Wrapping up Fall on the Farm
Happy Winter, school family! Here’s hoping that the Year of the (Fire) Horse is off to a healthy, peaceful start for you and yours. We had a wonderful autumn on the farm, full of learning and beauty and lots of delicious fruits and vegetables. Let’s catch up!
We’re so fortunate to have students outside with us most days helping to support the work of growing food for our award-winning nutrition program. At the elementary campus, students in first, third, and fourth grades came out for thirteen consecutive weeks during their library related arts time; we saw students in other grades during weekly farm chore shifts; and our small-but-mighty Wednesday recess 4th/5th grade Farm Club volunteered their time most weeks to help accomplish tasks that needed lots of attention to detail. We’re so excited to welcome students in Kindergarten, second, and fifth grades to the farm portion of their library related arts this week, while the fall farm grades return to weekly time in the library. At middle campus, groups of students came out to the farm for Wellness Wednesdays during their Health and Physical Education classes each week, and advisories rotated through a schedule of Friday morning farm chores and harvests. Our Thursday MC Farm Club after school is still going strong, with students overseeing a range of farming and food preservation projects, but only after a serious farm snack to fuel our labor. We are so grateful to be continuing these initiatives through the rest of the school year, while also adding several class-specific units of study in the spring.
As you may have noticed, the farm literally runs on collaboration, and the parent and guardian part of our school family is vital when it comes to big projects, celebrations, and weekend work. We enjoyed a sunny, chilly farm workday at the elementary campus in October, with quite a few families (including grandparents!) coming out to prepare a new spot for our strawberry patch. We set out a weed barrier of upcycled cardboard, hauled and spread soil and compost, and transplanted and straw mulched over 150 strawberry plants in eight raised beds. And we welcomed over 50 folks to our Food, Farm, and Culture event in early November, where we snacked on farm goodies while listening to and learning from a local food education and policy expert. We’ll have more farm workdays and evening events to look forward to in the spring, so please check back here for updates and details.
And finally, you may have noticed that the outdoor classroom on the elementary campus farm got a little glow-up for the new year. After years of layering up our clothing–or simply working in the greenhouse or in the building–during the coldest days on the farm, we now have a thick vinyl wrap around the Pavillion. The best part is that not only will we stay warm and dry when/if the weather turns, we can roll up the vinyl for the warmer month of the year to enjoy the breeze and sunshine. Win/win! After one day of classes under our belts with the new set-up, it’s safe to say we’ll all enjoy this fantastic new addition to our farm classroom.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the farm crew with questions or concerns. We value the support and input of our school family, and we are so grateful to continue working, learning, and growing alongside your wonderful kiddos. Let’s do this, 2026!