Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Science In the Garden


Wondering what goes on in the garden while our fall crops grow?  Second grade science class visited the garden to draw what they saw – and what they learned about that was going on behind the scenes.  Students drew their own plant diagrams of what they observed which included leaf drawings, and how the sun, water, pollen, bees, butterflies, roots, stems, flowers, seeds all worked together in the garden.  Some students noticed decaying plant parts like “dead leaves” or “old turnips.”  The old plants were weeded and mulched during our fall planting earlier this month and now we get to watch our garden grow! 
We look forward to our fall harvest and school-wide tasting November 15th.


DeKalb County School Garden Tour

Fernbank Elementary School participated in a DeKalb County school garden tour earlier this month along with Henderson Mill Elementary and Chestnut Elementary.  Hosted by Georgia Organics, the garden tour showcased three flourishing organic school gardens in DeKalb county.  The tour was followed by a presentation and lunch at Henderson Mill Elementary School organic garden.  Invited participants heard about how DeKalb County School District is bringing fresh, local food to school meals, and how teachers and parents are connecting these foods with curriculum and edible gardens.  We heard stories from leaders across the district about how farm to school is taking root and changing the lives of DeKalb students.
The DeKalb Board of Health, school board members, area superintendants, state level politicians, Atlanta Magazine, the DeKalb County School Nutrition director as well as parents, teachers and students were among the participants.
Thank you Georgia Organics!
Dr. Joyce Wimberly presenting DeKalb Farm to School program.

Student-lead garden tour

Engineer-designed water collection system.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fernbank has a new Wellness Council!


Fernbank has taken the challenge!  We are pursuing bronze level recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  The Healthy Schools Program provides a framework for schools to assess and improve the wellness of their school culture.  It helps schools create an environment where physical activity and healthy eating are accessible and encouraged.  The program is an obesity prevention program that was started by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association.

With a childhood obesity rate of 37.3%, our state ranks of 49th in the nation for overweight or obese children.  Lt. Governor Casey Cagle has challenged all schools to use the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy School Program to improve in the areas of nutrition, physical activity and staff wellness.  By transforming our schools, we will shape the lifelong health and well-being of children and adolescents.

In order to begin the Healthy Schools Program, Fernbank Farm To School approached our faculty about creating a School Wellness Council.  We were surprised by a very positive response from our teachers. Nine teachers signed up to serve on our School Wellness Council, as well as Ms. Satterfield, our Assistant Principal.  In addition to our faculty, four parents will be on the Wellness Council.  The Wellness Council will be lead by parents Delilah Wynn Brown and Lee Ann Else.  We are thrilled to have two Fernbank parents, Anne Dunlop and Jean Welsh that specialize in obesity prevention on our Wellness Council.

Wellness Council
Faculty
Elisabeth Beckwith
JJ Carroll
Alicia Jacobs
Laura Mantrone
Meredith Mourdock
April Poindexter
Debbie Satterfield
kathy Shaw
Peggy Sutton
Lara Thompson
Parents
Delilah Wynn Brown
Anne Dunlop MD, MPH
Lee Ann Else
Jean Welsh PhD, MPH, RN 

Our first meeting will be November 14th, at 2:30 in Ms. Beckwith's classroom.  We will discuss the nomination process for Student Wellness Council members and review the process the Healthy Schools Program will follow.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Celebrate Apples!

Look at the delicious apples served in the cafeteria today as part of DeKalb county’s local produce of the month farm to school program.