Clairlea Gardening Club Needs Shovels

Hello,

Thanks to the hard work of the wonderful kids in our Gardening Club, we are starting to make some progress with the weeds and old grass at the front of the school. It is however, a huge job. Many parents and teachers have kindly donated shovels and it is great to meet families all happy to pitch in. We are in desperate need of more garden shovels. I reckon we need 10 more shovels to keep the Garden Club digging along. Many children are showing up eager to help, but unable to actively get involved due to the lack of shovels. I am now thinking about how we can get some shovels for the kids. If you have any suggestions, please post a comment below, or meet me at the front of Clairlea after school next Wednesday.

Ideas:

• Gardening Club bake sale
• solicit Clairlea families or people in the community to "adopt a shovel" - this would mean buying a shovel that we could have students paint their name on to honour their contribution
• approach big box hardware stores to look into the possibility of a donation (I've worked in retail in a previous life and know how stores get approached all the time to donate and they can be stand-offish in this department)
• send out requests to borrow shovels from Clairlea families - this would mean more paper going home

Please let me know if you think any of these ideas work. I am in touch with a parent who works at a tool leasing company to see if they can help.

Thanks for your help and a big thanks to all of the hard-working kids in the Gardening Club and the family members who have supported us in different ways. I'm a do-it person and I'm determined to move this project forward. Our classroom faces the front of the school and we were roasting from the heat this afternoon. One day, a nice big tree will cool things down. We'll make it happen.

E. Hawkins

Reducing Waste With New Pizza Lunch Forms

How great is this? Über parent/volunteer Ginnie excitedly brought this new Pizza Lunch form to me last week. Now kids can use the order form on the outside of the envelope to choose their food and drink and parents can put their money inside it. This reduces additional paper envelopes/plastic baggies and also means that teachers no longer have to fumble around stapling paper together when kids bring in loose money.

This may seem like a little thing, but when you consider just how many kids participate in Pizza Lunch, you realize what a huge step this is in Clairlea's mission to become a more ecologically friendly school.

Bravo!

Boomerang Lunch Blasts Off

I'll be taking photos to show the lunchroom recycling bin soon. Our staff compost and recycle, but we're encouraging staff to boomerang their lunch too.

Last week, Clairlea Public School began its boomerang lunch initiative. What this means is that all garbage or left-overs from lunch must either be recycled or go back home with students. We no longer have a garbage can in the gym and primary lunch room - only a recycling bin. Ms. Vincent grabbed a big marker and wrote "Compost" on one of her classroom bins and now we have a compost bin in the Gym. Grace, a fantastic Grade 5 student from Room 204 is emptying the little bin into the big compost bin at the front of the school. We've had a few kids dumping half-eaten hotdogs and meat sandwiches into it, so we'll have to make a few announcements to educate kids about what can be composted.

Thanks to Mr. Porter, our head custodian for embracing the recycling program and thanks to the lunchroom supervisors, students, and parents for getting behind this initiative. I've heard more positive comments than negative remarks. We have to work together to make green things happen at the school.

Next year, I'll be asking all teachers to report back to me to share how they are fostering ecological literacy in the classroom.

Thanks for reading,

E. Hawkins

Pictures From the Gardening Club

Gardening Club Rocks Tomorrow

A fabulous Clairlea kid as seen last year at the weedy front of the school. Can this space be transformed? Yes indeed!

Come one, come all!

Tomorrow after school (3:40-4:30) Clairlea's Gardening Club begins. We will meet in front of the school. An announcement will be made telling children who are not being picked up by a parent/guardian to come to Ms. Hawkins' room (204) at 3:30.

Mrs. Brathwaite and I will be out there working with children and parents digging up the weeds and grass.

Thanks to those who have sent in kind words of encouragement. These are the things that keep us going.

Hope to see you there!

Erin Hawkins

P.S. Don't forget to bring a shovel or send one in with your child.