Reading Buddies!

We all know it's important to read to children in their baby, toddler, and preschool years, but South Arbor's school-age children are benefiting as well.

I'm referring to the weekly Reading Buddy Program that the 7th and 2nd graders take part in.  Here are some buddies reading to each other.

The smiles!

The books!

The love of learning!

The Green Team is especially pleased because many of the books had an earth friendly theme.  Therefore this community-building, literacy-promoting activity will also help us work toward our Green School Status.

Thanks, reading buddies!

Best kept secret: the uniform exchange!

Did you know that there is a free and easy way to trade uniform clothes at South Arbor?

Yes, it's true! There is a Uniform Exchange Bin in the Parent Room.

When your child is in need of a few items to round out that school wardrobe, simply take a few minutes and look in the bins for an item you could use.  Similarly, when your youngest has outgrown those dress code clothes, consider paying it forward and dropping them off in the bins.

The Uniform Exchange is a great way to participate in the South Arbor community in a quiet, subtle way, perfect for the introverts among us.  Additionally, it can help keep your household clothing costs down, thereby freeing up your family funds for other necessities (the college savings fund, perhaps?)

more Uniform Exchange bins under the bulletin board

Did you know that it takes about 660 gallons of water to make just one tee shirt (according to  waterfootprint.org)? Imagine how many resources it takes to produce an entire dress code wardrobe.  So exchanging uniform clothes is certainly green as well, even if the clothes you end up leaving are khaki and navy.

Let the secret of the Uniform Exchange be secret no longer!

Career awareness bonus: cotton farmer, textiles designer, seamstress/tailor, clothing retailer, water management employee, environmental researcher, financial advisor, student loan officer

And what an event it was!

The Green Team is excited to report that the South Arbor Community donated 147 cell phones, 36 power cords, and 49 other random electronic devices during our Cell Phone Collection Event.  How great to be able to partner with ReCellular and donate these items to Cell Phones For Soldiers!

Not only will the phones be traded for calling cards to help the soldiers call home, but they will be recycled properly and kept out of landfills. According to the EPA, if Americans recycled 100 million phones, we could save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households for a year (taken from the CPFS fact sheet).  Thank you, South Arbor for doing your part!

As for the event itself, we must admit there was quite an element of fun.  We started with lots of empty baskets, some jingle bells, 

a few posters, 

and more than a little enthusiasm.  

Our team braved the early times and low temperatures to collect phones during the morning drop-off.  

Bonus: the sunrise.

Then, around dismissal time, we circulated the lanes of traffic again, making recycling your phone oh-so-easy.  

The result: overflowing baskets and boxes!

Stephen Jarvis, Alyson Guarisco, David Bogan, Nyah Rincher (not pictured: Bella)

ReCellular gladly accepted all of our donated gear and promised to report back to us just how much calling time our Cell Phone Recycle Event earned for our overseas soldiers.

A big "Thank you!" to the Cavanaugh, Galbraith, Jansen, Kmieske, and Ridenour families, as well as the Teddy Bear Daycare and the It's A Small World Daycare! 

Cell Phone Recycle Event, Jan 17 and 18

Did you upgrade your cell phone this holiday season?

Are you looking for something wise to do with your old telecommunications device?

The Green Team has a solution for you.  We are holding a Cell Phone Recycle Event on Thursday, January 17 and Friday January 18 during morning and afternoon traffic.  You don't even have to leave your vehicle to recycle your cell phone.  Adults and students from the Green Team will be circulating the lanes of cars during drop-off and pick-up times.  Just look for volunteers holding the wicker baskets.

Let's fill her basket with phones!

  

Will she smile if her basket is filled with cell phones?

Give them a wave and toss them your old cell phones, chargers, power cords.

One of South Arbor's parents works for ReCellular, and is partnering with The Green Team to donate all of our old tele-com gear to Cell Phones For Soldiers, a reputable charity that trades them for calling cards for our overseas soldiers to call home.  And, not to worry, all sensitive data will be removed.

Sounds like a Win-Win-Win situation to me!

So, mark your calendars and bring in your old cell phone gear.

January 17 and 18!

Cell Phone Recycle Event

during morning and afternoon traffic

Checkpoint: Reusing magazines and newspapers

Reusing magazines and newspapers is not a new idea for South Arbor's Kindergarten teachers.  They've been doing it for years!  

Not only are magazines and newspapers used to contain artistic enthusiasm (aka paint spills), but they also provide a hands-on way for children to experience letters, shapes, and numbers; while fine tuning their motors skills along the way.

For example, one activity requires the students to find and cut out all the letters in their name.

Another activity asks them to find and cut out examples of certain shapes.

When making an alphabet journal, students find and cut out items that begin with each letter of the alphabet.

When a Kindergarten teacher asks for donations of old magazines and newspapers, you can be sure they are put to good use!


Career Awareness Bonus (jobs related to this post): kindergarten teacher, mixed media artist, magazine editor, newspaper editor, journalist, free-lance writer, photographer

Update to the PTO, December 13, 2012

Just what is that Green Team up to these days?

1)  Mrs. Morad and her enthusiastic team of students have been sorting and boxing the MANY foil-lined snack packaging that is being collected in the TerraCycle boxes during the lunch periods.

2) The Primary Hall won the bottle cap collection in a dramatic upset over the highly-favored Intermediate Hall.  The Green Team students will be fashioning a wall mural with all the caps.

3) The Girl Scouts are planning for a raised garden bed.  Their planning includes site location, budget items, planting specifics, and bed construction.  You go, girls!

4) Have you seen the many green-themed signs popping up around the school?

Thanks, Green Team, for raising awareness.  Because knowing is half the battle.

5) Get excited, because the Green Team is organizing a Cell Phone Recycle Event!  Is your family planning to upgrade your telecommunications this holiday?  Don't toss that old cell phone.  Recycle it during morning or afternoon traffic on Thursday January 17 and Friday January 18.  The phones will be donated to Cell Phones For Soldiers and will result in calling cards for soldiers to call home.  What a cause!  And don't fret, this reputable charity erases all sensitive information.

6) As the holiday parties pop up and teachers ask for donations of food and supplies, consider making a small change to reduce the holiday trash.  The biggest culprits for party trash are individually packaged snacks and disposable tableware.  Consider volunteering to bring a class set of cups, or a tray of cut fruit.  You will be amazed at how much little differences can make and I've found teachers are open to wise suggestions.

Students speak: TerraCycling and Bottle Cap Collection

From the written contributions of 8th graders Sam, Pavitra, and Sarah:

In order to conserve materials and aide the environment, our school has undergone a system of terra-cycling.  We have implemented a number of systems.  

One of these is the bottle cap collection, in which students compete to recycle the most bottle caps for their hallway. 

This effort has yielded over a thousand bottle caps, and these will be used to create a mural for the school halls.

photo by Abi, 3rd grade

At lunch, students are encouraged to recycle their chip bags, candy wrappers, and other foil-lined bags.  

Each day, this system produces two boxes of materials that would have otherwise gone to the landfill.  At the end of each week, our school ships these materials to the TerraCycling program to be made into other goods, such as backpacks.

As you can see, this will accumulate a massive amount of waste over the school year.  Our school is quite involved in the process and we hope it will aid the world in its struggle for good.



The Green Team is delighted with the enthusiasm the students are showing for these responsible green efforts.  One first grader handed me this the other day.

Finally, congratulations to the Primary Hall who won the bottle cap competition in a dramatic upset over the highly-favored Intermediate Hall.  The Green Team students will be planning and constructing a mural with these bottle caps in the coming weeks.

Career Awareness Bonus (jobs related to this post): packaging engineer/designer, recycle center manager, mixed media artist, 8th grade teacher