October+16,+2010

October 16, 2010 1:00 p.m.     Minutes – Westmeade Garden Committee ** Present: ** Sean Sipple, GoodFoodFoGoodPeople; Martha Stamps, Martha Stamps catering; Darlene Nall, Charles Wade, Nick Way and Karen McIntrye, Westmeade teachers, Brandi Way Westmeade Spouse, Shane ? Good Food For Good People (garden expert) Vicki Cauthen, representing Alex (our Eagle Scout program director) ** Present in spirit ** due to other commitments – Denise Obriant, Amanda Street, and Tammy Keown! Sean talked a bit about the general program, and the need to create an overarching principle that directs what we do. Mr. Wade indicated that the Healthy School Initiative should be a central focus or our goal. It was agreed generally that this approach fits all of the plans we have been talking about. We need to come up with a single statement of purpose that captures this goal and incorporates all areas of a healthy school; including the cafeteria, integrating into the school community of learning, and building a healthy environment for kids. The following were brought up; To do this we must; To do these two things we must; Get the community involved – the following ideas were generated; Implementing goals and ideas– Sean suggested proceeding in the following ways; Sean addressed the need for our Methodology to be less direct instruction and more related to – play and peer to peer infection (I think that is the word he used) to get kids learning about gardening and asking good questions! ** //  Final Stage - Discussion   // ** 1. After doing the above we should have Teachers self-identifying teachers doing in service 2. Winter is a good time to do the cooking --- Food Club --- nutrition cooking --- Martha with parents and kids together as well as doing some how you handle more abundance than you can eat at that moment. She may be able to work in food culture and history and how other cultures have done things— We will encourage parents to send dishes from their heritage during our celebration of Nations in December! Letting Susan Lyle and Tina Bozeman know about what we are doing – they may have ideas to help accomplish the goals above --- We can certainly enlist them when we have issues that relate to the cafeteria. Karen will compose a letter and send it to everyone to edit most especially including Mr. Wade in that process and then to them. A wide ranging discussion ensued --- relating to healthy food ideas… ** Note home on Pumpkins Monday 25th, 26th, 27th ---   ** **  Farmer Freddie – trip --- 12:30 on Nov. 13th   ** Sean suggested we do the Community Food Advocates – Grant application --- Cross-Generational grant to get money to work on the garden for a year and help pay for trip. It is not something we have to do as a school --- but rather it goes to individuals --- so Alex and Darlene are the two people to fill out the form. Karen will get it together and fax it in to CFA by Tuesday! Nick’s mom will ask her principal if they can use their activity bus and treat this as a community service project bringing young adult to help chaperon our kids --- and charging just a $1.00 per child. If we get the grants we might be able to cover the cost of Farmer Freddies with the grant money. We will be advertising this in the newsletter and notes home!
 * None violence – bullying reduction
 * Helping kids like healthy food
 * Healthy & good food choices not just encouraged but also available
 * The garden can provide a healthy way of “blowing off energy”
 * Children exposed to sunshine and purposeful movement in a garden are healthier
 * Connection with parents and helping students and parents develop strong food security
 * ** // secure our garden space  // ** so that it is not seen as a huge time consumer. We need to get our space the way we want and the way it needs to be to develop self-sustaining mechanisms.
 * ** // Find ways to help teachers involved  // ** and to create things that go along with their goals in the classroom.
 * Things that have already begun the process - Alex sent to the entire neighborhood a letter about the school garden…. The Fun Run and PE encourages activity…. What fuels my brain and body ---
 * Things we must improve on
 * Frustration with cost /food connection with poor quality cafeteria food
 * Encouraging folks to understand relationships between healthy life styles and test scores
 * Mr. Way, Darlene and Ms. McIntyre need to be more intentional about ways to connect with teachers around the garden to get them excited about the many things they can tie into to.
 * ** TASTE TESTING ** with kids – We will schedule time for kindergarten to be the guinea pigs for this --- Sean will bring cameras, his chefs and helpers with food and let kids playfully interact with the food and try it out. Footage of this event will inspire parents! Mr. Way will talk with his teammates about the dates for this but ideally we will aim for the last week in October. Cost of this absorbed by the money we raised during the sale of mums and pumpkin patch ---
 * October 25, 26, 27h -- ** Pumpkin Patch ** at dismissal will encourage parental awareness and curiosity about garden --- and further stimulate interest in our Fall Festival
 * ** Afterschool Program ** --- Tammy mentioned doing this on Monday (if memory serves) and will do it in conjunction with Funco – so that parents of those students can allow students to help in the garde (parental consent slip is all that is required andd we check kids out of funco and return them (the same number of course – ONLY kidding ) This will get kids really involved.
 * ** Books that Tammy brought were reviewed **--- Mr. Way and Ms. Mc will work on this…
 * ** Immdeiate needs **–
 *  rake up the pine straw to be used as mulch for the butterfly garden.
 *  Turn soil for the starwaberry garden
 *  Prepare for the 3 blueberry bushes that Sean has for us to be put in this fall
 *  Move the strawberries into their new home --- freeing one of the raised beds for vegetable production
 *  Ms. Cauthen’s input was critical here--- since Sean had several suggestions – but it appears we can accommodate them without disrupting his plans already in place!
 *  Planting garlic cloves and putting in cone flowers.
 *  Clearing some area around the beds and mulching so that metro mowers leave our garden untouched!!!!
 *  Possible planting of three crops a year --- Remay – over the gardens – In October --- window boxes in Feb. Put them in March --- tomatoes and eggplant in May – So kids would harvest three times
 * 8% of all people have intolerances that are digestive
 * 50% of picky eaters --- are putting on that issue – as a power issue.
 * Healthy snacks – for parents to prepare and send
 * PTO recommends a trial for parents to only bring treats from an agreed upon list -