Forest Hill's TreeGeneration

March 27, 2012

Meeting Notes
Attendees:

Laurie Hunter, Melanie Bristow, Andrea VonWeyHe

Agenda:

Bank Balance: $4904.04

- $496.18 received via an HST Rebate that Sharon Watson submitted on our behalf

Planning:

What are our plans for 2012?

1)      How much is construction going to hamper what we can
do?-We may still have one year of construction so we are limited in what we can plan
for close to the school

-The bus turn around may change again so any plans along the side will have to wait.

-The board is planting 12 trees to replace 6 cut down last year.  These will be mainly by the basketball nets on the junior side.  We are thinkingabout putting in an outdoor class seating/ half circle near these trees to utilyze the small hill.

2)      Where can we plant this year?

We want to plan a couple of groves of trees on the far side of the soccer fields.  The sun comes from that direction so these trees will provide shade for resting players or people
watching.  Some seating rocks or benches would be great there too.

3)  Fundraising? Garage Sale?

-We have decided not to take part in the garage sale this year but next March we
will fully take advantage of the Victoria Hills community centre garage sale
event and will solicit donations from community members for sale items.  We raised over $800 in 2011.

-we will apply for some smaller grants this spring but plan to apply for bigger grants when we have no construction restraints and an official drawing done.

4)  Do we want to have a full plan drawn up?

-Although we want  a more professional type of drawing of our plans done by a college student, due to construction issues we are leary of spending the money to have a drawing done up.  We could spend that money on another tree instead.

-we are trying to get a volunteer to draw a more accurate picture

5) Volunteer Drive

-Laurie to write up a volunteer flyer to go home this month. Looking for volunteers for
helping to water in the spring and summer months as well as some people to come
out with a variety of skills.

6)Wood chips ok’d for around the climber area. This area gets very muddy in spring and
fall so we are putting school grade wood chips.  Also with the two new trees that are being
planted by the board at the corner of the climber and the asphalt we will fill this area with wood chips to help deal with the water that usually accumulates there.

7) Other ideas

- log trail,  pvc pipe pillars,  benches

Future endeavors

*possible Solar panels on the school roof? There are grants out there for this kind of project and Melanie’s husband Jarrett installs them at work so we can get free labour! Find out how the WRDSB feels about this.

Watering Plan

Laurie and Andrea have volunteered to water the trees weekly if insufficient rain and a summer schedule will be drawn up after we have sent out the flyer asking for volunteers.  We have buckets in place but will need 12 more for the newest trees.  We have purchased a 50 foot hose will fill buckets and walk them to the trees to water.  There are 3 outside faucets that work with a special key, one at the front of the school behind the bushes close to the junior end of the school and one on either side of the kindergarten wing.

5 trees in front, 8 trees from fall 2011, 12 trees from spring 2012

Wow!  Shorts in March is a great feeling isn’t it? As I see the trees we planted start to bud, I look forward to more trees on our playground.  We are lucky to have 12 trees promised for our school yard to replace the trees that were cut down last year for drainage and construction purposes.  We will be having a meeting next week to discuss what we want to do along with those trees as well as our next set of trees and rocks or natural play ideas that we  wanted to do in the field.  Our committee has shrunk slightly so we are hoping for more people to come out to the meeting or to volunteer to help with implementation.  Look forward to seeing a more natural school yard as the year goes on.

Have a great spring!

Well into the start of January and the weather is as confusing as ever with above zero temperatures.  Not much snow for the kids to climb on or make snowmen.  And frozen water or mud preventing children from going on the field.  I have been told that the children have been banned from the rocks because the kept playing king of the rock and trying to get others to push them off.  I’m not sure that banning the children from going on the rocks is smart.  How about teaching them right from wrong instead of ruining it for everyone.  Sometimes it seems that is how the world is going these days.

Once again rain has prevented us from taking pictures by our new trees but some of the Gold Eco team and the TreeGeneration Kids come out to say thanks!

It seems like the weather is always against us whenever we plan an event for the Forest Hill’s TreeGeneration! It has been a long and drawn out process to get everything completed for the first project. We kept planning a celebration but kept getting rain on the days we planned. Finally we decided to at least get some kids and our families together to get a thank you photo done so we can get our recognition wall up for all to see. The signs were made and what happens, it pours! We did not cancel though and took the picture inside. We are still very grateful to TD-FEF and METRO for their support of our project and hope to convey that to them. We have had some issues because we were new at this and did not know every step and so are still trying to finalize the financial and tax receipt issues. I am posting the picture of our trees and rocks that have been taken since. With all the rain we have discovered a river flows through our sitting area so wood chips are a definate must for spring. and also we need to look at fixing some high spots that prevent the water from flowing to the storm drain.

In less than 6 hours, 7 rocks have changed the pattern of play! Have you noticed that before the trees were planted very few kids played on the grassy area at the end of the Kindies wing. When the trees were planted they were using the trees as goal posts and more were out there. Today, after school parents were sitting on the rocks waiting for their kids. Lots of boys were playing keep away, jumping over the rocks as they tried to pass the ball. Children were laying on the rocks pretending they were hospital beds!
It is amazing what some rocks and will inspire in a child’s imagination!

Finally we will have our rocks! 9 am after the kids go inside. I think some kindness is happening to me! I can’t wait to have this phase finished. So many delays and disappointments but we have made it! Maybe I shouldn’t say anything until the rocks have arrived. We can then have our celebration and take some pictures so we can show TD Friends of the Environment and Metro what wonderful addition to our school yard the trees and rocks make and how much we appreciate their support (and patience).

Since the 6 trees have been installed we have seen more activity on that grassy area. They are using the trees as goal posts for soccer. I am looking forward to seeing them climb or sit on the rocks.

Cross your fingers that Tom can get the rocks here Friday after school or Saturday. With all the rain, it wasn’t only our job that got put off, so now he’s busy. As soon as the rocks are placed we can arrange something with the teachers to get kids out for photos and thank-yous. Maybe have signs and banners so I can get the pictures and the final report to Td and Metro. We thought that until we can do a TreeGeneration donor recognition wall we would post thank yous and pictures of phase one in a poster size frame(plastic is safer) and put it up by the Eco Wall. There are existing holes we could use that are up high enough.

It has been as tough haul to get this far and I really appreciate all the work and dedication that has been put into this first phase of TreeGeneration plans for Forest Hill. Some disillusionment and frustration has put some people off but I know you must feel some real pride at being a big part of having those trees planted in the field.

If you haven’t been too involved with this phase don’t be put off. We knew nothing before! Now we are much more knowledgeable and will plan for these things in advance. Since we can’t do anything close to the school we want to plan the big plan, get the kids input, have it drawn up professionally and then, when we know we will be able to go ahead without waiting for construction, we will apply for big grants and enter contests to win lots of grant money that is out there waiting!!!

Dream BIG, that’s still what I’m doing. I hope some of you are still hitching a ride on my cloud.

We can still do our fundraising and awareness raising this year. Garage sales?! Start thinking about and putting stuff aside. Christy was our captain for this but she will have a new baby so she may be a bit busy to spearhead this again next spring. I’m sure she will share her skills with us Also, the Vessey’s bulbs raised a lot of money but the feedback I’m getting on results were not that great. I’m not sure if things did not grow well due to all the extra rain last spring but I am going to look into a different company for next spring.

Too much rain= soggy grass= prevents rocks from arriving. ARG!!

Once the rocks are in place the committee will plan a ribbon cutting and celebration. Think of all the wonderful shade that will be on the school yard in the spring. And this is just the beginning! I’m excited and I hope you are too.