If you weren't able to make last night's first PTO meeting of the year, you missed a lot of great information and some very exciting news for our school.
The highlight was PTO Garden Chair Meridith Dillon's presentation about the plans for new gardens on the north side of the building. Through her hard work and the generosity of several groups, Dundee has received HUGE grants that will cover converting the muddy area on the north side of the school into a beautiful outdoor classroom.
The new North Side Gardens (which will start construction this fall) feature a woodland forest biome, a savannah biome, rain gardens, a rain silo, an outdoor classroom, and bridges and tables featuring wood repurposed from the two trees that need to come down on that side of the building. (One is already dead, and the other is an Ash tree which is in danger from the Emerald Ash Borer).
The gardens will make Dundee Elementary the first of its kind in the state - a model school for educating kids about stormwater and its environmental impacts. The gardens will also be open to the community, benefitting all of the Dundee area.
Through Meridith's hard work, the PTO has been granted nearly all of the money needed to pay for the project. A portion of the money raised from this year's Dundee Direct will also go to the project. (You can donate to Dundee Direct now!) And after the gardens are built, Meridith will pursue additional grants to pay for the education that will happen in the outdoor classroom.
A huge thanks to Meridith Dillon and to the organizations giving the grants to support this project.
The highlight was PTO Garden Chair Meridith Dillon's presentation about the plans for new gardens on the north side of the building. Through her hard work and the generosity of several groups, Dundee has received HUGE grants that will cover converting the muddy area on the north side of the school into a beautiful outdoor classroom.
The new North Side Gardens (which will start construction this fall) feature a woodland forest biome, a savannah biome, rain gardens, a rain silo, an outdoor classroom, and bridges and tables featuring wood repurposed from the two trees that need to come down on that side of the building. (One is already dead, and the other is an Ash tree which is in danger from the Emerald Ash Borer).
The gardens will make Dundee Elementary the first of its kind in the state - a model school for educating kids about stormwater and its environmental impacts. The gardens will also be open to the community, benefitting all of the Dundee area.
Through Meridith's hard work, the PTO has been granted nearly all of the money needed to pay for the project. A portion of the money raised from this year's Dundee Direct will also go to the project. (You can donate to Dundee Direct now!) And after the gardens are built, Meridith will pursue additional grants to pay for the education that will happen in the outdoor classroom.
A huge thanks to Meridith Dillon and to the organizations giving the grants to support this project.