My 1st Ride program welcomes first-time bus riders

The first time riding a school bus can be both exciting and nerve-racking for parents and children. So to
help make the first bus ride less scary, the Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Board of Education
Southland Transportation and First Student offer the My First Ride program. The program provides bus
safety tips and tricks for parents, kindergarten students and all other first time bus riders.

This year, the My First Ride program will take place on:

May 27 . Bishop Carroll 9 a.m. to 3 p.m

May 28, 2023, Sherwood Community school9 a.m. to 3 p.m

Parents will be required to pre-register for one hour sessions. The sessions will consist of a 20-minute
PowerPoint presentation that goes over bus safety as well as a bus safety DVD presentation for children.
After that, children will hop on a school bus and experience their “first ride.” Safety handouts, snacks
and school board busing information will also be provided.

To give the children a little more excitement, the Calgary Police Service, Emergency Medical Services
and the Calgary Fire Department have been invited to attend the sessions. Their presence will provide
children and parents with the opportunity to ask questions and become familiar with what they do in
case of an emergency.

The Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Board of Education, Southland Transportation and First
Student will also be available to answer questions.

Before the Big Day!

In addition to attending the My First Ride program, families are also encouraged to take the time to
prepare their child/children for this experience.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Create a routine – Routines preparing for the daily bus ride will help create a sense of certainty
and will provide guidance in terms of what the child/children can expect.
2. Go over bus stop rules – Review some of the basic safety rules that your child/children should
be aware of. The bus stop rules will be discussed in the presentations.
3. Visit the bus stop ahead of time – Before the first day of school, parents should walk with their
child/children to the bus stop to familiarize them with the stop location. This way, when the
child/children board and disembark the bus, they are confident about where their stop is.
4. Getting on and off the bus – Make sure your child/children knows where to get on and where to
get off. Remind them to never get off at another stop. If your child is unsure where to get off,
teach them that they must stay on the bus and tell the bus driver.
5. Always meet at the bus stop – Kindergarten children are required to be accompanied by a
parent/guardian at their stop in the morning, and also be met by a parent/guardian at their stop
at the end of the day. This safety requirement ensures Kindergarten children get to their bus
stop and home safely.
 6. On the bus behaviour – Go over some of the basic expected behaviour when sitting on the bus.
7. Get to know other parents – Get to know other parents so that your child/children can get to
know some familiar face sat your childs bus stop that can be trusted.
8. Emergency contacts – Make sure your child/children always know who to contact in case of
emergency. Put contact information in your child’s/children’s bag(s) and/or coat(s) so that the
bus company or school district can call a parent or guardian if needed.
9. Do something special – Make the first ride memorable by packing something special into your
child’s/children’s bag(s). For example: sticker book, notebook, comic book, etc.

Registration Opens April 2023

Attend My 1st First program and make riding the bus a ‘stress free’ experience for you and your children.

To register, visit www.eventbrite.ca and search My 1st Ride on April 3, 2023

May 27 . Bishop Carroll 9 a.m. to 3 p.m

May 28, 2023, Sherwood Community school9 a.m. to 3 p.m

**Please note that online registration will close on May 25 at 4 p.m.

For more information, please visit https://www.cssd.ab.ca/transportation.