the maryland green school application
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The Maryland Green School Application. College Gardens Elementary School 1700 Yale Place Rockville, MD 20850. Brief Summary: CGES Green Culture. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Maryland Green School Application
College Gardens Elementary School1700 Yale Place
Rockville, MD 20850
Brief Summary: CGES Green Culture
• College Gardens is a unique, passionate school that encourages students, staff, and parents to make the world a better, cleaner place. Students inquire into humans’ responsibilities to conserve natural resources, care for the environment, and take action towards making Earth a healthy place to live.
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Top 5 Proudest Accomplishments
• To share the importance of protecting the environment, in both 2011, 2012, and 2013, the fifth grade has completed a unit focused on sharing our planet. Each group completes a final product that is shared with the community.
• Each year, students in 5th grade volunteer to collect recyclable materials from classrooms twice a week.
• The 4th grade team, with the help of the ESOL teacher and supporting staff, organized and implemented the Chesapeake Bay field trip for all 4th graders, teaching students about the importance of taking care of our natural resources.
• The 2nd grade created and performed their own version of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. All grade levels had the opportunity to see the performance.
• Students, staff, and parents participated in CGES Beautification Day, cleaning up the College Gardens campus and showing support for environmental awareness.
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Environmental Issue Instruction
Grade Level
Lesson Slide Number
Kindergarten and Austism Classes
-Rules, Roles, and Responsibilities: Recycling-Our Changing World: environmental walk-”What's On Your Plate” -”Survival of the Fittest”-”To Market, To Market”
7891011
First Grade
-Trash Walk-How can we Help?-Past, Present, Future Murals about pollution-Helping the Earth posters-Croyden Creek Field Trip-City of Rockville sapling presentation for Arbor Day
121314151617
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Environmental Issue Instruction
Grade Level
Lesson Slide Number
Second Grade
-Natural Resources Walk-”The Lorax” play-Brookside Butterfly Garden-Planet Patrol-Global Problems Research and Presentations-”The Environmental Show” play-Life Cycles: Butterfly Habitats-Butterfly Release
1819202122232425
Third Grade
-Animal Classification-Energy Unit-Brookside Gardens Field Trip
262728
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Environmental Issue Instruction
Grade Level
Lesson Slide Number
Fourth Grade
-Chesapeake Bay field trip-Declaration of Interdependence-Ecosystems
293031
Fifth Grade
-Study of Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition-Hydroelectric Power-Exhibition
323334
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KindergartenRules, Roles, and Responsibilities
Students inquire into recycling as an individual, a school, and a community to see that recycling is a rule, role and a responsibility for all citizens.
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Kindergarten“Our Changing World”
Kindergarten students learned about taking care of the environment as it changes throughout the seasons and the years. Students participated in an environmental walk outside on school grounds to observe the land, trees, plants, and seasons. Students also walked to the pond to monitor the changing levels of water and predict the causes.
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Kindergarten: “What's On Your Plate”
Students inquired into
the connection between agriculture within the community and the environment.
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Kindergarten: “Survival of the Fittest”
Students inquire into how habitats around the world are affected by pollution and trash. After their inquiry, kindergarten students take action by exploring ways to prevent pollution in different habitats.
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Kindergarten: “To Market to Market”
During this unit of inquiry, kindergarten students inquire into natural resources from the local community and how those resources help the environment and economy.
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First Grade: Trash WalkAfter inquiring about pollution and
the environment, students took a walk around the school to find trash that was outside of the school. Students then came up with ways that they could help take care of the environments, and promote at school.
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How Can we Help?• Students went around the school to look for classrooms with
lights on when no one was in the room, recycled materials in the trash cans, and computers and Promethean Boards left on. Students then created posters to give to teachers and spoke to classes about the importance of saving energy and recycling.
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First Grade: MuralsStudents created murals after inquiring into the
effect pollution has on the environment. Their murals showed the environment in the past, the present, and future, if people don’t take care of the environment.
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Helping the Earth Posters
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The students made posters for other grade-level classrooms. The posters helped teach other children about taking action to help the environment.
First Grade: Croydon Creek
• The field trip was about weather (forecaster soup), and what makes different kind of weather. Students also took a nature walk and made observation about living and non-living things found in the nature; how the dead plants and organism help the nature. They observed the plants and animals (smaller ones) found in our surroundings. They also discussed how could we tell if the wind is blowing and what instruments can be used to measure temperature and rainfall, and also how we can tell what directions the wind is coming from.
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City of Rockville Sapling Presentation
• Each year, the City of Rockville presents saplings to first graders in honor or Arbor Day. Students are encouraged to take the saplings home and plant them somewhere.
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Second Grade: Natural Resources Walk
Second graders learned about different properties of natural resources (like rocks and soil). Students took a walk around the school to locate different types of rocks. They used these rocks in class to discuss their observable properties.
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Second Grade: “The Lorax”
The second graders performed the play, The Lorax for the whole school. They acted and sang about saving the environment. Adapted from the Dr. Seuss book.
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Second Grade: Brookside Butterfly Gardens
Students visited a live butterfly exhibit and learned about the characteristics of butterflies.
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Second Grade: Planet Patrol
During a unit of inquiry under the theme Sharing the Planet, students inquired into the reasons to protect the environment and global problems that impact the earth and people. Some students made posters to inform others about reasons for protecting the environment.
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Second Grade: Global Problems Research and Presentations
As part of “Planet Patrol,” students researched about the effects of global problems and made a presentation to share with others.
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Second Grade: “The Environmental Show”
The second grade class performed a musical about a rock band that learns to recycle.
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Second Grade: Butterfly Basics
In conjunction with their study of The Cycle of Life, second grade students learned about butterfly behavior and habitat needs and created a butterfly habitat. The students researched how all living organisms change and adapt to their environment. They also examined seeds under microscopes and compared the basic needs of five different organisms. Please see the Habitat Restoration section for information about the school’s butterfly garden.
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Second Grade: Butterfly Release
We raised painted lady butterflies and kept an observation journal of the different stages of their life cycle. We researched how different animal use adaptations to help them survive.
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Third Grade: Animal classification
Students learned about the different classes of animals and different types of plants. The students participated in a hands on learning experience with reptiles. The students researches an animal class and taught other students about that class through a variety of projects and then took action to help endangered species.
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Third Grade: Energy Unit
Students learned about energy choices. They compare and contrast energy choices from around the world. They created websites to share their new learnings.
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Third Grade: Brookside Gardens Field Trip
Students investigated how maple syrup is created. They observe the process of maple sugaring. They learn about the different types of trees that can make maple sugar and how those trees produce sugar.
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Fourth Grade: Field Trip to the Chesapeake Bay
• As part of the 4th grade unit of inquiry focused on inquiring into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things, the 4th grade took a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay. With the help of parents and CGES staff, the students rotated through 4 stations during the trip, learning about the bay and the impact humans can have, positive and negative, on the bay.
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Fourth Grade: Declaration of Interdependence
During this unit of inquiry, under the theme Sharing the Planet, students inquired into essentials for survival, the relationships between adaptations and environment, and human actions that impact the environment. The central idea of this unit was for students to gain an understanding that living and non-living things are interdependent within an ecosystem. As a summative project, students created articles explaining the human impact on environments around the world and what humans can do to reduce their negative impact on those environments.
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Fourth Grade: Ecosystems
• The students researched biomes around the world. They learned about the living and non-living parts of each biome. They identified flora and fauna of their biome and discussed characteristics unique to their biome. They then presented their information to the class.
• Each class created 6-7 ecosystems to observe.
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5th Grade: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
In 5th grade, students explore various ways the surface of the Earth can change. Students participate in explorations into weathering, erosion, and deposition and discover the global importance of learning about these topics.
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5ht Grade: Renewable Energy Sources – Hydroelectric Power
5th graders inquire into the ways energy can be conserved. Students read and learn about various forms of renewable energy, including hydroelectric power.
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Fifth Grade: Exhibition• As a culminating event, 5th graders spend six-weeks researching a topic related to
the PYP theme “Sharing the Planet.” At the end of the six-week research period, they present their findings at the community Exhibition, an event attended by school board members, community members, staff, and other students. Direct actions resulting from these efforts include fundraising, collection items, student-generated lessons that were shared with younger grades levels, and tips on the announcements.
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School-Wide Environmental Behavior Changes
Project Groups Involved Description Slide Number
PTA Wednesday Folders
Electronic option – PTA and Parents Parents given option to receive electronic communication
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Sinks Entire School Sinks use automatic sensor to turn on and off
37
Trash Compactor Building Services Reduce the volume of trash. 38
Air Hand Dryers Entire School Eliminates use of paper towels. 39
Recycling Receptacles on Campus
Entire School Trash and recycling containers available on playground, by the front doors of the school, and at the entrance to the gym
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Solar Panels MCPS Solar Panels were installed on the new school
41
Lights Whole School Light bulbs taken out to conserve energy
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Rocks of Roof MCPS Used to help filter runoff and prevent problems with clogging gutters
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PTA Wednesday Folders
An option was given to all families to receive communication from the PTA in electronic format instead of the usual paper copy. The red indicates families opting to have everything delivered electronically.
Green – 465 students (youngest children: receive all papers)Yellow – 107 students (older siblings: only receive specific, grade-level
materials)Red – 307 students (Receive everything electronically)
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SinksAutomatic shut
off on sinks to conserve water usage.
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Trash Compactor
College Gardens uses a trash compactor for waste management and to minimize volume of trash.
38
Air Hand Dryers
Air Hand Dryers were installed in all the bathrooms to eliminate paper towel usage in student bathrooms.
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Recycling Receptacles
• Recycling Bins and Trash Cans on the playground, by the front doors of the school, and next to the gymnasium entrance
40
Solar Panels
Solar panels on the school’s roof help the building conserve energy.
41
LightsThe building service
team has removed some fluorescent
bulbs from lights in the office and hallway to conserve energy.
Steps are being taken to continue this
process throughout the entire school.
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Rocks on Roof
Rocks are used on the roof to reflect sunlight and help filter residue like leaves from the rain.
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Professional DevelopmentTeacher Position Training Slide
Number
Ali Wade 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip Training: September, 2013
46
CharleneHernandez
4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Ashley Johnson 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Jennifer Harris 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Yvonne Parham 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Tong Yao 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Wendy Eldred 4th Grade Chesapeake Bay Field Trip TrainingSeptember, 2013
46
Jennifer Harris 4th Grade Hands on Energy Literacy, March 12, 2014 47
Jennifer Harris 4th Grade Global Changes, Local Impacts: The National Climate Assessment, April 16, 2013
47 44
Professional DevelopmentTeacher Position Training Slide
NumberALL Vertical Staff Meeting: April 24 48
ALL Staff Meeting Green School Application update: March 4, 2013
49
Grade Level Teams Grade-level meetings: Green School Application update: March 6, 2014
50
Christine Hafer 2nd Grade NSTA Convention 51
45
Chesapeake Bay Field Trip Training
• Former MCPS employee trains 4th grade team to facilitate Chesapeake Bay field trip
46
WebinarsHands on Energy Literacy
Jennifer Harris
Global Changes, Local Impacts: The National Climate AssessmentJennifer Harris
47
Staff Meetings
17 teachers at CGES were officially trained as a WeatherBug Educator. See sample (right) of the certificates that we all received.
• Vertical Staff Meeting 4/24• Staff members collaborated to discuss
our school’s environmentally-themed units of inquiry. Discussion involved coverage of multiple environmental topics being addressed in all grade levels through our sharing the planet themed units of inquiry.
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Green School Application update 3/4/13
• Jennifer Harris, Green school committee chair, spoke to staff members about our upcoming green school application and asked for volunteers to help put together documentation from the past year’s school related environmental teaching and learning.
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Grade level Staff meeting for green school application update March 6, 2014
• Green School committee reached out to staff to document grade level specific lessons that were taught relating to the environment.
50
NSTA National Conference
San Antonio, TexasApril, 2013Christine Hafer – 2nd Grade
Sessions included:-Soils: More than Dirt Under Your Feet-Oil Spill: Solving a Real-World Problem-Inquiry in the Garden: Integrating Open-ended, Living Projects in Science Teaching and Learning
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CelebrationsCelebration Groups
InvolvedActivity Slide Number
Arbor Day 1st grade Receive trees from City of Rockville, Singing Earth Day Rap, and reading speeches about saving our environment.
53
Morning Announcements 5th grade Recycling Team Morning announcements to encourage recycling
54
Earth Hour Whole School School-Wide and Community-Wide awareness of conserving energy by turning off all electronics for an hour
55
Walk-To-School Day Whole School “Walking School Buses” 56
Annual Sert Poster Contest First Graders Students annually participate in SERT poster contest –annually
57
Earth Day Celebrations Second Graders 2nd Grade students celebrated Earth Day by creating posters and other items to teach about saving the Earth.
58
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Celebrations: Arbor DayStudents celebrated Arbor Day with the city of Rockville presenting them with trees to plant. Students sang Earth Day song and read speeches about helping the environment.
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Celebrations: Morning Announcements
The recycling team of students announces energy saving/ conservation tips on the morning announcements during the month of March.
• “Students please remember to place your recycling in the correct container.”
• “Remember to conserve energy when your using the computer lab use the lamps instead of the lab lights.”
• “ When you leave your classroom make sure that you turn off the lights.”
54
Earth HourNext year, the school will
announce Earth hour and send a parent phone call and includes information on the website to remind families to turn off all electronics on Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 8:30-9:30pm. Students will also share information about Earth Hour on the morning announcements. Earth Hour will be placed on the school’s master calendar.
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We Celebrate International Walk to School Day
Staff, students, and parents joined together to walk to school on October 3rd, 2013.
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Sert Poster Contest• First graders create posters annually for
the SERT poster contest. The posters are themed with energy saving tips.
57
Earth Day April 22, 2013
Second graders created posters, t-shirts, bookmarks, etc. to share with other grade levels tips on taking care of the environment.
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Best Management Practices
Solid Waste Reduction Green Team monitors school-wide recycling bins
No-waste lunches60-62
Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention
Water conservation signs Automatic Sinks 5th Grade Water Crisis
Activity CGES Beautification Day
litter pick-up
63-65
Energy Conservation Classroom jobs to save energy
Energy Saving tips on morning announcements
Students monitor use of lights in classroom
66-69
Habitat Restoration Students tend courtyard butterfly garden 70-72
Structures for Environmental Learning
Edible Garden 3rd Grade Teaching others
about Solar Power using CGES Solar Panels
73-7559
Environmental Best Management Practices: Solid Waste Reduction
Project Groups Involved
Description Slide Number
Lunchroom Recycling
Entire School
Recycling containers are available throughout the lunchroom.
Hallway Recycling
Entire School
Recycling containers are easily accessible in the hallways. Fifth graders empty the containers.
60
Recycling in the Lunch Room
• Each day at the end of the lunch period, students work together to sort items that can be recycled. Some items collected include plastic milk bottles, styrofoam trays, and plastic lunch containers.
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Best Management Practices: Solid Waste Reduction – 5th Grade Recycling Team
A group of 5th Grade students organize collecting recycled materials from classrooms twice a week.
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Environmental Best Management Practices: Water Conservation/Pollution Prevention
Project Groups Involved Description Slide Number
Water Crisis Exhibition Group
5th Grade Small Group
5th grade small group action piece teaching 1st graders about water crisis
CGES Beautification Day
School staff, parents, and students
Students patrolled the grounds for litter.
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Water Crisis: A 5th Grade Exhibition Group teaches
1st GradersAs their exhibition project,
a group of 5th grade students inquired into the water crisis and learned about actions that can be taken to help. The 5th graders chose to create a collection of activities to support teaching younger students about the water crisis.
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CGES Beautification Day
Staff, students, and parents joined together to help clean up the College Gardens’ campus. Volunteers picked up trash in the parking lots and on the school grounds. Collecting these materials prevents them from returning to our water supply by way of storm drain.
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Environmental Best Management Practices: Energy Conservation
Project Groups Involved Description Slide Number
SERT Energy Conservation Poster Contest
C-Team and Whole School
Poster were created by students and an award went to the best poster for recycling
Classroom Jobs to conserve energy
Individual Classrooms/Students
Classrooms create jobs where students monitor the lights, computers, and promethean board
C-Team hallway monitors
C-Team Monitor hallways throughout the building for recycling
Lamps in Computer Lab
All students Lamps were installed in computer lab to reduce energy used
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Best Management Practices: Energy ConservationSERT Poster Contest Participation
• SERT Poster Contest Participation
Students created posters to encourage environmental change.
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Best Management Practices: Energy Conservation Classroom Jobs
• Students in classrooms monitor energy use by making sure computers, lights, and Promethean Boards are turned off when they are not in use.
• Students recognize when lights are not needed as sunlight provides ample light in classrooms.
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Best Management Practices: Energy Conservation
Lamps installed and used in computer lab to reduce energy usage. Students continuously encourage teachers to turn off overhead lights and use the
lamps.
69
Best Management Practices: Habitat Restoration
Project Groups Involved Description Slide Number
Tree Planting Girl Scout troop and Mayor of Rockville
Tree planting on playground
Butterfly Garden Girl Scout Troop of CGES 4th graders
Students are maintaining a butterfly garden in courtyard.
70
Tree Planting
The City of Rockville, along with the city’s Mayor, worked with a girl scout troop to plant a tree in the playground area. Stacey
Rogovoy, the principal at College Gardens Elementary School, spoke and the 5th Grade chorus sang at the ceremony. MCPS and local news attended. This continued effort to improve the
habitat around College Gardens shows the school’s commitment to the environment.
71
Best Management Practices: Habitat Restoration
Butterfly Garden
A girl scout troop has continued with maintenance
of the butterfly garden found in the courtyard of
our school. Students from this troop water the plants
in the garden, pull up weeds, remove old mulch,
and add new mulch.
72
Best Management Practices: Structures for Environmental Learning
Project Groups Involved Description Slide Number
Edible Garden Planning
Staff, students, and parents
Plans put into place to build an edible garden for the courtyard
Educational activities related to green building (solar panels)
3rd Grade teachers and students
3rd Grade unit of inquiry related to reusable energy
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Best Management Practices: Structures for Environmental Learning
Planning For Edible Garden
Staff members, parents, and students discussed the idea of creating an edible garden in the courtyard. Resources
about edible gardens and planting tables were
gathered. Talks are still on-going as this is something
that CGES is looking forward to following
through with in the future.
Beginning to kill the grass!
74
Best Management Practices: Structures for Environmental
Learning3rd Grade Lessons Related to
CGES Solar Panels
3rd graders learned about renewable energy, relating their new knowledge to the school’s use of solar panels. The students then created various materials, such as
websites, to help teach other students in the school
about the importance of using renewable energy
sources.
75
Community Partnerships
Groups Involved
Project Description Slide Number
Girl Scouts Butterfly Garden Maintaining Butterfly Garden 77
Gaithersburg Police Department
Public Safety Presentation
A Gaithersburg police officer went to a third grade classroom to discuss public safety.
78
Professionals from Community
Science Expo Staff coordinated with parents and other professionals within the community to facilitate science discourse during expo.
79
PTA, Students, and Staff Edible Garden Staff members communicated with parents about starting an edible garden in school courtyard.
80
City of Rockville Council Member and 3rd Grade
Storm Water Pond Council Member spoke to 3rd grade about the storm water pond and its involvement with environmental concerns.
81
NOAA- John Swallow Charting and Monitoring waterways and oceans
Parent of 4th grade student spoke to 4th grade class about the importance of monitoring the changes in the oceans of the world.
82
Audubon Naturalist Society – GreenKids - Gregg Trilling
Green Kids Program, Professional Development, Green School
Partnered with various teachers, classes, and grade levels to provide support with environmental education
83
Girl ScoutsGirl Scouts have been involved in creating and maintaining the butterfly garden at College Gardens Elementary School.
77
Gaithersburg Police Department
Gaithersburg Police officer went to a third grade classroom to discuss public safety.
78
Science ExpoStaff coordinated with parents to run the Saturday Science Expo. Parents were trained on how to facilitate science discourse for the students’ presentations.
79
PTAGreen School
Committee chair contacted parents to begin an edible garden in our school courtyard.
80
City of Rockville Council Member
Mark Pierzchala, City of Rockville Councilmember came to speak to the third graders about the storm water pond and park that was established in 2010. He discussed the community’s involvement in this environmental issue that concerns College Gardens.
81
NOAA: Mr. John Swallow
Mr. John Swallow, a parent of a 4th grade student, came in and spoke about monitoring and charting waterways around the world. He discussed geographic features and reasons for monitoring the ocean levels.
82
Audubon Naturalist Society-GreenKids
83
The Audubon Society worked with College Gardens to teach students about ways to save the Chesapeake Bay.