Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The last post from before the summer

Learning Gardens Update  
Wow! It has been a gardening marathon here at Skillin School. On Saturday, May 14 th, twenty-six students, parents, staff members, and Master Gardeners planted the Rain Garden (yes, we have finally decided on a name for our new wetland habitat garden!). Over 100 trees, shrubs, and perennials were planted in three hours flat. Talk about teamwork! It looks fantastic. With all these new plants, it is very important that folks stay on the boardwalk – and out of the wetland! Please help reinforce this important rule when you are visiting with your children.
The After School Garden Club met four times this spring to clean up the Bird and Butterfly Garden and to “pop in” about 200 annuals and perennials. Many thanks to Hanson Field Flower Farm and Snell’s Family Farm for the generous plant donations they make every year! Garden Club members also pulled up lots of “bamboo” (japanese knotweed) and picked up litter along the Nature Trail. They were excited to discover that the delightful native plant known as “jack-in the pulpit” is spreading nicely throughout the woodland.
More excitement is on the way next week when we hold our 4 th annual Ecology Day on June 1 st. We “kick off” the day with an opening ceremony for the new Rain Garden, and then all 21 classes have a turn to cycle through three nature awareness activities. Thank you to both the Learning Gardens Committee and the many parent volunteers who are running this event.
Finally, please look for a form going home in totes to sign up to help with the gardens this summer. I usually go to the school about six times over the summer to work on the gardens, and would love your help and company! Even if you would be willing to come once for a couple of hours, that would be great.
Enjoy this precious time of year! I hope you are able to spend lots of time in the great, green outdoors with your children in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Anne Cyr
1 st Grade Teacher
Coordinator of the Learning Gardens Project
cyra@spsd.org