bus stops, activates its flashing lights and the stop arm before they look in both directions and cross.

The school bus orientation sessions are available at six locations throughout Peel Region, including Humberview Secondary School in Bolton.

For more information and additional bus safety information, please visit www.stopr.ca.

STOPR is a consortium formed by an agreement between the Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board for the purpose of providing a common administration of transportation services for students residing in Peel Region.