Fall Greening the School Conf. Sat Nov 5 from Mass Ag in the Classroom

[total recycling]

[We've been enjoying this annual local conference for years... You don't have to be an official Teacher to attend...]


Greetings,

The Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Annual Fall Greening the School Conference for Educators will be held on Saturday, November 5 at the Clay Science Center of the Dexter and Southfield Schools in Brookline.  There is a choice of five workshops in each of the four concurrent sessions throughout the day.  Each focuses on Gardening at the School, Composting and Healthy Soils; Natural Resource Conservation or nutrition and local foods.  See the full schedule below or visit our website at www.aginclassroom.org and click on Conferences and workshops - Greening the School Conference.  Please share the word with someone who would enjoy the conference.

Full and partial conference Scholarships are still available

to new teachers (5 years or less) or teachers from urban communities.  The Scholarship application form is on our website and can be accessed from the conference page. 

The Autumn Newsletter of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom is now available on the Web at: http://www.aginclassroom.org/html/Newsletter/Current_Newsletter/newsletter_current.html. It offers a four-page feature educational resource on: Forest Management.  Additional articles cover the Benefits of School Gardening; a recap of our Summer Graduate Course; Our 2011 Teacher of the Year - Teresa Strong from the Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown; workshops and conferences; resources and a calendar of events.

The 2012 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar is now available for sale.  All proceeds benefit Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom.  Calendars may be purchased for $10 each or $5 each for 5 or more calendars.  Calendar sales make a great fundraiser for your school or organizations.

Debi Hogan
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Fall Greening the School Conference
Sponsored by Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
Clay Science Center of the Dexter and Southfield Schools
Brookline, Massachusetts
Saturday, November 5, 2011
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
 
All workshops will focus on composting and healthy soils; gardening at the school; taking the garden into the classroom, natural resource conservation; nutrition and healthy soils and other green initiatives. Four workshop sessions with five workshop choices in each session will be held throughout the day.  Speakers, panels and activities will emphasize hands-on activities for the classroom. Participants may also choose to tour the solar panels, wind turbine and planetarium at Clay Center.  The $50 fee includes all workshops; workshop materials; breakfast snack; dessert and drinks at lunch, and 10 professional development points for those who attend the full day and conference, carry out a related classroom activity, and send in a brief report of their experience.  Sponsored by the Whole Foods Stores in the Northeast Region.
 
The day will begin with registration from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m., followed by a Welcome and Introductions. At 9:00 a.m. the first of four concurrent workshop sessions will begin. Choose from five workshops/tour during each concurrent sessions from 9:00 to 10:10 a.m.; 10:20 to 11:30 a.m.; 12:50 to 2:00 p.m. and 2:10 to 3:20 p.m.
 
Conference Schedule:
 
9:00 to 10:10  Concurrent Workshop Session (Choose one of 5 Workshops)
 

Workshop 1: Dancing with the Three Sisters

Maize, beans, and squash! If you want a small, easy-to-manage, school garden project that is rich with learning opportunities, you may want to grow the Three Sisters, just as the Wampanoag did in the early 1600s. In this workshop, Bill Cassell, 3^rd grade teacher at the L.D. Batchelder School in North Reading will get you started with curriculum connections to math, science, and history, plus how-to-do-it instructions, sample lessons, seed sources, and a few memorable stories. Participants who want to give the Three Sisters a twirl will receive a bag of heritage Flint seed corn to take back to the school. Appropriate for all grades.

Instructor:

Bill Cassell, 3rd Grade Teacher, L.D. Batchelder Elementary School in North Reading and our 2007 Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year

Workshop 2: The Science of Compost

This workshop will offer an overview of the science of composting. Learn how to get started, construct the compost pile, balance nitrogen and carbon materials, and reach optimum moisture and temperature in the bin. You will also study the organisms in the compost, such as red wigglers, mold, and bacteria. Certified home compost coordinator Karen Kullas will also offer tips for presenting compost to students and ideas for what works and captures their attention. Complimentary samples of the various stages of composting will be available. Appropriate for all grades.

Instructor:

Karen Kullas of Berkley, MA has been a DEP certified home composting coordinator since 1994.

Workshop 3: Toads and Woodchucks and Bears in the Schoolyard, Oh My!

With every season schoolyards provide wonderful opportunities for you and your students to explore, discover, and learn about the diversity of local wildlife. Embrace the idea that if you plant a garden the wildlife will come. Join Pam Landry, MassWildlife Education Coordinator, for an overview of local wildlife: essential elements of habitat, natural history, identifying animal sign, what to do with uninvited visitors and the impact of human actions on wildlife habitat. Participants will receive copies of MassWildlife publications and be introduced to additional relevant resources. Appropriate for all grades.

Instructor:

Pam Landry, Education Coordinator for MassWildlife and Project Wild Coordinator

Workshop 4: Strategies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the School Setting

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the nation and here in Massachusetts. In Walpole Director of Food Services Maria Hall teamed up with Susan Prindall, School Nurse to tackle this issue. They will offer an overview of obesity and suggest strategies that will encourage and engage our youth to consume nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Target audience: All grade levels.

Instructors:

Susan Prindall, School Nurse at the Johnson Middle School in Walpole and Maria Hall, Registered Dietitian, School Nutrition Specialist and Director of Food Service for the Walpole Public Schools

Workshop 5: Bringing the Outdoors into the Classroom

When the frosty evenings of fall kill off all but the hardiest of vegetables in the garden and the trees shed their glorious cloak of autumn foliage, it needn’t be the end of horticultural pursuits. Landscape horticulturist Warren Leach from Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth will offer up a variety of activities that you can bring into your classroom from the school yard and woodlands. Try forcing branches and bulbs, keying out winter buds, preserving autumn leaves, collecting and saving seeds, propagating plants from cuttings and divisions; building terrariums and more. He will offer instructions for each and tips for success.

Instructor:

Warren Leach, landscape horticulturist and co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery, Rehoboth

At 10:10 a.m. there will be a brief break
 
10:20 to 11:30:   Second concurrent workshop session (Choose one of 5 Workshops)

Workshop 1: Starting a Community Garden Project

There are many ways to start a community garden. Using the Harvests From The Heart garden project located in Wrentham as a model, garden organizer Ken Oles will offer a power presentation to showcase initial steps in planning, organizing and maintaining a community garden. From choosing a name for your project to starting seeds and initial cultivation, this workshop will facilitate planning while identifying pitfalls that may occur. The following specific items will be addressed: site selection and preparation, team-building, start-up costs, publicity, irrigation, food safety, selecting a sponsor, liability, disease and pest control, and data collection. Workshop best suited to: gardeners, educators, volunteers, supporters of community garden projects, and others who are interested in promoting healthy communities. Meet others with similar interests, participate in discussions, and leave with new ideas.

Instructor:

Ken Oles, a URI/MGA Master Gardener and retired educator, is the organizer and consultant for the Harvests From The Heart project in Wrentham. In 2010, project volunteers grew and harvested over 3,000 pounds of fresh produce for the Wrentham Food Pantry. Ken also serves on the Board of Directors for Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom

Workshop 2: Teaching About Water in the Classroom

Water is an essential natural resource that is important in our daily lives and health. In addition, water quality and availability is becoming an ever increasingly important aspect of local, national and global health and politics. Bill Craigue, Science and Forensic Teacher at Lowell High School will offer a variety of fun activities to engage students in learning water principles such as cohesion, dilution, buoyancy and volume. classroom. These activities are fun, easy to do in the classroom and require minimal materials. He will also address conservation and water management. Appropriate for middle and high school grades.

Instructor

: Bill Craigue, Science and Forensic Teacher, Lowell High School

Workshop 3: Exploring the Miracle of Seeds

Seeds are nature’s miracle; every seed contains the promise of a whole new plant. Seeds offer endless opportunities for teaching and learning across the curriculum. Marian Hazzard, retired classroom teacher and coordinator for the Touchstone Community School Garden and Greenhouse Program, will share lessons, activities and resources working with kids on seeds. In a context of educating children for sustainability, participants with learn about types of seeds and their structure, germination and plant growth, growing seeds outside and in, how seeds travel, seed collecting, seed saving, seed banks and much more. Appropriate for pre-K through grade 6.

Instructor

: Marian Hazzard, Touchstone Community School Garden, Grafton

Workshop 4: Giving Back to the Earth: Composting at the Home and at School

Healthy soil is essential for agriculture and growing healthy plants. One of the best ways to improve your soil and increase the yield in the garden is to amend the soil with compost. Composting offers opportunities to teach students about soil properties, systems, ecology and conservation. Sonya and Richard McKnight, the science teachers at the Clay Science Center of the Dexter and Southfield Schools will offer science lessons and activities to help you supplement your garden efforts through composting. Appropriate for middle and high school.

Instructors:

Sonya and Richard McKnight, Science Teachers, Clay Science Center of the Dexter and Southfield Schools

Workshop 5: Gardening For All Learners - From Seed to Harvest

The garden at the Leicester Primary School is more than a living classroom, it also provides a therapeutic medium for therapeutic activity (while making curriculum connections.) Michele Connor, the school's occupational therapist and speech therapist Sarah Mahoney join forces to utilize gardening activities to meet therapeutic goals for their students. They will offer an overview of this garden that provides fresh produce for the Leicester Food Pantry and will also provide a number of adaptations that they bring to gardening (in order to differentiate instruction and help all children access this beneficial activity).

Instructors:

Michele Connor, Occupational Therapist and Sarah Mahoney, Speech Therapist at the Leicester Primary School

11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Lunch, Awards and Speaker, followed by the opportunity to interact and visit exhibits.
 
12:50 to 2:00 p.m. Workshop Session Three (Concurrent sessions, choose one of 5 Workshops)

Workshop 1: Gardening for Butterflies and to Increase Biodiversity

Plant a garden at your school or home that will attract and support butterflies, frittilaries, moths and other herbivorous insects. In doing so, you will be able to enjoy and study the life cycles of these key members of the food web, while also help to increase biodiversity by providing the food for organisms such as birds, amphibian, reptiles and even mammals. Horticulturists Debi Hogan will offer an overview of some of these insects, showing their life cycle and the plants that will attract and feed the adults while also providing food for the larval stages. She will also suggest gardening practices that will encourage and support these insects.

Instructor:

Debi Hogan, horticulturist and educator, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom

Workshop 2: Classroom Hydroponics for City Gardens

Learn about the new curriculum that Boston College has developed for Classroom Hydroponics. Professor Mike Barnett and Janet Lorden of the Stem Garden Institute at Boston College will offer and overview of their program and hydroponics for the classroom. They will introduce you to a number of activities for the classroom with curriculum connections.

Instructors:

Professor Mike Barnett, Boston College and Janet Lorden, Executive Director of the Stem Garden Institute at Boston College

Workshop 3: Getting Started in the School Garden

This workshop offers an opportunity to share ideas, successes, challenges, and overall know-how with others who have some experience with planning and developing a school garden program at their school. Participants are encouraged to bring questions with them to the workshop any information and materials that they believe would be helpful to fellow school garden leaders. Target age range: Pre-K through HS.

Panelists:

The panelists will include several teachers who have experience with initiating a school garden

Workshop 4: Exploring Soils in the Garden

Good soil is essential to a healthy and productive garden. This workshop will offer an overview of soil texture, structure, pH and drainage, as well as its nutrient value. Garden Educator Heather Packard and Culinary Associate Liz Ellis from Heifer Project in Rutland, will offer a sampling of fun and easy hands-on activities for teaching about soils. Learn how to improve the soil in your garden.

Instructors:

Heather Packard, Garden Educator and Liz Ellis, Culinary Associate, Heifer Project, Rutland.

Workshop 5: Salad Bars, Gardening Grants & Strategies for Recycling from Whole Foods Market

The newest initiatives from Whole Foods Market take their message of fresh healthy foods and the connection to local farms directly to schools. Their Salad Bar to Schools program sponsors healthy eating in schools across the region and a new Whole Kids Foundation ^TM Garden Grants Program can bring benefits directly to your students. EcoCzar/Forager Lee Kane and Marketing Team Leader Jaimee Rondeau will offer a Power Point Presentation on these initiatives and will also offer an overview of the strategies they use throughout their stores to reduce, reuse and recycle and will offer tips for bringing these programs to your school.

Instructors:

Lee Kane, EcoCzar/Forager and Jaimee Rondeau, Marketing Team Leader, Whole Foods Market

2:10 to 3:20      The last concurrent workshops session (Choose one of 5 Workshops/Tour)

Workshop 1: Sustaining the School Garden

Karen DiFranza

has taken her composting efforts to local schools, implementing an active composting and school gardening program at the Hubbardston Elementary School and nearby Quabbin Regional High School in Barre. In place for seven years, these gardening programs are well established and an integral part of the school and community. Learn how these important programs sustain themselves and see the products the students create to keep the gardens going year-to-year.

Instructors:

Karen DiFranza of Hubbardston is a small-scale organic farmer/gardener and avid composter, as well as an educator. She has developed cafeteria composting and gardening programs at the Hubbardston Elementary School and Quabbin Regional High School in Barre. Students from Quabbin Regional High School will also present.

Workshop 2: Cafeteria Composting, Recycling and Salad Bar

Learn about the many innovative and healthy programs taking place in the Manchester Essex Regional School District. Sheila Parisien, Eric Magers and The Green Team launched a recycling effort that is drawing attention and awards state-wide. The school Cafeteria Composting program is making great strides in reducing wastes going to land fills, while promoting healthy soils. The school recently won a competitive grant from the Great American Salad Bar project and teachers are tying curriculum to the new healthy foods.

Instructors:

Sheila Parisien and Eric Magers, Green Team, Manchester Essex Regional School District

Workshop 3: Learning More About Cheese and Eggs

Learn about the science and history of chickens and then try out some simple science experiments using eggs that could readily be adapted to the classroom. Then experience a very simple and easy hands-on cheese-making activity that could be done anywhere there is a stove or hot plate, with a skit that explains the chemistry of turning milk into cheese, as well as some history of milk.

Instructor:

Liz Ellis, Culinary Associate, Heifer Project, Rutland

Workshop 4:  Nature Journaling Workshop

Nature Journaling provides an opportunity to collect and record information throughout the school year, while developing the students observational skills. At the Cutler School in South Hamilton, Fourth Grade Teacher Jane Roundy has been collaborating with the school’s Art Teacher Jean Bailey to take students out into the garden to observe the plants, habitat, weather, seasonal changes and more. Students observe, record and draw throughout the year, each completing a nature journal by year’s end. In this workshop they will share the students’ work with you and take you step by step through the process of developing the journals.

Instructor:

Jane Roundy, Grade 4 Teacher and Jean Bailey Art Teacher, Cutler School, South Hamilton

Workshop/Tour 5: Tour of the Clay Center for Science and Technology & Observatory

The Clay Center for Science and Technology is a state-of-the-art astronomical observatory and learning center. In addition to the observatory’s seven research-grade telescopes, this five-story building contains sophisticated computer and science laboratories, a multi-media lecture hall, classrooms, dining and meeting spaces, and a solar energy roof deck and wind turbine.

Tour Leader:

Robert Phinney, Director of the Clay Center for Science and Technology

3:00 p.m.     The day ends with an evaluation and plans for next years's Conference.

The mission of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom is to foster an awareness and learning in all areas related to the food and agriculture industries and the economic and social importance of agriculture to the state, nation and the world. In addition to the fall conference, MAC offers an Annual Winter Conference, workshops on the farm for teachers, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom offers a seasonal newsletter; a Teacher's Resource Directory of agricultural materials and providers; mini-grants for teachers and educators; and several educational manuals related to school gardening, farm visits and agriculture and the environment.

For more information on the Fall Conference for Educators Conference, a printable pdf schedule of workshops, registration form or scholarship information, visit Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom on the web at:  http://www.aginclassroom.org/html/Conferences_Workshops/Fall_Greening_the_School_Conference/workshops_fall_greening.html

Debi Hogan
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc.
P. O. Box 345
Seekonk, MA 02771
e-mail: debi....@earthlink.net 
Web Site: www.aginclassroom.org
Phone: 508-336-4426
Fax: 508-336-0682