Want to help tend the garden this summer?

There will be lots of activity at McKinley this summer with the bond construction that's happening. They are going to transform the inside of our old school. Rumor is there might even be drinkable water out of the drinking fountains to rival the cold one in the gym! 


So, we will have some access to the garden this summer, and there are some plants out there that will need our attention as the days get hotter and drier. We are working on a schedule for watering, with people signing up for a week at a time. Ideally, we are going to try and get a timer and drip system so that the "watering" of the garden would entail you coming and making sure it's all working and NOT hauling multiple watering cans from the faucet to the garden.


Are you interested in helping out this summer?
Just email me at dazz22@hotmail.com.

Have you seen the veggies?

This has been a cold, wet spring. But apparently peas, radishes, lettuce and chard all like that kind of weather. Maybe it's the fabulous starts we got from Justin or Minto Island Growers. Maybe it's the attentive care all those students have given to their little plants growing and growing. It's a magic combination! We had fresh lettuce on Monday in the salad bar and Judy roasted up some delicious rainbow chard for kids to try. 1st and 2nd graders have been trying tiny little radishes and lettuce--"did you know lettuce can be red sometimes?" How exciting to see young people watching food grow, eating it, and really giving some thought to how that all happens. Well, maybe not too much thought. But it's exciting to see kids getting excited about the garden! Here's a few photos of what's growing now.

Lettuce, peas and greens, oh my!

I'd buy their lettuce

Room 10's lettuce & peas

Room 6's greens, veggies & soon-to-be flowers.

McKinley Elementary School PTC and McKinley Gardens

Invite you to a

Come join us for an evening of local food, music, and

activities. It’ll be a great opportunity for all of us to

come together as a community to celebrate the effort, energy

and passion people have put into making a school garden

at McKinley a reality.

° Farm to School Dinner catered by Bon Appetit 
   served from 5:30-7:30 PM

° Harvest Bar provided by Sodexo

° Zero Waste Station from Allied Waste Services

° Live Music performed by Audiolenz

° Garden Activities & Crafts

   hosted by McKinley’s Roots & Shoots Club

Prices:

Dinner: Kids--$3.00     Adults--$5.00

 Dinner & Garden Supporter--$10.00

Party in the Garden

Friday, June 3

5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

LOOK WHAT'S GROWING!!

Take a look at what's growing in the garden!

Thank you to Mrs. S's students 

that stayed to help make trellises last Friday.

Farm to School Lunch

Friday, May 20th

11:00-12:00

More information to come...

 CHIVES

Mr. J's Third graders in the garden

Last week Elizabeth from Minto Brown Island Growers came to McKinley with some starts from her greenhouse and Mr. J's class headed into the garden to do some planting. There were three kinds of peas and three kinds of lettuce. We learned a little bit about a local farmer, what kinds of plants like the cool Spring weather (lettuce and peas!), and got to get our hands dirty planting something we can tend, grow and eventually eat.

Elizabeth explaining
how to plant the little starts

He looks like he's done this before

Lots of digging! And directing!

Must be good dirt, the worms like it

Buy flowers for Mother's Day and support McKinley's School Garden

Check your child's school folder for this order form. Buy some flowers for someone special!

Thanks to our supporters

I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone that came to lunch Friday and everyone that has given time, energy, donations, and more to support McKinley's Farm to School program and our garden, Cultivating Curiosity. 

Salem-Keizer Food and Nutrition, 

especially Dave, Nancy & Anthony for an outstanding lunch!

Jeff and Carri from Pitchfork and Crow 

for an information-packed presentation and powerpoint about local farming and food.

Terra Gardens

 for watering cans and hand tools to use in the garden.

Salem-Keizer facilities 

for hog fuel for the garden so the paths aren't so muddy. (Will the rain ever stop??)

LifeSource

 for Territorial Seeds lettuce, carrots, peas and sunflowers, now planted in the beds.


Elizabeth from Minto Brown Growers
for coming to help Mr. J's class plant lettuce and peas in their raised bed, 
and all the starts she brought with her.

If you didn't make it Friday, you have another chance to come enjoy a local lunch on May 20th, same day as McKinley school carnival!

COME HAVE LUNCH ON FRIDAY!

Please come join us for our first

Farm to School lunch!

Friday, April 22, McKinley Cafeteria

10:55, 11:25 and 11:55 am

What is Farm to School?  Farm to School programs connect schools and local farms with the goals of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.  We want to help students think about what they eat and where it comes from.

Salem-Keizer Food and Nutrition Services and Sodexo have prepared a special menu to highlight some of Oregon’s farmers and producers, many featured regularly in our school cafeterias.  Truitt Brothers is a company that is Food Alliance Certified, offering sustainable, responsibly-produced food.  Draper Valley Chicken and Painted Hills Beef provide meat that is always vegetarian-fed, humanely raised and sustainably farmed.  Don Pancho and EZ Orchards are two local companies that source from local farms, and provide local jobs.

What better way to celebrate Earth day than supporting our local farmers and producers who work hard every day to sustain the rich natural environment we have here in the Willamette Valley. We also have two local farmers from Pitchfork and Crow coming to speak at an assembly at 10:00 in the gym. They will show all the things done on a farm from A to Z. And what better way to emphasize the power of buying and eating locally. Come show your support and have lunch with your child!

Menu and Pricing:

*Draper Valley Baked Chicken Wings w/Honey Mustard served with a black bean corn salad

*Painted Hills Meatballs with whole wheat Spaghetti served with lemon pepper green beans.

*Truitt Brothers Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos served on Don Poncho flour tortillas, with lettuce, tomatoes, and Tillamook cheddar cheese. Served with Spanish rice.

Also available: Truitt Brothers beans, and pears, EZ Orchards apples, and Oregon Mushrooms

Students:         $1.75 (regular price; free and reduced prices apply)

Adults:             $3.00



Look what's growing!

Room 11 Strawberries

Roots & Shoots planted an herb garden

Important Dates! Mark your Calendars!

Do you want to learn more about McKinley's Farm to School program and school garden, Cultivating Curiosity? 

Well, mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

Farm to School Lunch

April 22nd, 11:00-12:30

McKinley Cafeteria

Salem-Keizer food service will be serving a locally sourced lunch to celebrate Earth Day and celebrate local producers and sustainable practices. Look for a menu and pricing in the next McKinley messages.

May (date to be determined)

Farm to School Lunch #2

This lunch will involve a partnership between a local chef and the Salem-Keizer food service.

Take this opportunity to come have lunch with your child, and support the Farm to School program and local producers.

June 3rd

Garden Celebration

Come and join us for an evening of local food (maybe even from the school garden!), music, and activities. A great opportunity for all of us to come together as a community to celebrate the effort, energy and passion people have put into making a school garden at McKinley a reality.