Native Garden Planting

The Student Council Eco-Action Team and EcoThink Club members helped amend the soil and plant over 30 natives in the front garden.  There were muddy hands and smiles all around!

The Lorax Stone

This month was the first meeting of the new Student Council Eco-Action Team.  These students signed up and were elected by their classrooms to represent them and update them on green activities at the school.  During the meeting we brainstormed activities that we could do for the Eco-Schools World Day of Action on November 7th.  One of their ideas will be used by the school, more to come on that event.  At the meeting's close, each student selected a rock and together they created a Lorax stone pile in the front native garden.  The plant that was circled by the rocks was a tall Oregon Grape; or as one of the team members called it, the 'Oregon Truffala Tree for if it is cut down, we can't plant any more'.  The whole team presented at the next school assembly, reading these lines from 'The Lorax':

"And deep in the Grickle-grass, some people say,
if you look deep enough you can still see, today,
where the Lorax once stood
just as long as it could
before somebody lifted the Lorax away.
                          ......
"And all that the Lorax left here in this mess
was a small pile of rocks with the one word
'UNLESS'
Whatever that means, well, I just couldn't guess"
                          ......
"'But now,' says the Once-ler,
'Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not"
                               - by Dr. Suess

October Soil Day!

Dirty hands were on the schedule for the EcoThink students this month.  First they took samples from the parking lot trees, the front garden, and the rain garden, mixed them with water, and then allowed them to settle into sand, silt, clay, and organics.  We then explored the textures of different soils with our guest Claudia Christensen Garcia from Portland Public Schools and Erica Stokes from West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.  For some of the students, it was their first time making 'mud pies'!  They were able to make observations about the soil balls that they made as they smelled and squished it through their fingers.  We all realized how we need to amend the soil in several of our gardens to make it a better environment for the plants that we will add next month.

September Late Start Lounge

We started a new school year

and a new project!

The students worked in teams and learned how to map our rain garden with tape measures and a compass.  With their work, we created a wonderful map both of the garden but also the surrounding area that will soon become our Outdoor Classroom!

Green Flag Ceremony

8th Green Flag School in the USA
2nd west of the Mississippi
1st in Oregon

Big thanks go out to all of you who have help Rieke become a greener school over the years!

For more photos of the celebration click here:

Rieke Green Flag

First Late Start Lounge of the 2012-13 school year!

EcoThink Late Start Lounge will be meeting on Wednesday, September 19th from 9:30–10:30. These sessions are designed for students K–5 who are interested in environmental topics. The theme of our first session will be field studies and map making.  To register, please complete the permission form and drop it off in the office’s EcoThink box near the volunteer computer by Friday, September 14 (drop-in sign up is not allowed). If you have any questions or would like to volunteer please contact jamie.repasky@gmail.com.

Portland just got a bit greener - 

Come celebrate the awarding of the first Green Flag School in Oregon! 

The National Wildlife Federation's Eco-Schools USA representative will be presenting Mary Rieke Elementary School the Green Flag Award on September 7th from 8:45-9:30.  To earn the top award in this program the school has developed and implemented three Eco-Action Plans - energy, biodiversity education, and consumption/waste.  The Rieke Student Council, EcoThink Club, and adult Green Team have conducted and reported audits of lunch waste, selectively delamped the facility to save energy, and participated in a full school planting to create the Wilson/Rieke Arboretum.  This effort has lead to financial savings for the school and increased environmental awareness in our community.  

If you would like to attend the event, please RSVP here.