Earth Day Celebrations:
This week at Peregrine School, colorful cloth streamers blow in the wind and encircle trees. On them are messages from kindergarteners through sixth graders giving thanks for all the things trees do for us and our world. Their messages thank trees for oxygen, fruit, homes for animals, wood to make pencils and paper, and more. They took kindergarteners an hour to write, and express the sincere connection our children feel for their place.
The effect, added to the feathery new green leaves and spring blooms on dozens of trees, is magical. One kindergartener stated: “I think we really helped our trees.”
As part of our Earth and Arbor Day celebrations, our streamers remind us that our Peregrine yards have indeed become arboretums, flaunting the many kinds of trees which students have planted over the past six years on the south campus. Students recently surveyed our campuses, and the results were impressive. We have planted at least 45 fruit trees, 11 native trees, 12 shade trees, 2 clumps of bamboo and a Japanese maple on the south campus alone! That is 71 trees, all planted and tended by children, all growing and beautifying our campus. These trees are in addition to the numerous mature trees at both our south and west campuses, all providing the shade and beauty that have enable us to work and play outside in most kinds of weather. Truly, we owe thanks to both our trees and to our community, which planted and tends to them.
City of Davis Environmental Recognition Award given to Peregrine School:
This was also a great week for Peregrine School in our broader community. On Tuesday, we were awarded an Environmental Recognition Award in the category of Nonprofits by proclamation of the City of Davis at their City Council meeting. Nominated by Deb Bruns, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Yolo County, we received this award for our work within and beyond the walls of our school, work in which all our staff and teachers have supported and of which we are very proud. Here is the substance of the award:
Peregrine School describes itself as ‘a private school in the public interest’, currently serving over 200 children toddler age through 6th grade at two sites. Respect for the environment is an organizing principle, demonstrated through both the school’s curriculum and physical design, and evidenced by a commitment to community outreach. [...] Programs such as these have inspired a new generation of skilled and experienced environmental stewards with an environmental focus directly benefiting community families beyond the walls of the school.
Farm Day Summer Camps:
Camp Peregrine is taking shape, with many campers signed up for explorer camps (new this year), SOAR camps, and Farm Day camps. In the spirit of our farm to fork campus, our summer gardens have been planted and should be bursting with crops of vegetables and fruits which can be made into salads and baked goods, jams and pies. Farm Day camps still have some openings. We are lucky to have Laura Doyle—who has taught cooking classes for the Davis Food Co-op and is an expert on local, seasoning cooking—to lead these camps, along with other staff members who will add our usual potpourri of art, gardening, and science to the endeavor. Camps will feature Asian, Mexican, and old-fashioned American foods. Your child will not want to miss out! Sign-ups are through the peregrineschool.org website.
We’re open again! Native Garden and stage rentals:
Anyone who attended Randy Kaye’s Backyard Broadway events last year knows how charming the Peregrine Native Garden and stage can be as a venue for evening or daytime performances and events. We are happy to announce that we are now accepting Rental Requests for the shady Native Garden and stage areas. Peregrine can provide chairs, tables for food, and sound equipment as needed, and is working on providing lights and curtains. These events will occur on evenings and weekends when no Peregrine students will be exposed. All rentals will be organized by Rachel Warner, our Pandemic Coordinator, and by Aidan Gilhooly-Gage, our Facilities Coordinator. If you are interested, please visit https://www.peregrineschool.org/outdoor-rentals. We hope to see some exciting events this summer, as we begin to come together in this new time.
In hopes of a wonderful spring, summer, and next school year!
We emerge from our first full year of COVID-19 cautiously optimistic, excited to be coming together again as a community. We are still careful, but grateful for a full school year of in person learning, and for the promise of more possibilities as we move forward. We may not yet be like the cocky daffodil, golden in the sunshine, but more like the Icelandic poppy, fragile yet beautiful. We are grateful for our community and for our beautiful environment, which we have created together and which has made so much possible. We are grateful to have survived, when many endeavors did not, and we are hopeful for the future. We are thankful for all of you, our community. And so it is from my heart that I wish all of you a blessed spring, full of promise.
