The Green Gazette
News from the GES PTA Environmental Committee
WOW Club Starting in March!
We are excited to announce that GES and the PTA Eco-Stars are sponsoring a new after-school group, the World of Wonder Club (WOW Club for short.) Starting in March, this student group will meet on Mondays twice a month to learn about nature, gardening and taking care of our environment. Students in the club will work in their own garden on campus, harvest and prepare herbs, propagate plants, make nature crafts, promote Earth Day and learn about our local environment from guest speakers.
Sign-up forms were sent home with all students last week. You can pick up an extra one in the information kiosk in the front hall. Be sure to submit the form to the front office by Friday, Feb. 12th.
If you would like to help with this club or have any questions, please contact Whitney Miers at whitney.miers@yahoo.com.
Teachers Vote on New WOW Features
* About 85% percent of teachers would like students to have the opportunity to work in the garden during recess. (More on this below...)
* More than half of the teachers are willing to plant and care for vegetables in the raised beds.
* About 40% of the teachers would like to have more weather instruments in the center and would take responsibility for their upkeep.
* Most teachers would like to place the six moveable cedar benches for student seating in the grassy area of WOW next to the building. These benches were made by a local boy scout this fall.
* Most teachers would like to use the empty space between the 2nd and 3rd grade vegetable beds to create a circular bed for growing native wildflowers.
The teachers also provided lots of positive comments on their garden experiences and suggestions for how to make the best of their WOW visits. One thing that stood out was their appreciation of and need for parent volunteers. If you are already helping a class, thank you! If you have not yet had a chance, there will be lots of opportunities this spring. Just ask your child's teacher how you can help.
If you need help in getting started, or would like to work with our teachers to create one of the new features or programs mentioned above, please contact Mikaela Rood at mikaela.m.rood@gmail.com.
WOW Wednesdays
As mentioned above, our teachers would also like for the children to have this opportunity. As a pilot project this spring, we would like to launch "WOW Wednesdays" and offer children the chance to work in the garden each Wednesday.
Would you like to help with this program? Recess is only 30 minutes. You can sign up for just one grade's recess period or several. We will have a formal sign up process and rules for participating to help keep the program manageable. If you would like to help with this program, please contact Betsy Marsh at betsymarsh55@gmail.com. Thank you!
Science Curriculum Guide for K-5
Eco Stars Shutterfly Site
If you would like to be added as a member of this site to upload your photos, please email Betsy at betsymarsh55@gmail.com or request to be added as a member on the site. Thank you!