Welcome!

SOUTH POINTE ELEMENTARY

a Children’s Garden  a

Welcome Back to Another Great Year in the Garden!

The children’s garden, located in the courtyard, is our well loved organic edible garden. It is surrounded by a butterfly garden and serves our school as an outdoor classroom.  It is one more way SPE is such a special place!

Every student at SPE has the opportunity to come out and plant in the garden with their classroom.  Classrooms watch their gardens grow and then enjoy the fruits of their labor. Last year, over 350 SPE students planted classroom gardens. After harvest, students were able to sample delicious recipes and foods made with the produce from their own classroom garden bed.  

It is a wonderful chance for hands-on active learning about nutrition, sustainability, science and good stewardship.

Throughout the year we support:

a Family Garden Days

a The Annual Green Market

a Planting and Harvest with SPE Classrooms

a Garden Lesson Plans tied to IB and Common Core

a Community Partnerships in Miami Beach

If you are interested in learning more about growing, planting or spending time in the garden, please consider joining us or donating to the garden.  

Everyone welcome.

No experience required and we have plenty of gloves! 

Email any questions to spegarden@gmail.com  

 a WE GROW THE GARDEN TOGETHER a

Spring Planting 2013

WHO LOVES THE GARDEN?

Our Spring 2013 Planting was a great success!  
Together we make the garden grow!

A very special thank you to Eden Organic Nursery Services, Inc (EONS) for generously donating the seeds used during our spring planting.   As always, a warm garden thank you to Roger Horne, Urban GreenWorks for his generous time and expertise!

THANK YOU CLASSROOMS:  Ms. Brisuela (PreK), Ms. Herold (K), Ms. Kennison (K), Ms. Pachter (K), Ms. Prince (1st), Mr. Balzano (2nd), Ms. Laos (2nd), Ms. Prieto (2nd), Ms. Arkin (3rd), Ms. Gaddini (3rd), Ms. Portella (3rd), Ms. Sachelli (4th)

Pre K with Ms. Brisuela and Mr. Groff

Ms. Prieto 2nd Grade

3rd Grade and the Iroquois Melon Experiment!

Caterpillars in the Butterfly Garden!

Ms. Herold's Kindergarden

Mr. Balzano's Class LOVES the Garden!

Ms. Kennison, K,  with Magic Gardener, Roger Horne

Ms. Arkin's 3rd Grade 

Ms. Sachelli and 4th grade LOVES the Garden!

Green Market 2013

Please Join Us...

SPE Annual Green Market

FEBRUARY 9, 2013 from 10 am - 2 pm

Let's Celebrate A Green and Healthy Lifestyle Together 
 ~ Obstacle Course ~ Market Vendors ~ Farm-Fresh Produce ~ 

~ Baked Goods ~ Herbs ~ Specialty Food Items ~ Garden Flowers ~ Smoothies ~ 

~Eco-Fun Art Activities  ~ Yoga ~

The Green Market brings together local food vendors, green nonprofit organizations, food justice activists and local, eco-minded businesses.  The day will be filled with educational, healthy and downright fun activities for kids and adults alike! 

At the market families can make art out of recycled and reclaimed products, recycle, learn about conservation, practice yoga and more!  Families will also learn simple ways to be greener, one small eco-step at a time! 

ALL proceeds from the Green Market will support our Organic Gardens and green initiatives at SPE.

To give or to volunteer the day of the event, please contact southpointepta.green@gmail. Thank you for supporting the Green Market! 

PAST VENDORS:

Whole Foods * Panther Coffee * Vita Coco * Teena's Pride * Red Mango * 8GO * La Provence Bakery * Giotto Pizza * Once Upon a Carrot * Bhoom Shanti * Rethink & Reuse Center  * Clay World  * Grow Miami* Slow Food * Majestic Properties * Allan Hughes Jams * Delish Catering * Synergy Yoga* Creme Fresh Vintage *  Jewels by Dunn * Miami Dade Water Management  * ECOMB * HiHo Batik *   Ms. Brisuela Yoga Wear * Youth L.E. A. D * Gogo Empanadas * Rice Catering * My Time to Shine & Mum's Place * Delish * GROW * Synergy * Play in * Planet Kids * Planet Beach Contempo Spa *

Kids Booths: CarWash * Sofia Allen * Allegra Atlan * Helping Hands (Ms. Sachelli) * Save the Planet Club *

FOSPE Frienship Tiles * SPE Yearbook *

PAST AUCTION DONORS

The Clifton Hotel * Deco Bike * The Miami Science Museum * The Cha Cha Rooster * Ocean 7 Restaurant * Genius Jones * The Biltmore Hotel * Planet Beach Contempo Spa *

Our First Harvest!

Dear Friends of the SPE Garden, 

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the season!  Couple of dates for our upcoming fall harvest:

Monday, December 10:  Soft Harvest

This is for anyone who would like to pick up some greens or beans.  They are both ready. 

Monday, December 17th:   FULL GARDEN HARVEST 3 - 4pm

This will be the full harvest of the beds.  Please come and help.  There will be plenty of fresh organic take home produce!!  We will also use some of this produce for our "Harvest Tastings" for the classrooms who planted beds.  Treats for everyone who can help out!

Wednesday, December 19th:  CLASSROOM HARVEST TASTINGS 8:30 - 11:30 (30 minute rotations)

Tasting Tuesday at SPE!

Halloween at SPE was not all about candy! 

All students were treated with with a super fun tasting of fresh local fruit organized by our Wellness Committee led by Coach Gary Bond.

Parents and faculty chopped and prepped the morning way as students came through the lunch line to learn the taste, smell and touch of two very exotic fruits from overseas that also grow locally in South Florida: Jackfruit and Guava. 

The kids loved passing the spiky green jackfruit around and the sweet smell of ripe guavas. 

"I like like the taste of the jackfruit," said a 1st grader, "it tastes like bubble gum." 

The Wellness Committee would like to thank Aria Seder for organizing the fruit donation, our resident photographer Ely Bistrong for photographing the event and to all of the parents who helped chop and prep the fruit all morning! 

Way to go SPE!

Back To The Garden

Welcome back SPE parents, students and teachers!

As you may already know, South Pointe Elementary school has been reaping the benefits (no pun intended!) of our very own Organic Edible and Smoothie Garden! The mission of the gardens is to foster invaluable lessons about growing healthy fruits and vegetables and about cultivating respect for the environment to our children.

Last year, under the dedicated leadership and green thumb of SPE parent, Catherine Prescott, and troops of students, administrators, teachers and parents; we achieved the following:

1. Added a new Butterfly Garden using Florida Native, drought-tolerant plants and flowering vines (donated by Silver Palm Nursery and designed by Morel Landscape).

2. Planted a Carambola tree (star fruit) at the southern edge of the garden in memory of Mr. Philips' father (feel free to put this earlier in the list).

3. With the Wellness Committee led by SPE Phys-Ed teacher, Coach Gary Bond, offered food tastings for all students showcasing in-season fruit and produce.

4. Hosted FREE Healthy Eating Workshops for the SPE community with Once Upon a Carrot founder Cindy Hill.

5. Added colorful stepping stones throughout the garden painted by the After School Care Garden Club led by SPE parents, Miss Jacqui and Annhy Shim.

6. Harvested bell peppers, spinach, lettuce and herbs which were all used in the food tastings. 

7. Hosted the Annual Green Market which raised over $3000 in funds to buy mulch, soil, seeds, supplies for the garden.

8. Hosted Family Friday, where families and kids came out after school to help weed, mulch and harvest the gardens. Organic cookie treats were donated by Ginnybakes. Getting dirty never tasted so good!

9. Raised over $200 for the garden, by selling Peace Lily plants during the holidays. This year, we hope to do this again and double the sales! Peace Lily plants are rated as one of the top indoor air cleaning plants and are perfect for shady areas in your home or office! Read this article from the New York Times and learn more- then make sure to stock up this December! No pressure... :)

This year, we welcome in the skills of SPE parents Eve Scheinblum and Jessica Burns who will be growing the gardens to the next level and keeping their hands dirty! We also have the generous help of Roger Horne of UrbanGreenWorks and Native Splendor in Miami. His efforts and expertise are incredibly valuable and his tireless work in the community is absolutely inspiring. 

So- we now welcome YOU to join us and help us accomplish fantastic green-minded things this year!

Our first meeting will be held on Friday September 21 at 8:40am in the SPE Media Center.

Please feel free to send an email to Jessica at spegarden@gmail.com! 

Subject: Garden. 

Hope to see you in the garden this year!!