A Note to Our PPS Community

Last week, unidentified law enforcement agents in unmarked vehicles detained a parent after they dropped their child off at school. When approached and asked what agency they worked for, the agents declined to offer that information. The School Administration tried, but was unable to intervene, and the parent was taken into custody. It was confirmed that these individuals were not associated with the Portland Police Department.

Incidents like this make families feel unsafe in our communities, and as a result, parents are increasingly unwilling to risk sending their children to school. This is not acceptable. We are working with our staff and partners to try to support all school and community garden spaces to be safe and welcoming for all members of our community.

If you are interested in getting involved, please email info@cultivatingcommunity.org to be connected with local resources. 

School Garden Abundance

Photo Credit: Strega Studios

Calling All School Garden Sponsors!

The School Garden Coordinator positions are essential to ensuring access to environments that foster childhood development, well-being, curiosity, and a love and understanding of the natural world and its systems.

Thanks to support from the Horizon Foundation, the Foundation for Portland Public Schools, Northeast Bank, Norway Savings Bank, and Waypoint Brokers Collective, we’ve secured most of the funding needed for School Garden Coordinator stipends, seedlings, supplies, and our staff support in the 25-26 school year. Help us fill the $8,500 gap before Fall Break by becoming a School Garden Sponsor!

To become a School Garden Sponsor, donate through the link below or email info@cultivatingcommunity.org. We’d love to meet you in the garden to talk more about sponsorship levels and benefits. We wouldn’t be able to do this without support from local businesses, partners, and friends like you!

What Grows in the School Gardens?

Is there any rhyme or reason to what the School Garden Coordinators and Environmental Literacy Educators are planting with elementary students in the school gardens? Yes! More than you would guess.

Our Schools Partnership Program manager works with educators so that the plants and living things in the gardens have cross-curricular connections. Gardens are extensions of indoor classrooms and are connected to grade-level learning goals: We have worked closely with PPS to develop a school garden curriculum that includes outdoor opportunities that connect to STEM, Wabanaki Studies, and other core lessons. This includes teaching students about:

• The methods of companion planting have been used for thousands of years by the first peoples on this land, with the three sisters garden serving as an example

• Understanding life cycles through seed saving, sowing, and growing

• Pollination and the importance of native plants, by observing flowering natives planted in the gardens

Equally important is reflecting on students’ diverse backgrounds – many of our students come from other countries and climates where different plants are grown. Growing culturally familiar plants like amaranth and okra helps students feel welcome in the gardens.

Remembering Waite Maclin, School Garden & Orchard Champion

We hope everyone has a great start to the school year and we can’t wait to see what this year brings for the gardens!

Want to get involved or volunteer in one of our school gardens?

For more information about our Schools Partnership Program or to volunteer click the link below!