in 2003
of Your Child’s Teacher for the Holidays
for the Glover Library
Thank you to the many students and parents who participated in the PTO’s 2003 Holiday Book Program. The Glover teachers were very pleased to have Outdoor Classroom-related books donated in their names to the Glover Library. Through the great response to the program this year, we were able to purchase over 80 nature-related books for the Glover Library. This year’s wish list of books included materials that will enrich our children’s outdoor learning experiences (such as field guides, nature exploration books, kids' gardening books, and stories about nature and gardening). To view a list of the books that were purchased via the 2003 Holiday Book Program, click here (You may want to check some of them out at the public library yourselves!)
Special thanks to Lori Henry and Mary Jane Walsh for coordinating this terrific effort. Also, we’d like to thank everyone else who helped wrap books, deliver books, etc.: Nancy Crehan, Kim Foley, Jean Graham, Lisa Huban, Patti Mullan, Laura Phelan, and Ann Savino.
The snowstorm that hit our area this past weekend (Dec 6th and 7th) blanketed the courtyard. Even the birdfeeder had a cap of snow (see below).
of Your Child’s Teacher for the Holidays
Need a quick and easy gift idea for your child’s teacher? Why not give a gift that will leave a lasting impression on the teacher and the entire school for years to come? You can do this by donating a teacher’s curriculum guide, tree/shrub, or other item to the Glover Outdoor Classroom in the teacher’s name via the Giving Tree. This is also a great way for grandparents to give gifts in their grandchildren’s name or to honor past Glover alumni! There are two easy ways to give a tax-deductible Giving Tree gift:
2. If you don’t get into Glover often, you can choose an item from the Giving Tree wish list by clicking here
So far, we’ve had a great response to the Giving Tree, with donations of over $2,000. But we still have a lot of trees, shrubs, nature exploration materials, etc. to buy! Also, we’ve added leaves for teacher curriculum guides, which will help teachers utilize the Outdoor Classroom! Remember, if you haven’t had a chance to pick a leaf or make a donation via the Glover Outdoor Classroom web site yet—you still have time. The tree will be up at least until the Glover Anniversary Celebration in March. Of course, the sooner we get donations in, the more lead time we will have to order plants and materials prior to spring planting.
We want to thank the Glover families that have donated to the Giving Tree so far (click here to see them listed in order of donations received):
Finally, we’d like to thank Barbara Nathan and Katie Marsano for doing such a beautiful job on the Giving Tree! It’s truly a work of art! Also kudos to Caeleigh MacNeil for helping paint the tree. Thank you also to the leaf-cutting team: Cathy Bly, Anne Comber, Maureen Connors, Karen Hainline, Judy Lieberman, Bunny Marquardt, Kathleen Potter, Rachel Russo, Mary Truslow, and Leslie Zimmer, and to Patti Mullan for coordinating that effort. We also appreciate Mr. Beston giving up his lunch hour to help us transport the tree to Glover in his pickup truck, Greg and Kathleen Kechejian for the use of their pickup truck, and Jeff and Roxanna Hurst for the use of their barn (where the finishing touches were put on the tree).
Remember to check out the Giving Tree information and photos by clicking here
The next time you come into Glover, take a look at the birdfeeders in the courtyard. Both feeders are placed so that students can easily watch them from the Library windows. One feeder is filled with black sunflower seed (which attracts black-capped chickadees, sparrows, nuthatches, cardinals, and all kinds of birds). The other is a suet feeder (which woodpeckers love). Quite a lot of birds have been coming to the feeders (mostly sparrows so far) and we need to make sure that the feeders are kept filled, especially during the winter. So, we’re looking for parent/child teams to help maintain the birdfeeders. These birdfeeder steward teams would be responsible for checking (and filling, if necessary) the feeders every week or so. This could be done before or after school and won’t take long. The birdseed will be provided in a metal container in the courtyard, so filling will be easy and fun! What a great chance to help out our feathered friends, and get out into the courtyard to see how it changes with the seasons! If you’re interested, please call Janet MacNeil at 617.698.7013 or email us at gloveroutdoorclassroom@comcast.net. Donations of black oil sunflower seed or suet cakes are always appreciated!
Many thanks to the parents who helped prepare the soil in the courtyard before the bulb planting activities in November. Members of the digging crew were Cathy Bly, Maureen Connors, Stacey Golden, Karen Hainline, Judy Leiberman, Kathleen Potter, and Ada Rosmarin. Due to their efforts, the students had a much easier time putting their bulbs in the ground! To view photos of the bulb planting activities and access student activity sheets, click here.
This year, the Glover PTO has generously offered to focus the 2003 Holiday Book Program on building a collection of nature-related books for the Glover Outdoor Classroom. This year’s wish list of books has been carefully crafted to include materials that will enrich our students’ outdoor learning experiences (such as field guides, nature journaling books, kids' gardening books, and stories about nature and gardening).
The Holiday Book Program offers parents the option of purchasing a book in honor of a favorite teacher for the Glover Library. Here’s how it works:
2. The book will be inscribed with your child’s name and the name of the designated teacher, and will be wrapped so that your child can present it to the teacher.
3. Afterward, the book will become part of the Glover Library’s collection for all of our students to enjoy.
If you have questions, please call Mary Jane Walsh (696-8523) or Ann Savino (698-6019)
At its annual wine tasting social on November 14, 2003, the Columbine-Cliffs Neighborhood Association donated $300 to the Glover Outdoor Classroom. The association is open to residents of the Columbine-Cliffs neighborhood, which includes the area bounded by the Neponset River, Central Avenue, Brook Road, and Blue Hills Parkway. At the social, community members were able to look at the courtyard plan and read information about the project. We want to thank the Columbine-Cliffs Neighborhood Association for their generosity in supporting us!!
Don’t miss the upcoming opportunity to make a contribution to the Outdoor Classroom’s Giving Tree! The tree, which will be in full “bloom” at the parent/teacher conferences, will be located in the Glover lobby (Click here to see pictures and get more information). Each leaf of the tree will specify a tree, shrub, birdfeeder, science exploration tool, etc. that we need for the Outdoor Classroom. The leaf will also show the amount that you can sponsor each item for. Choose something that you’d like to donate to the Outdoor Classroom, fill out the information on back of the leaf, and enclose the leaf with your check for the appropriate amount in an envelope. The donations can be sent to the Glover Outdoor Classroom, c/o Janet MacNeil at 23 Oak Road. Checks should be made out to the Milton Foundation for Education (who has generously allowed us to take advantage of their nonprofit status), noting “Giving Tree” in the memo line. This is a great way to give a meaningful, tax-deductible gift that will benefit Glover students for years to come!
(Click here to see pictures of the students planting bulbs)
Every good gardener knows the importance of planning and patience in creating a beautiful garden, and this month, over 650 Glover and Tucker students learned that lesson, as well. Thanks to a grant from the National Gardening Association and a generous donation from two local nurseries, the students spent the last two weeks planting hundreds of tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and other bulbs that will bloom next spring in the Glover School’s newly created Outdoor Classroom.
Janet MacNeil, who along with Natalie Albers championed the concept of the Outdoor Classroom during the recent Glover School expansion, was delighted to see the enthusiasm of the students as they planted bulbs along the pathway and around two donated benches in the lovely new courtyard . Ms. MacNeil applied for the Dutch Bulb Grant last spring and recently learned that the school would receive 200 bulbs for planting this fall. Since the combined population of Glover and Tucker students housed at Glover this year is nearly 650, the Glover Outdoor Classroom Team then appealed to local nurseries for additional bulb donations. A. Thomas and Sons and Eagle Farms generously responded, contributing enough bulbs for all the Glover and Tucker students.
Ryan Baker, a third-grader at Glover, was one of the more experienced gardeners in his group. "I help my Nana with her garden," Ryan proudly said. Although he wasn’t sure he would remember next spring exactly where he had planted his bulb, Ryan felt the activity was a big success anyway. "We all got to go into the courtyard and dig in the dirt. It was great!"
The bulb planting took place during the students’ regularly scheduled library time with the help of Lori Henry, the Glover and Tucker librarian, and numerous parent volunteers. Each class was divided into three groups that rotated through three stations during the class period. In the first station, students actually planted the bulbs in pre-marked locations using rulers to measure planting depth and spacing.
The students in the second station learned what a bulb is and looked at dissected bulbs to see the miniature plants inside (click here to see the bulb activities page ). In the third station, students examined pieces of bulbs and flowers under a microscope. As part of the bulb planting event, all Glover and Tucker teachers were given a bulb curriculum guide from the National Gardening Association for reference should they wish to do supplemental planting activities.
The bulb planting was the second activity this month in the Outdoor Classroom. On October 9, the landscape architects of the Outdoor Classroom presented the final design for the courtyard. Ruth Parnell and Ginnie Sullivan of Learning by the Yard met with parents, teachers and volunteers to share their vision for the space. Ms. Parnall and Ms. Sullivan also presented the team with "The Story of the Glover Elementary School Courtyard," a laminated 12-inch by 18-inch "big book," which is designed for use by students and teachers. It includes a color courtyard plan and descriptions of the courtyard’s features, such as pollinator meadows, waterfall, hilltop grove, and an arborway. Following the presentation, everyone was invited outside for a reception in the courtyard.
The team welcomes input from the entire Milton community. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the website at www.outdoorclassroom.home.comcast.net or call Janet MacNeil at 617-698-7013 or Natalie Albers at 617-698-0015 for more information.
On October 9, 2003, Ruth Parnall and Ginny Sullivan of Learning by the Yard visited Glover to present their final plan for the courtyard (click here to see pictures from the event). They had a chance to meet with our parent coordination team, teachers, administrators, and community members to answer questions and tour the courtyard. We were inspired by the plan (which will be on display in the Glover lobby during November parent/teacher conferences) and by the creative ideas that Ruth and Ginny had for using the courtyard (click here to see the final plan).
Ruth and Ginny also gave us The Story of the Glover Elementary School Courtyard, a laminated 12-inch by 18-inch “big book,” which is designed for easy use by students and teachers. It includes a color courtyard plan and descriptions of the courtyard’s features (pollinator meadows, waterfall, hilltop grove, the clearing, etc). The epilogue at the end of the book sums up our project very well:
“The courtyard, like the natural world, is designed to engage the imagination. This ongoing process of inquiry, investigation and engagement will stitch together the skills and content of the school’s curriculum by giving it a real world application. Here the issues can be touched and felt as well as seen, manipulated and modeled as well as observed. The courtyard is a protected place for children to do real work in the real world. The book is yours to write.”
We’re gearing up for our October courtyard bulb planting in which each Glover and Tucker student will be able to plant a bulb in the new outdoor classroom. To supplement the 200 bulbs we’ll be receiving from our National Gardening Association grant, A. Thomas and Sons has generously donated an additional 400 bulbs and the Golden family is donating 100 bulbs so that we have enough bulbs to go around. We’ll need lots of parent volunteers during the bulb planting project, which is scheduled for the week of October 27th. If you’re interested in helping and didn’t have a chance to sign our volunteer signup at Open House Night, please call Patti Mullan (617.698.6546) or Bunny Marquardt (617.696.6417), or email us at gloveroutdoorclassroom@comcast.net.
Taken a look at the courtyard lately? Two new birdfeeders have mysteriously appeared outside the Library windows—a feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seed and a suet feeder. Tell your children to keep an eye out to see what birds are tempted in for those treats! In addition to the birdfeeders, several generous donors have made contributions to the project. You’ll notice two benches in the courtyard (one donated by the 5th grade class of 2003 and one donated by the Milton League of Women Voters in memory of Gregory Monack). They look great! Go to the Photo History page to see the pictures or stroll around the virtual courtyard. The Milton Department of Public Works has kindly donated a compost bin and some rain gauges. (Those may not make an appearance until the spring.) Finally, the Brennan family has given the Library a terrific collection of bird guides and books that Glover and Tucker students can use to identify and research the birds that visit our feeders. Thank you!
Glover School has been awarded a Kids Growing with Dutch Bulbs grant sponsored by the Mailorder Gardening Association and administered by the National Gardening Association (NGA). Under the award, Glover will receive 200 premium Dutch flowering bulbs in October 2003 for planting in the new Outdoor Classroom. The list of 2003 grant winners can be accessed at www.kidsgardening.com.
Glover Outdoor Classroom Receives First Donation
The Outdoor Classroom at Glover Elementary School received its first donation last week: a beautiful new bench. The graduating fifth-graders at Glover voted to make the bench its class gift to the school. The bench is expected to be in place next fall when the construction and renovation of the school is complete. The Outdoor Classroom is a courtyard space created by the new construction that will be used to teach a variety of subjects at Glover. Catherine Mitchell, a fifth-grader and member of the Glover Student Council, said the idea to donate the bench was a popular one, since the fifth grade class had been very involved in planning the Outdoor Classroom this year. "Our class had a vision of what the Outdoor Classroom would look like," Mitchell said, "and we wanted to donate something that would make the classroom more enjoyable for Glover students in the future." For more information about the Outdoor Classroom, please call Janet MacNeil at 617-696-698-7013 or email at gloveroutdoorclassroom@comcast.net.
Now on Display in the Glover Lobby –We Need Your Comments!
In the last month or so, we’ve gotten the outdoor classroom project off to a great start! With seed money generously donated by several community members, we’ve hired a landscape architect with specific expertise in schoolyard habitat/garden design (Ruth Parnall of Learning by the Yard) to create a master plan for the courtyard. Integrating the ideas we’ve gotten from the Glover teachers and students, Ruth has created a draft plan for the courtyard, which is currently on display in the Glover lobby so that everyone can submit comments on it. Please take a look at the draft plan for the new courtyard habitat/garden and tell us what you think! All comments, ideas, and suggestions are welcome. Comments will be considered when the final plan is put together in early June. We’ll start using the plan in the fall to begin creating our state-of-the-art courtyard learning environment! (Look for notices in the PTO newsletter next fall for volunteer opportunities.)
In the mean time, we’ve begun involving the Glover students in the project. In April, Mrs. Henry helped us do a bird habitat activity with all classes during library. The activity was designed to get the students thinking about what a habitat is and what we need to put in the courtyard to attract birds. All students also made bird feeders out of soda bottles, and took home a backyard bird habitat activity that they can do at home.
Mrs. Sampson is also working with Glover students to create their dream visions of the courtyard in watercolor. These designs will be considered by our landscape architect when she does the final plan for the courtyard.
If you have any questions or comments about the draft plan or any other aspect of the project, please call Janet MacNeil at 617.698.7013, gloveroutdoorclassroom@comcast.net .
A year ago, if you had asked parents of Glover students what they envisioned the new Glover School classrooms would look like, you would likely have gotten answers like “bright, sun-drenched classrooms,” “state of the art technology” or “colorful spaces for learning.” But if you had asked Janet MacNeil what her vision for a classroom would be, she would have answered “a peaceful, natural space with inviting pathways, bird-attracting trees and shrubs, a butterfly garden, a shallow pond with a waterfall, and logs for an outdoor seating area.” That’s because MacNeil has been working with enthusiastic parents, teachers, administrators and community members to turn a courtyard created by the new construction into an “outdoor classroom” that can be used across the curriculum. Some of the many uses of the outdoor classroom will be graphing the types of birds attracted to the courtyard, nature drawing, poetry and writing, and habitat studies.
Working in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, MacNeil and Natalie Albers are spearheading the effort to create a prototype outdoor classroom at Glover that will be used as a model for outdoor classrooms at all the schools in Milton. Albers first got the inspiration for turning the courtyard into an outdoor learning environment after visiting a school in Virginia that had done something similar. The current construction/renovation of all the elementary schools in Milton presented the perfect opportunity to institute the concept of outdoor classrooms here. According to Albers, “We need to take advantage of this rare situation and convert those dirt piles and dug-up school grounds into creative learning spaces and habitats for wildlife.”
The Outdoor Classroom Team, with funds donated by anonymous donors, has hired a nationally-recognized landscape architect that specializes solely in school yard habitats/gardens to create a master plan for the Glover courtyard. In order to create the plan, Ruth Parnell of Learning by the Yard (Conway, MA) will incorporate ideas from Glover teachers, parents, community members and most importantly, the students. The goal is to include students in every step of the planning process so that the classroom will reflect the interests and needs of those who will ultimately use it.
The students at Glover are currently participating in a series of activities designed to expose them to the opportunities the new classroom will present. Lori Henry, the librarian at Glover, recently lead an activity designed to help students think about what a habitat is. Students have been studying the birds that can be found near the school, which is located next to Turner’s Pond. They are learning which berry-producing shrubs attract birds, what plants provide shelter to birds and other animals, what trees are optimal for nesting, and the importance of a year-round source of water. In addition, the students have all made bird feeders using recycled bottles to attract birds to their own “backyard habitats.” According to Henry, “Our students are so enthusiastic about researching and creating bird habitats. They are thrilled that their ideas may one day become the foundation for our outdoor classroom.”
The Outdoor Classroom Team includes committees of parents and volunteers who are working on all aspects of the classroom, including fundraising. The project will be totally funded by private donations, grants, business partnerships and fundraising activities. No additional funds will be required from the Milton Public Schools or the school construction budget. Brenda Brathwaite, the principal of Glover Elementary, is pleased that the outdoor classroom will soon be a reality at the school. “I am delighted at the way in which the outdoor classroom project has incorporated the ideas and captured the imagination of students, faculty, parents and community members,” Brathwaite said. “We anticipate an extraordinary experiential space that will expand learning opportunities for the Glover community.”
Although the courtyard right now is just a mound of sand with rocks and debris, the whole Glover community is working together on a vision, a vision to make the outdoor courtyard the best classroom yet at the school. For more information about the outdoor classroom or to donate to the project, please call Janet MacNeil at 617-698-7013 or Natalie Albers at 617-698-0015.
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