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.

Seed Your Future created Green Career Week to help you reach the next generation of professionals. Green Career Week is a national initiative led by industry professionals like you to increase awareness about green industry careers and help build relationships with local schools, colleges and universities.

During Green Career Week, participating businesses and organizations will connect with local schools, colleges and universities to showcase the various career paths at their business. Of course, you can reach out to schools anytime during the year – and that is always encouraged – but by working together during a designated week, we all can give the industry a louder voice.

For more resources, click here!

This past week during Hawthorne Avenue’s Black History Month Program, one of our FoodCorps Service Members, Bridgette Bird, was nominated for the Hawthorne School Community Partner of the Year Award by Principal James and Vice Principal Porter in honor of the positive impact in Sustainable Initiatives , Food Justice, and Leadership she has had around the school community. Bridgette has been an amazing addition to our team since her first year of service in 2022! No one deserves this recognition more than her. 

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.

Second Saturday Family Adventures

In-Person

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

Join us for our monthly family-friendly Second Saturday Family Adventures as we explore the science of Balance and Gravity through hands-on activities and children’s books. We will all have fun exploring each of the challenges and activities while learning to think like scientists!

Registration is required, but the program is FREE! 

REGISTER HERE

Greedy Gardener Workshop

In-Person

Tuesday, March 12th @ 4:00-5:30pm

Join us at Greater Newark Conservancy for our Greedy Gardener workshop, where we will get comfortable preparing, cooking, and eating with your students. Learn the basics of good nutrition to get students started in a lifetime of good health.

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

Green Career Week: Central High School

Newark, New Jersey

To support the national initiative highlighting horticulture, floriculture, and agriculture careers. In conjunction with the Environmental Studies Academy at Central High School. Sarah O'Leary, Director of Youth & Family Education at Greater Newark Conservancy, seeks to build community engagement and knowledge here in Newark by educating students at Central High School about green industry careers! 

Climate-Friendly Youth Gardening Webinar Series

Virtual

March 5th, March 7th, & March 12th @ 7:00pm 

Gardens can be a powerful tool for helping kids to understand the science behind environmental issues and to feel empowered to help! Join KidsGardening and High Country Gardens for a three-part webinar series designed to help educators talk about climate change with kids and enable them to take action through a variety of climate-friendly gardening practices. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Responsive Outdoor Classroom Management

Virtual

Thursday, March 28th @ 7:00pm

Join KidsGardening for a webinar full of insights into managing and responding to behaviors in outdoor classrooms. This session will explore the art of ensuring a positive and structured learning environment by equipping educators, parents, and nature enthusiasts with valuable tools and strategies for addressing various behaviors in outdoor settings.

REGISTER HERE

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

This month's Jersey Fresh Harvest of the Month is Kale! Kale likes to be directly seeded into the ground and it grows into a leafy green, which is the part of the plant we eat. Kale loves the cooler weather and becomes sweeter after a frost! Learn more about Kale here.

National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign established in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits.

This year's theme is "Beyond the Table," which addresses the farm-to-fork aspect of nutrition, from food production and distribution to navigating grocery stores and farmers markets. It also describes the various ways we eat and includes sustainability. For more resources, click 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! 

Why is Kale never lonely?

Because it always come in bunches!

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.

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.