As a Montessori school, our classrooms already lend themselves to a certain degree of environmental education and study of the natural world. However, as some of you may or may not know, Woodland has made a strong commitment to go above and beyond in regard to environmental education and stewardship.
A focus on environmental stewardship is one of the three pillars Woodland focuses on in addition to our strong Montessori foundation. You will see our commitment to environmental stewardship in a variety of ways, the most recognisable being our commitment to extended time outdoors on a daily basis.
In an effort to ensure that we are operating within the state licensing guidelines and ensuring a safe experience for our children outdoors while still getting as much outside time as possible, Woodland has invested in our own weather station that is installed on the Preschool Outdoor Classroom. You may have noticed this mounted above the green lycra swing near the scooter track.
This weather station gives us real time data that our teachers and staff can access through our classroom iPads, allowing us to do a weather study or just see what is happening outside today. We will be using this weather station to determine the temperature and windchill as we decide when, and for how long, our children will go outside. Our teachers are so terrific at making mindful choices regarding what is the best fit for their classes, so our classes will continue to have autonomy in deciding if/when they will be going outside as long as temps are within our state licensing guidelines.
In addition to our weather station, we are excited to announce that we have received a donation of 20 reusable wet bags from Nicki's Diapers, a local and sustainable company that was more than happy to support Woodland in our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint! These bags will be used to send home wet or soiled clothing. Please return the bag to your child's classroom. We are happy to launder the bags if you don't have a chance or are not able to wash them on hot/sanitize. If you'd like to support our efforts, feel free to donate additional reusable wet bags to add to our collection!
Finally, we would like to invite you to reduce your carbon footprint along with us! The staff have been working hard at finding ways to reduce our environmental impact and carbon footprint, not only at school but at home as well. We would like to invite you to switch over to renewable energy through either MG&E or Alliant Energy. Both companies have programs to buy into the "green grid" either through solar or wind power sources so that more of the energy coming into their grids comes from renewable energy sources. Please visit either MG&Eor Alliant Energy to enroll today! Together we can reduce our environmental footprint and model environmentally friendly choices for our children. After all, the choices we make today directly impact the world we will leave our children tomorrow.
Warmly,
Ambra