Farm to School Newsletter

The month of November flew by! We began Lifespan lessons at Buckley, Lake City and Northport schools. These lessons focus on nutrition and trying new foods in the younger grades and nutrition and cooking in 4th and 5th grade classrooms. This month K-3rd students were introduced to MyPlate, played games introducing them to the 5 food groups and did some fun physical activity! The 4th & 5th grade classrooms were introduced to knife skills and learned how to read a recipe. We made Cuban Beans and Rice with a Pineapple Banana salad; it was delicious! Check out the recipe below!

We had Farm to School lessons at Buckley, Courtade and Northport this month as well! The kindergarten classes at Courtade learned about the "Fabulous 5" or the things plants need to grow, 3rd graders at all 3 schools focused on identifying seed dispersal methods (check out the sweet video of exploding seeds below) and our 4/5th grade classrooms learned about the cycle of a nutrient and started compost and trash jars in their classrooms. We love making real world connections with our students and empowering them with knowledge to make their world a better place!

We had taste tests at Buckley and Courtade featuring butternut squash and the students at Northport tried kohlrabi and marinated beets! Students look forward to these every month and we love seeing them try new things!

As this year comes to a close, we look forward to starting the garden planning process and all the exciting projects to come! Stay tuned for more cute kids learning about food, the environment and their overall health!

Wishing you all healthy and happy holidays!

Marshall, Elena, & Marisa

Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD)

Farm to School & LifeSPAN Team

Diverse December

December is full of diverse holidays and events to celebrate and topics to acknowledge. We hope you enjoy this calendar from Diversity Resources that highlights some of those holidays and days of recognition.

• 12.1.22: World AIDS Day: Raises awareness of HIV/AIDS.
• 12.3.22: International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Recognized by the United Nations, the day raises awareness for the rights and well-being of those with disabilities.
• 12.10.22: International Human Rights Day: Celebrates the day in 1948 when the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• 12.16.22 – 12.24.22: Las Posadas: Religious festival, primarily in Mexico and Latin American countries, of the Christmas season.
• 12.18.22 – 12.26.22: Hanukkah: Also known as the Festival of Lights, this holiday celebrates the Jews and their rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after their triumph over the Syrian Greeks for their independence.
• 12.21.22: Winter Solstice/Yule: The winter sabbat, according to the Pagan and Wiccan faiths, is celebrated in several ways by people across the globe.
• 12.25.22: Christmas: Holiday recognizing the birth of Jesus Christ. Here are some different ways Christmas is celebrated.
• 12.26.22 – 1.1.23: Kwanzaa: An annual seven-day holiday affirming African family and social values celebrated primarily in the United States. Both the name and the celebration were devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga.

This Saturday, bring the kids to Artisan (inside the Delamar) for breakfast with Santa!

This Sunday at the Riverside Inn in Leland come check out the Santa Brunch!

Check out the Nutcracker at the Milliken Auditorium this Thursday, December 15th!

Did you know there are kids' matinee showings at the Traverse City State Theater every Saturday until December 31st? Check out what's playing!

The Traverse Area District Library always hosts a multitude of events for kids & adults!

Check out the Botanic Gardens in January! They are offering virtual events on shrubs for northern landscapes, the gardens of Cornwall and a winter herbal tea workshop!

4/5th grade students learned about the cycle of a nutrient and made a compost & trash jar. They made predictions about both and will be keeping them in their classrooms and we will check in on them every month!

Preparing the Cuban Beans & Rice!

Students tried kohlrabi and marinated beets!

Farm to School resources built for families, teachers, food service staff, and advocates in Northwest Michigan. Please note our recent name & branding change from TBAISD to Northwest Education Services (NorthEd).

Email: mhrbal@northwested.org
Website: http://farmtoschool.northwested.org
Location: 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, MI, USA
Phone: (231) 922-6200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthEdFarmtoSchool/