There was an excited group testing to be sure the wheels on the bus do, in fact, go around on Aug. 21 at Lindale Elementary School — and spoiler alert, they sure do.
The First Rider program invited first-time students and their parents to give riding the school bus a test run prior to the first day of school. It’s meant to ease anxieties in both parents and kids, as well as give the new bus rider’s the run-down on bus rules and safety.
Prairie South School Division has been operating the program for a number of years, but this year they joined with the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, as well as the Moose Jaw Police Service and the City of Moose Jaw to promote the event.
“[We’re all here] to help families realize we're all working together on behalf of their children, and that's what today's all about,” said Sean Chase, director of Holy Trinity Catholic School Division. “If we can lower any fears they have about being on the bus, we hope for a much smoother experience for them for the first day.”
The program is usually well-attended, according to PSSD director Tony Baldwin, and this year was no exception between the four sessions hosted over Aug. 20 and 21.
“It's really exciting to do it with some of our partners who are just as worried about kids and families as we are,” said Baldwin. “It's a chance for [us at the school division] to make some connections with moms and dads and let them see we care about their kids. It's not about caring about two hundred kids, it's about caring for one kid two hundred times.”
The nervous group of new students was taught the rules of the bus and what to do while getting on or off, as well as how to behave while waiting for the bus to arrive.
Two buses loaded up parents and kids alike and bounced over to St. Michael Elementary School, where kids got to see how the bus will drop them off, before loading back up to return to Lindale School.
The return trip challenged the kids to pick a seat without their parent, and practice riding solo — to help with the child’s confidence and the parent’s anxieties.
MJPS Chief Rick Bourassa was happy to see so many attentive faces learning about being safe around schools.
“We're always interested in working with our schools to enhance student safety and public safety,” said Bourassa. “It's good to see people engaged in all of us as a community working to keep people safe.”
With the joint-use school in Moose Jaw’s future, and the integrated transportation schedule that the two school divisions have agreed upon, all parties involved are looking ahead to continued collaboration between school divisions.
“[Prairie South and Holy Trinity] are doing something awesome and I appreciate that, and I look forward to more initiatives like this,” said Tolmie. “I can only endorse this and say that it's going to be successful, and hats off to both school boards for coming together and making this happen.”
