GO MENLO

GO MENLO is THE way the Menlo community gets to and from school. Whether by bus, train, carpool, bike or our own two feet, Menlo families are committed to improving the environment by reducing the number of cars arriving on and departing from campus. How will YOU take a car off the road?  GO MENLO is an integral part of Menlo's larger sustainability efforts.

We’ll make it easy for you to GO MENLO. Menlo School buses service many communities on the Peninsula. Finding carpools is even easier with Zimride, a web-based ridesharing network, and the Menlo Carpool Map. Taking the train? We have shuttle service to the Menlo Park Caltrain station in the morning and back in the afternoon. And, of course, there is always plenty of parking for our bikers.

We know many in the Menlo community already make efforts to help the environment and reduce their car trips to school. GO MENLO acknowledges those continued efforts through the Incentive Program.

Why GO MENLO?
In the 2010-2011 school year, Menlo's Loop was clogged each morning with:

• 536 vehicles entering campus
• 232 vehicles parking on campus, and
• 304 vehicles exiting back onto our community's streets.

This produced approximately 3032 lbs of CO₂!

With GO MENLO, we can reduce our morning traffic by 35%. That would save 1072 lbs of CO₂ each morning. That's like planting 42 seedlings that will grow for 10 years. Already, we've significantly reduced our traffic with the GO MENLO program in the 2011-2012 school year: roughly 75% of our families have committed to using alternative means of transportation. Help us continue our efforts in 2012-2013!

Take a car off the road and help Menlo plant those trees. GO MENLO.

Questions? Contact Kevin Conner, Director of Sustainability, at 650.330.2001 extension 2568 or kevin.conner@menloschool.org.

In keeping with Menlo's mission and values, we're committed to doing our part for the community and the environment. A greener transportation program alone is not enough.

So we're doing more.

GO MENLO is just one part of our green efforts. Kevin Conner, Menlo's Director of Sustainability, who collaborates with students, teachers and parents to create real change in our community.The Menlo School Green Council, comprised of chosen representatives, is working on new initiatives for the 2012-2013 school year. If you're interested in helping with these initiatives, contact Kevin Conner at kevin.conner@menloschool.org.

Where will this take us? Menlo will:

• Track our resource consumption and greenhouse gas production—then try to decrease those numbers
• Raise community sensitivity to environmental issues through classroom study, speakers and campus activities
• Provide tactical support for green programs initiated by members of the Menlo community

Through these actions, we'll become a more environmentally responsible community.

As the year continues, we'll add more sustainability resources to this page. So check back!

Looking for carpool partners? Don't know who lives in your neighborhood? Menlo has made it easier than ever to connect with fellow commuters.

Zimride
Click here to log in to Zimride’s Menlo School portal—just use the same email address you use to log on to the Menlo website (your email account to which regular Menlo School emails are sent), and you can create a new password. (Families new to Menlo for the 2012-2013 school year: please check back in August once you have your individual login and password information.)

(A note about privacy: Zimride and Menlo School are committed to the highest privacy protection; however, we understand that some families may not be comfortable with sharing their email address with a third party. If you would like to opt out of the program and have your email address removed from Zimride’s database, you may do so at any time. Just email Kevin Conner, Director of Sustainability, at kevin.conner@menloschool.org, and he will remove your data for you. To review Zimride’s privacy policy, click here.)

Once you’ve signed up with Zimride, track your trips through the Commute Calendar to earn points for the Menlo Incentive Program.

Carpool Map
Click here to find 2012-2013 Menlo families in your neighborhood or on your commute path. Please note: this password-protected site is for Menlo-related use only.

Carpool Incentives
In addition to participating in Menlo’s incentive program, carpoolers will benefit from the 30 dedicated carpool parking spaces in Menlo's main lot. If you’re planning to carpool and park on campus, register for a carpool parking permit with the Student Life Office.

Carpool Definition
A carpool is defined in one of two ways:
1. Three Menlo School faculty, staff or students (or combination) who arrive on campus in the same car
2. Any combination of two or more families that takes at least one car off the road

Sit back and let someone else do the driving! Menlo now offers three free bus routes to and from school, between Menlo and San Mateo, Woodside and Palo Alto. With WiFi access and dedicated, safe drivers, our buses allow students to work (or sleep!) while they travel to and from school. Afternoon buses are new for the 2012-2013 school year. Sign up for a seat on the bus through Zimride and track your bus trips through Zimride’s Commute Calendar to earn points for the Menlo Incentive Program. (Families new to Menlo in the 2012-2013 school year: please check back later in the summer.)

To sign up for the bus, go to Zimride and look in the right-hand column for "Menlo School Buses." Click on "Sign up on Zimride now" and then choose your bus route. In the right-hand column, click on "Apply to Join."

If you have any problems during your commute, please contact Robin Gomes at 650.400.7628 or our bus service representative, Veronica Ruiz, at 650.685.8263

Routes

Sign up on Zimride to catch a ride!

Live near campus? Encourage your child to get some fresh air and exercise—you’ll be helping his or her health and the environment! Track your efforts through the Zimride Commute Calendar to earn incentive points.

Learn more about the benefits of biking and walking here, and find tips and resources for biking here.

Menlo cares about safety. Click here to learn about how Menlo is working with Safe Routes to School, a national program that links parents, schools, community leaders and government agencies to enable and encourage children to walk and bike to school.

Want to learn more about biking or help Menlo’s biking community? Join the Cycling Knights, a group of Middle School parents dedicated to supporting safe biking. Contact Sarah Lucas.

Trains, buses—there are a lot of local public transit options to get to Menlo. Track your public transit rides through Zimride’s Commute Calendar to earn points for the Menlo Incentive Program.

To find your public transit options to get to and from school, use the Public Transit Trip Planner on 511.org--look on the left side of the home page. You can even use their mobile app for help on the go.

The Clipper card is an affordable way to use public transportation throughout the Bay Area. You can buy monthly passes for Caltrain, samTrans, VTA, BART and other systems; students 17 years old and younger qualify for discount fares.

Caltrain
Take the train to the Menlo Park train station and catch the Menlo School Shuttle (see schedule below) to campus. Check out the weekday schedule here and the station map here. Fare listings are here.

samTrans
The San Mateo County Transit District bus system travels throughout the Bay Area and has stops near campus. Fare listings here. Route 83 runs along Valparaiso.Routes 295, 296, 390, KX and 85 stop at the Menlo Park Caltrain station, where you can catch the Menlo School Shuttle (see schedule below) to campus.

Menlo School Shuttle Bus (see schedule below)
Menlo runs shuttles between campus and the Menlo Park Caltrain station throughout the morning and afternoon commute times.If you need any help with shuttle service during your commute, please call Robin Gomes at 650.799.8996.

The Transportation Department has a hotline to keep parents informed of the arrival time of Menlo trips. When a bus trip is expected to return late, teachers and/or coaches will record a message indicating their expected arrival time on the hotline. You can reach the hotline at 650.330.2001 extension 2500.

Help Menlo—Help the Environment—Help our Community!

Last year, Menlo School instituted a transportation incentive program to encourage students and families to use alternative means of transportation. Every time a student carpooled, took the bus, used public transportation, biked or walked to school, he or she earned points to help local community service and environmental organizations. Together, the Menlo community used these incentive points to raise money for two local organizations, Hidden Villa and the Peninsula Humane Society.

As the next school year begins, student leaders in both the Upper and Middle Schools, in collaboration with the Director of Sustainability, will work to continue the incentive program. Once the students have outlined the program for the next year, we'll let everyone know how it works. Keep an eye out for this exciting information!

More GO MENLO information for faculty and staff is available here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Zimride

Q: On the Zimride account, do I enter my name or my student’s?
A: Your name. If you entered your child’s name, please change it to yours.

Q: Will students have access to Zimride?
A: Only Upper School students. They will need access to earn incentives. Kevin Conner will be speaking to them about using the website. They will be asked to use only the Commute Calendar.

Incentive Program
Q: If I have multiple children at Menlo, how do they track their incentives with only one commute calendar?
A: Upper School students will be allowed to create their own account on Zimride. Kevin Conner will be speaking to them about using the website. They will be asked to use only the Commute Calendar. Parents of Middle School students will track their children's incentives. If you have multiple Middle School children, points from your Commute Calendar will be multiplied by the number of Middle School siblings.

Q: Do I track incentives on my Commute Calendar?
A: For Upper School Students, parents should not track incentives. We want Upper School students to manage and be responsible for their commute reporting. For Middle School students, parents should track incentives on their Commute Calendar for their child.

Q: Can I input my "Transportation Mode" on the Commute Calendar for a block of time, or do I have to do it every day?
A: You can input your trips for a block of time--say, at the end of a week. However, you cannot input information from more than 15 days in the past or more than seven days in the future.

Menlo School Buses

Q: How do I sign up for the bus?
A: Go to Zimride and look in the right-hand column for "Menlo School Buses." Click on "Sign up on Zimride now" and then choose your bus route. In the right-hand column, click on "Apply to Join."

Q: Are the bus schedules and stop locations final?
A: Yes. We will be monitoring feedback and participation so that we can provide the most effective service. Please send any and all feedback to Kevin Conner so that we can determine the best course of action.

Q: When does the bus start running?
A: Thursday, Aug. 23, the first day of school.

Q: How much does the bus cost?
A: The bus is free of charge.

Q: What kind of bus is it?
A: It is a yellow school bus run by First Student.

Q: Can non-Menlo students ride the bus?
A: No.

Q: How do I sign up multiple children on one account?
A: When you sign up, please indicate in the “Notes” section how many of your children are going to be riding the bus.

Q: Are bikes allowed on the bus?
A: No. However, skateboards, scooters, etc. are allowed on the bus if they can fit into a backpack or rest on the student’s lap.

Q: Is there WiFi on the buses?
A: Yes! The password is gomenlo9.

Q: Do I need to notify the school when my child is not riding the bus on a given day?
A: Not right now. If bus participation nears capacity, we will ask parents to be more consistent with their schedule. For now, your child merely needs to show up at the stop at the correct time in order to ride the bus.

Q: Does the bus run later if the Upper School is on a Day 9, which starts at 9:00 am?
A: No. In order to accommodate the Middle School schedule, the bus must keep its normal schedule.

Q: My child is only going to ride the bus a few times at times I cannot foresee. Do we still need to sign up for the bus on Zimride? A: Yes. We need to have an accurate count of all students who intend to ride the bus at some point. If bus participation nears capacity, we will ask parents to be more consistent with their schedule.

Q: If I'm waiting for the bus and it seems like it might be late, whom do I call?
A: Call the First Student (our bus company) hotline number at 650.685.8263.

Caltrain Shuttle
Q: Do I need to sign up for the shuttle ahead of time?
A: No. Just show up.

Q: Can I take the shuttle even if I don't take Caltrain?
A: Yes! Just show up.

Q: What is the shuttle schedule for an Upper School Day 9?
A: The shuttles will run their regular schedule for the Middle School, and then run again an hour later for Upper School students.

Q: What if I look for the Shuttle bus and don't see it?
A: Look around for a white Suburban SUV with a Menlo School logo. Sometimes we use that instead of the larger bus.

Carpools
Q: What defines a carpool?
A: A carpool is defined in one of two ways: 1. Three Menlo School faculty, staff or students (or combination) who arrive on campus in the same car; or 2. Any combination of two or more families that takes at least one car off the road.

Q: How does my child register for an on-campus carpool parking spot?
A: Students can register for a carpool parking spot permit through Liz Segura in the Student Life Office. All carpool participants must be included on the registration form.

Q: My child may drive a different car to school on different days. Can he use the carpool permit in either car?
A: Yes. Because the permit hangs from the car's rearview mirror, it can be moved from one car to another. It cannot, however, be given to another student who is not part of you're child's registered carpool group.

Q: My child is registered in a carpool with two other students. Can they move the carpool permit from one car to the other, depending on which family is driving that day?
A: Yes. The permit can be shared by the different families registered in that carpool group.

Biking/Walking

Q: If a car drops me off or picks me up somewhere off campus and I walk the rest of the way, does that count as walking?
A: Please do not use neighborhood streets or El Camino as a drop-off or pick-up spot. This is a burden to our neighbors, can be unsafe and is not aligned with our sustainability goals.

Q: Can I bike through the Menlo College campus to get to school?
A: Yes, but please be careful and considerate of our college neighbors. Please don't stop on your way through the college campus. Bike straight to our school campus.