February 28, 2018

Tap, Tap, Tap


Bye-bye winter!  Hello spring!   You know what that means... time to tap the maple trees at Jackman.  
Darwin and Helen, our tree tapping experts, led us through an engaging outdoor learning experience.   And we'll continue the learning in (and out of) class over the next few weeks.  We're eagerly awaiting a taste of Jackman's delicious maple syrup.

Check out these pics of Jackman's special tapping event...










February 23, 2018

Yogurt Cup Recycling

At Jackman, the eco team is working hard to make sure everyone knows how to recycle properly.   Yet, there's still one problem that continues.  And the eco team has set out to change that.

You see, lots of kids bring yogurt to school.  You're probably thinking, "That's good... it's a reasonably healthy snack."   Problem is, kids don't know how to dispose of the yogurt packaging. 

Here's what you need to know...  
First of all, yogurt cups can be recycled!!!   Yeah!   But, there's a catch... the cups need to be rinsed first!   Actually, ALL containers should be rinsed before recycling.   We need to get better at this!

Food contamination in recycling is a big problem in Toronto.  Everyone needs to do their part to make Toronto's recycling program work.

Here's a poster that Eco Team kids created to inspire young recyclers.  Posters are now scattered throughout the school.   Let's hope it works!   Good work, Eco Team!




February 13, 2018

The Great BIG Crunch


At Jackman, we encourage everyone to bring healthy, waste-free snacks to school.   

So on March 1st, we’re going to participate in the Great Big Crunch.  And we've got hundreds of apples to share!   One for EVERYONE! 

At exactly 2:30pm, the countdown will begin... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... CRUNCH!  We'll all take a great big bite of a tasty apple at the exactly the same time.   Actually, there will be schools and other organizations crunching at the very same time, all across Canada.  Hence the name, The GREAT BIG CRUNCH.  

It will an EPIC afternoon snack!  Can’t wait to crunch with you!

February 07, 2018

Let it Snow!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!   Wednesday's weather was perfect for our first Winter Walk-To-School Day!   It was a big hit with Jackman kids and families!   Snow and cold won't stop us from walking to school.   Take a look at these pics...















February 05, 2018

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  :-)  The weather forecasters are predicting Wednesday's weather to be... SNOW!!!  That's perfect weather for Winter Walk-To-School Day!  

We hope everyone will walk to school on Wednesday (and everyday).   It's great exercise!   It's a lot of fun!  And it's a safe and sustainable means of travelling around the neighbourhood.   

Soon, we'll be walking in a winter wonderland!  Come a little early to join in the festivities!




February 04, 2018

Winter Walk To School Day

Winter Walk to School day is on Wednesday... just a few days away!  We hope everybody participates in this exciting event.  

Guess what?!?!   We have a special visitor celebrating with us on this special day!  Can you guess who it is?   Here are some clues...
  1. He's big!  And round!
  2. He wears a red hat.   
  3. He speaks French!
  4. He was born in 1954.
  5. He's 7 feet tall, weighing 400 lbs.
  6. He's the 'mascot' for Quebec's Winter Carnival.
Do you know who's it is?   




February 02, 2018

Super Power Your School - Part 2



Wait, there's more... the SuperPower Your School contest organizers also asked... "What is your school’s most important environmental project or program?"  Again, hard to put into 250 words, but here's what we came up with... 

"At Jackman, our schoolyard is wonderfully green.  It’s been years in the making and it’s still evolving, thanks to our dedicated Outdoor Environment Committee.  Our gardens are an important part of teaching, learning and playing.    
We have many distinctive gardens at Jackman.   There’s the ‘learning garden’, to grow beans, potatoes, squash and more.   There’s the ‘butterfly garden’, to attract butterflies and other pollinators.  There’s the ‘peace garden’, to encourage peace in our world.  And then there’s the ‘maze’, everyone’s favourite gathering space.  “Meet me in the maze,” is a familiar expression at school.  Even Jackman’s roof is a garden… our infamous ‘green roof’.  
Did you know… we make our own compost at Jackman?   We save apple cores, banana peels and other fruit and veggie scraps to create rich soil for our gardens.   
But wait… there’s more.   The best thing about our schoolyard is the trees.  At Jackman, we love trees!  And we’ve got lots of them.  They provide us shade in the summer (and plenty of leaves to rake in the autumn).   They add so much beauty to our schoolyard.  
We love all of our trees.  Still, we have a favourite tree – the maple tree.   When winter turns to spring, we tap the maple trees right here in our schoolyard.   We collect sap and make maple syrup.   We host our very own Maple Syrup Festival, right here at Jackman.  Pancakes anyone? 
Jackman just wouldn’t be Jackman without our trees and gardens.  They make our school a wonderful place to be."
There you go... a unique response from a unique school.   



February 01, 2018

SuperPower Your School - Part 1

Cross your fingers... we just entered the Superpower Your School contest,  sponsored by Staples and Earth Day Canada.  The prize... $20000 of technology for our school.  Sweet!  

In the contest application, they asked this question...  "What does your school do to help the environment?  What are your school’s creative & innovative environmental projects and programs?"  Easy peasy!  The only hard thing was narrowing it down to 250 words.  Look at how we responded...


"Jackman has a long history of passionate eco engagement.  Staff, students and parents are committed to making a difference in our school and community.   Together, we aspire to lessen our impact on the environment.   
We make great efforts to divert waste from landfills.  We promote waste-free lunches and snacks.  We are keen composters.  We are dedicated recyclers.   Every year, we conduct a thorough waste audit.   We have discovered that our garbage is decreasing over the years.  Impressive.  
A few years ago, we wrote letters to the City of Toronto, asking this simple question… “Why can’t we recycle plastic clamshell containers in Toronto?”  Inspired by our letters, the city council made a change to their recycling program.  We were proud to see our action make real change.   
At Jackman, we’re passionate about conserving energy, with frequent messaging about powering down lights and electronics.  We also recognize that walking and biking to school (instead of driving) are an important aspect of living more sustainable lives.   
Teachers are increasingly shaping curriculum with eco ideas.  Recycled art projects, math projects with eco data, eco-themed research projects and so much more.  Students are engaged with eco learning in many ways.   
We know that our ideas need inspiring communication, so we share our ideas with posters, displays, announcements and presentations.   We also blog our eco ideas online for the whole world to see… jackmanecoteam.blogspot.ca    
Being eco is reflected in everything we do.  It’s who we are!  Jackman is truly a vibrant eco school in Toronto!"