"Let's Go!" Mountainview

"Let's Go!" Bicycle Safety Program at Mountainview Elementary

At the beginning of this school year, Mike Closner, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at ESD 105, contacted Mountainview Elementary Principal, Klayton Wyckoff, to help the school participate in the launch of the “Let’s Go! Bicycle Education Program.”

Let’s Go! is a collaborative effort between the Association of Educational Service Districts, the Cascade Bicycle Club, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and others, to bring bicycle education and safety to students in Grade 3-5 with the goal to expand, eventually, to assist students through Grade 8.

The program was first launched in Seattle Public Schools in 2016. The goal is to reach 90% of Washington students by 2039. Mountainview was one of the first five schools in our region to participate! The program was provided for no cost to the school.

In November, a large “Let’s Go!” trailer was delivered to the school. The trailer contained 30 loaner bikes and helmets. During the program, the bicycles and helmets were stored on racks in the gym to minimize the time it took to access the equipment each day.

Mountainview’s teacher for Health and Fitness, Tracie Gutmann, received a one-day training to be able to effectively deliver the three-week curriculum. Cassody Leadon, Bike Program Specialist from ESD105, assisted Mrs. Gutmann each day. The program was delivered through the school’s regular PE classes in December.

Mr. Wyckoff commented, “One of the interesting things about our students at Mountainview is that some had never even been exposed to riding a bike before. While some are well-versed on a bike, others were at the beginning stages.”

The unit not only taught bicycle riding skills, it also taught road safety, hand signals, and life skills. Mrs. Leadon said, “It’s a rewarding curriculum for these kids and not only teaches them bike safety and how to ride a bike, but also transfers over to everything they are doing in school. They realize that they can do hard things, never give up, and the confidence they gain transfers over to anything they are learning.”

Working with Mrs. Gutmann and Mrs. Leadon, the school identified 4^th and 5^th graders who could use extra practice to learn how to ride a bike. Mr. Wyckoff brought groups of 6-7 students into the gym during lunch recess to provide extra practice without 20+ other riders around them. Mr. Wyckoff shared, “Of the approximately 15 students who received extra practice, almost all of the students became proficient bike riders!”

Mrs. Guttman concluded, “I truly enjoyed seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces when they came to class during the bike unit. Some kids showed strong determination while others’ faces shined with a sense of accomplishment. This was an amazing time at Mountainview and I can’t wait for this to be an annual unit for our students to participate in.”