Welcome back everyone to our monthly E-Newsletter supporting a network of school garden advocates. We hope everyone enjoyed their summer and are ready to back into the groove for the new school year! 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 would be more than happy to help.

The Summer of 2023 was filled with abundant growth and wonderful temperatures. We are so excited to see the students filling the gardens and walking the paths at the Outdoor Learning Center very soon. Check out these students from our very last field trip program where they got to go on an adventure, harvest fresh vegetables, and make their own salad! 

Newark Citywide Garden Tour Opening Toast

In-Person

Sunday, September 10th @ 1-4pm

Join us for the Opening Toast of the Newark Citywide Garden Tour. This week-long, historical garden tour and present-day harvest  will provide an opportunity for residents and visitors to become informed about the various agricultural spaces that exist. Through a series of workshops and by reaping the benefits from the harvests, residents will also gain a broader awareness of environmental stewardship. 

RSVP HERE 

Newark Citywide Garden Tour

In-Person

Sunday, September 10th - Saturday, September 16th

Join us for this year's Citywide Garden Tour as Newark puts a spotlight on community gardens/urban farms across our city focusing on the theme Food Justice is Social Justice. During this event I'm facilitating a guided tour of the redevelopment of our Garden of Hope as it will soon become a year-round community urban farm, agricultural hub, and serve as our organization's headquarters. Be sure to email Tobias Fox at tobiasfox1@gmail.com to schedule a guided tour.

Louise A. Spencer School Garden Ribbon Cutting

In-Person

Tuesday, September 12th @ 10-12pm

Please join us in celebrating the Louise A. Spencer Garden on September 12th 10am -12pm!! They will have refreshments, STEM activities, and garden activities to enjoy along with the ribbon cutting!

Newark Citywide Garden Tour: School Spotlight 

In-Person

Monday, September 11th @ 10-12pm

Join us as we visit a beautiful school garden at Michelle Obama Elementary School during the Newark Citywide Garden Tour!

Jersey Fresh Farm to School Spirit Week

Monday, September 25th - Friday, September 29th

Join us and thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country as we celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients during Farm to School Spirit Week! 

Second Saturday

In-Person

Saturday, September 9th @ 10:30-12pm

Come join us and spend some time outdoors exploring birds and their home in the garden.

You will be able to: 
-Build a take-home bird house
-Use binoculars on a guided bird walk through the garden
-Make a take-home pair of "bird viewers"
-Learn some bird scouting and sketching tips

If you want to get a flying start check out this cool birdsong tutorial from the Cornell Bird Academy: LINK TO TUTORIAL

RSVP HERE

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

The Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE) is a professional organization, established in 1985, that provides a networking forum for New Jersey's environmental educators.

ANJEE is an organization of dedicated individuals who devote time, energy, and resources to facilitate the advancement of environmental education in our local, state, and global communities. It is an organization whose purpose is to provide a structure for its members which facilitates the improvement of environmental education efforts.

This year, they are hosting their 7th Annual Autumn Outdoor Conference & Environmental Education Awards Reception on September 29th. We are very proud to have one of our staff be nominated for one of the awards. Huge congratulations goes to Patrick Evans, our Farm to School Coordinator for being nominated for the Outstanding Environmental Educator in Non-Formal Education (works with schools). 

Every year, Jersey Fresh celebrates the Garden State's fruits and vegetables through the Jersey Tastes Harvest of the Month! For the month of September, we celebrate tomatoes! Click this link to check out the activity sheet for the month. This sheet includes videos, fun facts, recipes, and activities for all ages from Pre-K all the way through High School! 

The Coalition for Healthy Food in Newark Schools is a collective initiative aimed at ensuring that all students in Newark have access to nutritious meals each day. The Coalition believes in the power of community involvement and the impact it can make in shaping a healthier, brighter future for students.Click  here to learn more! 

What did the cucumber say to the pickle?

“You mean a great dill to me!”

Source: Wisconsin School Garden Network

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!

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.

Dear Volunteers,

We are currently looking for volunteers who can assist with separating seed packets and potting up seedlings for distribution to Plot-It-Fresh members and the community.

We are appreciative of any time that can be devoted to our mission!

To sign up, register at this link here.

We made sure to keep very busy over this summer! We helped support our school gardens with our newest additions to the FoodCorps team. We hosted fields trips for two organizations, one being a garden exploration trip and the other being a nature-art inspired field trip! 

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.