Happy New Year and welcome everyone to our monthly E-Newsletter, supporting a network of school garden advocates! We will keep you updated on the latest news and work being done across school gardens programs here in Newark, New Jersey, and the best resources from across the country.   

Looking for a specific resource? Interested in having your own resources published? Reach out to us to discuss more at pevans@citybloom.org and we will be more than happy to help.

We are excited to announce the Newark Grows School Gardens Mini-Grant awardees for the 2023-2024 school year! We are grateful for the support of the City of Newark's Office of Sustainability Nourishing Newark initiative to fund these mini-grants to eight schools. Schools all over Newark are getting students outside to improve the environment, grow food, and get their hands dirty doing engaged science learning. We strive to support ALL Newark schools nurturing school gardens through our workshops, seed and seedling shares, and technical assistance.

Register your school garden to be a part of our Newark School Garden Support Network and see where other school gardens are located near you!

These Family Programs are great to enjoy with a young person, but you can join in on your own for an informal professional development session. They are an opportunity to see ways our environmental educators encourage kids to develop wonder, make observations, construct understanding, and engage in science conversations.  You can also learn some cool crafts, healthy recipes, and ways to incorporate more hands-on, engaged learning.

39th Annual ANJEE Winter Research Symposium & Conference

In-Person

Thursday, January 11th - 12th, 2024

The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ)

The Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) presents its 39th Annual Winter Symposium & Conference to be held in-person, focusing on the powerful role of collaboration and networks in moving the field of environmental education forward.  A full day of workshops for formal, non-formal and higher education teachers where our Program Manager, Patrick Evans, will be hosting an "Accessible Gardening for All" workshop that will dive into designing your garden programs to be inclusive and accessible for students of all abilities! 

REGISTER HERE

Second Saturday Family Adventures

In-Person

Saturday, January 13th @ 10:30-12pm

Join us for our monthly family-friendly Second Saturday Family Adventures as we trace back to our oldest roots of making fire (safely) in the garden! We'll learn about the science of making fire, build our own fire, and try our hand at campfire cooking!

Registration is required, but the program is FREE! Dress appropriately as this is an outdoor program.

REGISTER HERE

Waste-Free Wednesdays: Worm Bin Demo

Virtual

Wednesday, January 24th @ 10:00-10:45pm

Register to join GrowNYC for their first vermi-compost demo of the year and learn how to do it. They will look at compost as a viable solution as we explore the essential question, "What is the problem with Food Waste?" This lesson spurs students to think about what simple daily actions they can take to reduce food waste and address climate change. It’s interactive and fun. This session is open to any student!

REGISTER HERE

NOFA-NJ 34th Annual Winter Conference

In-Person

Saturday, January 27th @ 8:00-6:00pm

The NOFA NJ Winter Conference is not just for farmers and gardeners… their community and audience also includes students, educators, ag industry professionals, chefs, land stewards, conservationists, foodies, brewers, and more. In their 34th year of this event, they hope to provide a space for all communities to come together to share, grow, learn, and connect. Join us all in celebration of NJ food & agriculture and help us grow the garden state together!

Teacher Tuesdays: Defining Environmental Justice

Virtual

Tuesday, January 30th @ 4:00-4:45pm

Teacher Tuesday launches this month with a Defining Environmental Justice resource share for educators. In this virtual workshop, GrowNYC will demo lessons and then give teachers access to our suite of Environmental Justice resources.

Background: Environmental Justice is an important part of the movement to improve and maintain a clean and healthful environment, especially for those who have traditionally lived, worked and played closest to the sources of pollution. With their turnkey lessons and slideshow, you will be able to guide your students as they develop their own definitions of environmental justice based on what they already know and learn about youth activists leading the charge to address this issue.

REGISTER HERE

Growing School Gardens Summit

In-Person

Thursday, March 14th - March 18th, 2024

San Diego, California

A national conference focused entirely on school gardening, the summit will unite 600 educators and leaders to share innovations and harness our collective power for future change. The Growing School Gardens Summit is hosted by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation in Partnership with Life Lab and the School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Check out this school year's Newark Grows School Garden Workshop schedule below!

This month, we're thrilled to highlight the incredible work of Miriam, a first-year FoodCorps Service Member who's making a remarkable impact at both Lincoln Elementary School and Harriet Tubman School.

Miriam's dedication extends beyond the classroom. She's an active member of the Nutrition Advisory Committee at Lincoln School, collaborating with the administration and student leaders to promote healthier eating and wellness. Her efforts are instrumental in shaping a positive and nutritious school environment.

Additionally, Miriam is a part of the FoodCorps Service Member Action Committee. Here, she engages in vital discussions about service experiences, connects with affinity groups, supports inclusive gatherings, and builds her leadership skills. Her enthusiasm and commitment to these roles showcase her as a true leader in our community.

Miriam's work is a testament to the powerful impact of passionate educators in shaping a healthier, more informed future for our students. Her efforts in nutrition education and community involvement are not just inspiring but are laying the foundation for lasting change.

FoodCorps’ Food Operators & Leaders of Color in Schools (FOLCS, pronounced like “folks”) community provides opportunities for AmeriCorps service members, alumni, and school nutrition professionals, as well as those aspiring to careers in this field, to connect around leadership development, mentorship, and networking. FOLCS was launched in 2020, and formerly called the BIMPOC (Black, Indigenous, Multiracial, and People of Color) School Nutrition Leadership (SNL) Network. 

Sign up to join FOLCS here!

Janet was recognized as the "Top Tomato" for NJ with the amazing work she does across the state. She starts out each of her workshops with this statement and weaves in the possibilities for what could happen when kids eat their fruits and vegetables. During these workshops, food service directors and teachers are donning googly-eyed masks blindly trying a new fruit, running to put in sequential order what they believe is the largest fruit and vegetable crop in NJ, and wondering how cutting and chopping up a mix of rainbow cauliflower, raspberries, peaches, cilantro, basil, and a chili-honey dressing will ever go together. We are super thankful for all her work and wish her well on her recent retirement!

This month's Jersey Fresh Harvest of the Month is Blueberries! This is New Jersey's state fruit and it ranks 5th in the nation in blueberry production. Blueberries are in season during the summer months June & July. They are largely grown in the south Jersey Pine Barrens because the blueberry plants like the acidic, sandy soil there. To learn more, visit this activity page here! 

The Coalition for Healthy Food in Newark Schools (HFiNS) is thrilled to announce its official launch, bolstered by a generous grant of $3.8M from Novo Nordisk. This funding spans over the next three years and is dedicated to improving the Newark school food system with community participation and input. Greater Newark Conservancy is serving as the lead organization in this initiative, with this award representing the largest grant awarded to the agency in its 36-year history. HFiNS steering committee includes several other agencies that serve Newark, including Common Market, FoodCorps NJ, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, RWJ Barnabas Health, United Way of Greater Newark, and the Urban Agriculture Cooperative. All work together with the shared goal of transforming Newark’s school food system; these partners are committed to ensuring every student has access to fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant foods. Click here to learn more! 

What did the strawberry say after arguing with the blueberry?

Let’s berry the hatchet!

Source: Wisconsin School Garden Network

Interested in bringing your students to the Outdoor Learning Center at Greater Newark Conservancy to experience the joy of nature-based education? Fill out this Field Trip Interest Form! We offer a variety of field trip programs that will spark the interest of any youth. Whether they are learning about urban habitats, diving into the world of bugs and insects, or seeing how worms can break down our food into a valuable soil amendment, your students will leave our site with a host of knowledge! For more information reach out to soleary@citybloom.org.

By simply being in the garden, kids can be able to nourish their minds, bodies, and souls! 

Click Here for Mindfulness Lesson from KidsGardening

The work that we do would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. While we had to put some of our on-site programs temporarily on hold during the COVID-19 crisis, we are back to normal operations and ramping up a number of programs and activities at our Outdoor Learning Center, the Hawthorne Avenue Urban Farm, school partner gardens, as well as various virtual workshops.