Garden Committee Meeting
December 10th, 2009
6:30pm / Library
I hope the start of the holiday season finds you in good spirits. This is the first edition of Notes from the Garden. I plan on emailing out monthly updates to the various community members who are interested in the development of the garden. If you wish to receive routine updates from me, please email me, and I will add you to my mailing list. If you have suggestions about other items you would like to see included in these notes, please let me know.
Please note that we will be having a garden committee meeting on December 10th at 6:30 in the library. We will be making some important decisions about the direction of the garden over the course of the next year. Please come and share your ideas. I will be sending out an email next week with potential agenda items, so stay tuned!
Take care,
Molly Wahl
Notes from the Garden- November Edition
“Children are born with a sense of wonder and an affinity for Nature. Properly cultivated, these values can mature into ecological literacy, and eventually into sustainable patterns of living.”
Zenobia Barlow, “Confluence of Streams”
What’s Going On?
We have had two workparties. At these workparties we have weeded, cleaned-up the steps, pulled summer crops, pruned, mulched, and amended soil. At the work party we hosted last Saturday, we planted tons of lettuce, spinach, peas, garlic, fava beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts and chard. We also planted bulbs around the perimeter and we ate food made from the garden: pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, strawberries, and zucchini bread. Some of the students have started a couple of bean growing experiments, and many worms were discovered.
I have organized the garden shed so that it is more accessible to teachers and students. Key tools and materials are labeled, and items are arranged according to function.
I am in the process of conducting an inventory of garden curriculum items. In the shed, I unearthed a box of lovely books and teaching materials and there is a collection of garden science equipment in the teacher’s lounge. I am going to organize and label these items clearly and create a resource center for the staff in the teacher’s lounge.
I am in the process of meeting with teachers to figure out how I can best serve them. I have worked in the garden with Mr. T’s Kindergarten class- we planted radishes, harvested sunflowers, planted chard seeds, and made friends with rocks. I have started working with Ms. Detten’s class- we have toured the garden, reviewed the rules, and planted snap peas. I have met with Ms. Dorn, Ms. Schooley, Ms. Detten, and Ms. Heydon.
This week I will be in the garden with the classes of Ms. Detten, Mr. T., and Ms. Dorn.
I have connected with RecycleMore and am looking at how we can make our garden more sustainable.
I am currently applying for a small scale grant ($300) through Wells Fargo to create more elements within our garden that would lure beneficial animals and insects.
I am scheduled to be in the classroom during class times on a rotating basis. On one week, I will be there on T/Th/F, and on the next week I will be there M/W/F.
Vicki Victoria, a very active member of the garden committee, secured an Edfund Grant for $500! This grant money will be used to create garden murals depicting students’ rich cultural connections to growing and consuming food. Thanks, Vicki!
Future Plans?
- Garden Committee Meeting Thursday December 10th at 6:30 in the library. We are making BIG plans for the spring- please come and share your ideas.
- Starting in December, I will be present for two lunches a week so that the 3rd-5th graders, whose teachers may not make use of the garden, can still be connected to this great resource.
- I have spoken with the people at the Madera Aftercare program about having a few students from their program visit the garden once a week after school.
- In the spring, I plan to run a garden club through MASEP.
- I am looking at applying for a General Mills grant for nutrition education.
Needs?
- More parent volunteers who can go with classes to the garden.
- Donated binders to house curriculum materials.
- More volunteers who would be interested in securing donations, pursuing grants and in-kind donations.
- Is there anyone who might be interested in being the chair of the garden committee?
If you wish to speak with me, you can place a note in my box in the office, or you can email me.
