You're invited to the Groundwork Lawrence 2nd Annual School Garden Training! 
Date: Monday, March 5, 2018
Time: 4:30-6:30 PM
Location:  Groundwork Lawrence
                  50 Island St., Entrance B
                  Lawrence, MA 01840 
 
Groundwork Lawrence invites school staff, teachers, and community partners to participate in our 2nd Annual School Garden Training! We will be sharing  practical tips for planning your garden while involving students in every step! Also come to learn about curriculum resources, ideas for utilizing the garden in the classroom and creative ways to fund  your garden.  Learn more here . 
 
Snappy Tips for Planning your Garden! 

Use graph paper to help students map out and visualize the garden. This works great for the square foot gardening method in raised beds!  There are many resources and books about square foot gardening.  One example is All New Square Foot Gardening II: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space by Mel Bartholomew.

Starting seeds indoors will give you a head start before the weather is just right for your plants to be outdoors. Read High Mowings' tips for early season seeds starting.

Request Seed Donations Now! 
SEED DONATIONS make it possible for many 
school garden s to plant a variety of delicious crops. APPLY NOW to start your seed collection and get on track for planning your garden! Some companies have seed donation forms and others simply require a written request via email. Examples include: 
Please note: Most companies require a nominal fee for shipping, but it is well worth the $5 for 10 or more seed packets! Apply soon before the seed packets run out!
Interview with Michelle Laroque from the Bruce School
 
Michelle is an alumna of and a 6th grade science teacher at Bruce Elementary School. Michelle loves to garden, and through our partnership with Boston College, is a recent recipient of a new hydroponic system. 

Q: What is your experience gardening?
A: My grandfather was the first person I knew who gardened. He had a very large garden. He and my grandmother would go to the beach during the summer, and my mother and I would harvest what was in the garden and bring it to them at the beach.
 
My mother also had a large garden, and now I mostly care for it. I have over 30 houseplants at home. I am the most excited when I get cuttings of new plants that I have never grown before!
 
Q: You attended the Boston College Hydroponics training last summer. What prompted you to register for the training?
A: I love plants, and love seeing the kids get excited about growing them!  The hydroponics system was especially interesting to me. With hydroponics, they learn that they can grow things inside in just a little bit of water, and they can move their plants with them.
 
I am also excited to show the kids that we can grow fresh herbs year-round, as well as tomatoes and peppers.
 
Q: Where are you with the hydroponic system? What is your vision for the hydroponic system in your classroom?
A: I am currently watching over it with GWL staff, who helped me to build it and have started seeds in it. I didn't have any experience with hydroponics before now, so I am still experimenting and figuring it out. I plan to keep troubleshooting and will learn from that experience as well.

I plan to start growing herbs to show kids how easy it can be. We did a wick hydroponics experiment earlier in the year. I want to show the kids how we can start out small with herbs and then, with experience, get into growing larger fruits and vegetables.

Who do you think should be the next Gardener highlighted in our newsletter? We'd also love to hear from you about what gets you excited about school gardening! Send your nominations and emails to Kelly.
Excited to start, but not sure how?

We are partnering with Boston College to support and expand hydroponics in Lawrence Public Schools.  Boston College will be offering another training on hydroponics this summer and all attendees will receive free hydroponic equipment for their school. If you are interested in becoming involved in this partnership program, email Caitlin Abber, GWL Education Director.

We have helped build gardens at 14 schools and are happy to help troubleshoot and  discuss best practices for building and managing a school garden! Contact Kelly  for any additional questions.
Summer Job Opportunities
 
Interested in working with youth in environmental stewardship, community health, agriculture, service learning, and social-emotional learning this summer?  Are you available late June to mid August? 
 
We are NOW HIRING for the following summer positions: 

Help us SPREAD THE WORD about the youth employment opportunities below too!

Check out our  website for more information. Resumes and cover letters should be sent to  hr@groundworklawrence.org.  
 
* Urban Adventures is a 5-week fun-filled  summer camp-like experience for Lawrence youth ages 11-14, exploring food, health service learning, urban gardening, and social-emotional learning

** Green Team is a 7-week part-time workforce development and leadership program for 30 high school students in Lawrence focused on urban agriculture, health, the environment, and community engagement.