Dig In

In this Dig In:

• Harvest of the Month: Citrus!
• EFG Champion Updates & Reminders
• January Garden Maintenance Notes
• OUSD Waste Prevention & Sustainability
• Highlights, Stories & Photos
  
• Apply ~ Participate ~ Read ~ Watch ~ Listen

Don't forget to squeeze the day with January's celebration of all things citrus!

Find citrus on cafeteria produce bars and growing in some school gardens.

• Promote the citrus being served on OUSD produce bars during lunch!
• Set up your citrus bulletin board.
• Educate with these slides about citrus (includes nutrition facts, citrus botany, activities, 2 farmer spotlights!).
• Try out an activity sheet and try a citrus recipe from our YouTube channel (orange creamsicle, orange sauce).
• EFG Champion sites: Make sure your 2023 HOTM Calendars are distributed to students and highlight the citrus fun fact and recipe!
• Citrus tree planting celebrations are taking place at several schools in OUSD! Highlights will be shared in the February Dig In newsletter.

Find the hub for Harvest of the Month in OUSD on The Center Programming Website and follow along on TikTok and Instagram @OUSDHOTM. Read highlights from past months here.

Harvest of the Month encourages students and school communities to eat a variety of nutritious produce, and celebrates the bounty and diversity of fruits and vegetables grown in California.

Up next for February: CAULIFLOWER!

• January EFG Champion Monthly Log is due the last Friday of the month, January 27.
• If there are still 2023 Harvest of the Month Calendars at your site that have not yet been distributed, share them with students and staff by January 27.

• January 10, 2022, 4:00-5:00 pm: Remote Meet-Up, Technical Support, Feedback Session for any interested EFG Champions & Corps [on Zoom] RSVP via Google Calendar
• January 19, 2022, 4:00-5:30 pm: Workshop: Mid-Year Re-grounding [PAID PD for EFG Champions] [in person at The Center] RSVP via Google Calendar - We need more participants.
  Come to a PAID PD Experience to start of the new year rooted in new beginning. We will:
  
  • Reflect on the year so far
  • Look at data on our past work
  • Review key program elements
  • Set goal for the rest of the school year
  PLUS: Each site will also receive a beautiful Harvest of the Month planting poster for the garden.
  This time is dedicated to support you in our EFG Champion Goals.
  All EFG Champions are encouraged to attend. All EFG Champions will receive paid inservice for participation in this professional development workshop at the approved District rate of $38.50 per hour. This time is included in service hours for Corps members.
  PLEASE use this calendar event to respond YES/NO so that we can plan accordingly.
  We can't stress enough that accurate RSVP's are important.
  

New: 1-page summaries and slides from past EFG trainings are now available on this page of the website!

The EFG Champion website is the hub for key information from workshops, resources including the OUSD Garden Toolkit, which has links to all relevant forms embedded throughout and in the appendix, page 60, and EFG Champion Calendar 2022-2023: Workshops, Key Dates.

Garden Maintenance

Prune dormant, deciduous plants, including fruit trees and

grape vines. Also prune summer blooming perennial shrubs, including sages,

penstemons, California fuchsia, and butterfly bush. Plan your early spring (cool season)

garden, and if appropriate for your site, your summer (warm season) garden. Continued

rain will keep the weeds sprouting. Be sure to pull them before they flower.

Planting Guide

• Seeds: Indoors if available: Arugula, Fava Beans, Carrots, Collards/Kale, Lettuce, Onion Sets, Peas, Radish, Chard.
• Plants: Vegetable plants and seeds should not be planted this month, due to the danger of frost. The exception is bareroot perennials, such as fruit trees, strawberries, cane berries, blueberries, and grapes (if you have something sturdy for them to grow on, such as a fence).. Bareroot plants are less expensive than buying potted plants later in the season, and planting now gives them a better chance to get established.

Pest and Disease Alert

• Continue to look for slugs and snails, or signs of their damage--irregular holes with smooth edges on leaves and flowers. Hand picking is your best bet, especially after a recent rain or under cloudy skies.
• MG Mentor In person Tip: Seeds of onion family last only one year! This includes leeks, chives, shallots, and all onions. If you have seeds prior 2020, throw them out to avoid disappointment or designate them for arts and crafts.

Would you like a garden consultation at your site this winter? Is there something you'd like us to look at with you or help you problem solve? Reach out to Kat.Romo@ousd.org to set up an appointment or look for our appointment slots coming to your inbox soon.

Also, try scheduling a meeting with your UC Master Gardener mentee to visit both of their school sites in January to get the year off right.

Check out the OUSD Planting Calendar for recommendations for the whole year.

EFG Champions & site Corps members can request seasonally appropriate seeds and plant starts via the OUSD Seed & Start Program. Next order is in February.

Read more on the Master Gardeners of Alameda County website and learn about the whole year here and in the OUSD School Garden Toolkit on The Center Programming Website.

We’re looking forward to supporting your school in the new year and are here to assist in continuing to increase our schools being more sustainable by diverting recyclable and compostable material away from the landfill.

Waste sorting review resources are ready to be delivered to your school!

We have new resources available to get your waste reduction mindset flowing. We recommend that the whole school gets on board with hosting our assembly and using each of our printed materials for a focused period of time such as a 1-week or 3-week schedule using the following resources. Please reach out to our team to request these interactive resources for your students by emailing nancy.deming@ousd.org.

Our OUSD’s Waste Reduction Team held its first in-person assembly of the school year at Sequoia Elementary in November and students and staff loved it!

In the assemblies, students and teachers learn about :

• 3-streams of waste: recycle, compost and landfill
• What waste stations look like on campus

• A special focus on what goes where in waste sorting

The icing on the cake is a special guest appearance with Wiggl E Worm, expert sorter and compost fan. At the end we continue the sorting fun with Mr. Eco’s Sort Like Crazy music video.

Book your in-person assembly now!

Please reach out to our team to learn more and schedule an assembly for your school: email nancy.deming@ousd.org to get started.

Direct School Support: Our District Waste Reduction Team is here to support you!

Schedule a site visit or walkthrough and we can order supplies and help you create a plan. We can also give virtual or in person assemblies and presentations to teach students and staff about why and how to sort waste! We are here to be of service, just let us know how we can support!

Check out our Launch Resources that include custom videos, activities and additional support! Contact us directly at Nancy Deming (nancy.deming@ousd.org) and Paula Kaltenbrunner (paula.kaltenbrunner@ousd.org)

Over the past two months, The Center has hosted 11 third grade classes from 8 schools from across the district, engaging over 275 bright students in a day of garden stewardship, environmental education, and food exploration.

Students explore seed saving and scavenged the garden for viable snapdragon and marigold seeds to plant at home. At our sunflower seed station students are encouraged to follow culturally curated recipes and try new flavors they might be unfamiliar with. Students have also been hard at work in the garden, harvesting, cleaning, and preparing beets, radishes, and bell peppers. All the food prepared by students is then sampled and enjoyed at lunch, where they get to eat what they pick!

Teacher Danielle Lei from Laurel elementary had this to say about her 3rd grade class Field Trip: “Organization, clear communication, GREAT interactions with kids, engaging, love all the little differences and improvements (digging area for overwhelmed kids, mandala, encouraging kids to eat different foods, closing circle).”

Hannah Rose from Laurel Elementary said, “My students were thoughtfully engaged. They made connections to what we have been learning in more than just science and really didn't hesitate to get their hands dirty.”

This quarter all field trips were with 3rd grade classes. Starting in winter The Center will resume high school field trips and start the first round of pilot field trips for 6th grade.

Thank you for all the classes that visited us this fall and for all the feedback provided, so we can continue to improve garden experiences here at The Center.

• FOR OUSD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS interested in culinary arts and hospitality: Dual Enrollment class taught by Chef David Isenberg, taught at The Center. Learn more about the course and how to apply here. Limited number of spots - apply soon!
• Free Healing Centered Workshop for Oakland Teachers - January 21. Check out the flier and register on Eventbrite. Eligible for CEUs!
• 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction class, co-taught by Jill Guerra (Manzanita SEED Staff Wellness Champion!). This is a great class to start a mindfulness practice or to continue your practice. This class is offered on a sliding scale but NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY for lack of funds. The class is for ADULTS and will be taught in English. January 26th- March 23rd. Learn more on the class website and check out the flier!
• Action for Happiness Happier January calendar
• Events series from California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (including "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults," "Climate Change and Sustainability Education Resources," "Taking Math Outdoors: Practical Ideas & Examples")

• Joaquin Miller Elementary School Receives Record Breaking National Recognition for Its Efforts to Protect the Environment (shoutout to EFG Champion Helene Moore!)
• Cleveland Elementary Winds Down Fall Semester With Popular Annual Event Called Salad Day (shoutout to EFG Champions Mary Schriner and Francisco Martinez)
• I Celebrate Joy in Our Schools, and It Has Been My Honor to Lead the District (including some health and wellness highlights), from Dr. Sondra Aguilera, Chief Academic Officer
• Air pollution from farms leads to 17,900 U.S. deaths per year, study finds, The Washington Post
• The Alien Beauty and Creepy Fascination of Insect Art, Sierra Club
• 20 Children’s Books Celebrating Food and Inspiring Young Eaters, Food Tank
• Citrus Mandarin Book List (primary and secondary), CA HOTM

WATCH

• Read Aloud: An Orange in January, OUSD Health & Wellness YouTube
• A talk about the importance of bringing the spiritual dimension into education, as shared by Meena Srinivasan.

LISTEN

• Oakland School's Peer-to-Peer Counseling Program Helps Students Cope With Trauma, KQED (also available to read)
• Museums and the Mafia: The Secret History of Citrus, Gastropod Podcast
  
• Like Water in the Desert, Gastropod Podcast

COOK

• Orange Savory Sauce, OUSD Health & Wellness YouTube
• Orange Creamsicle Smoothie, OUSD Health & Wellness YouTube
  
• OUSD HOTM Virtual Cooking Class Recording: Grain salad with fresh oranges, dried cranberries, and an orange vinaigrette

• GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant (from Miracle-Gro Foundation), application period January 4 - February 10, 2023 (información en español)
• Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program, application period February 1 - March 1, 2023
• Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers

The Dig In newsletter is a monthly newsletter with resources & reminders, stories & celebrations.

Let us know if there is content you want to see in this newsletter!

You are receiving this as a valued partner of this programming. Please reach out to Lydia.Yamaguchi@ousd.org or Kat.Romo@ousd.org with any questions.

The Center Education and Community Programming Website

OUSD School Garden Toolkit

OUSD Health & Wellness YouTube Channel

Follow HOTM on Instagram & TikTok: @OUSDHOTM and #OUSDHOTM

Email: Kat.Romo@ousd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/ousd.org/thecenteredprogramming/home
Location: 2850 West Street, Oakland, CA, USA
Phone: 510-872-2401