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IN THIS ISSUE:
talent show/ summer camp news / gardner garden /
best of clark county 2024 / best summer camp / tumtum netherland adventure / campus snapshots / upcoming events
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Talent Show Coming Next Week!
Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 from 2:30pm - 3:30pm
We have a very talented community here at Gardner, and we're in high gear with rehearsals for our Talent Show!
Because we have so many wonderful and eager performers, we have a few things to note:
- Doors will open to families at 2:00pm! While we will have all our chairs and benches available for seating, we anticipate standing room only for this energetic event!
- The show will begin promptly at 2:30pm. Please plan a few extra minutes for parking and finding a seat.
- As our schedule is extremely tight, we may run a few minutes past the 3:30pm pickup time. If you are not attending the Talent Show and plan to pick up a student at the end of the day, please be aware we may be slightly tardy!
We are so proud of our performers, demonstrating their creativity in showcasing their talents, exhibiting great courage in performing for others, forging deeper connections with one another through group performances, and fostering curiosity among the audiences waiting to see each amazing talent!
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Summer Camp News
Summer Schedule Filling Fast!
Our summer camps are filling fast! There is one spot left in the preschool Winter in July camp (July 22nd - July 26th), but we are accepting waitlist names for all our EC camps. Scout Camp (August 12th-16th) and Champion Camp (August 5th - 9th) have only a few slots left.
Spring has just barely sprung, and summer may feel far away, but it's only 11 weeks until the first of our 2024 camps begin!
If you are interested in signing up your child for summer camps this year, visit our Summer Camp webpage soon!
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Summer Camp Spotlight
Building and Board Games - Now Featuring Dungeons and Dragons!
Thanks to a couple of our veteran campers, our popular Building and Board Games camp will have an afternoon option to play Dungeons and Dragons. No experience necessary, and we will provide all the materials needed. Has your camper always wanted to try D&D and never had the opportunity? This camp would be a perfect first try!
Building and Board Games is for 3rd through 6th graders, and runs the week of July 29th - August 2nd.
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Gardner Gardening Gearing Up!
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The Gardner garden has been allowed to stay fallow and untouched all winter to allow pollinators and small animals like salamanders, frogs, and rabbits the opportunity to overwinter in safety. Last week, the warm weather finally signaled that it was time for our students to begin breaking ground and preparing the beds for planting! It was a lot of work, as many of the beds have been filled by grasses and weeds, but Pahto at least has gotten their beds ready for planting. Teacher Danelle said, "We have had an amazing time this week playing and working in the sun!" The first graders took advantage of the nice spring weather to plant flowers and snap peas, and to use the garden planting to hone their mapping skills.
Our large, central garden provides an outdoor learning space for students to exercise their curiosity about the natural world, practice their observation skills, and practice delayed gratification as they wait for their seeds to sprout into flowers, fruits and vegetables and learn about what is involved in gardening. After spending time trying to defeat the weeds, one first grader remarked, "It's hard growing food!"
Other classes are getting ready to work out in the garden, including Wy'East, Kalama, and Klickitat. The troops of Girl Scouts who use our campus several evenings a month are also taking advantage of our dedicated gardening space, and will be learning about flowers through their renovation of some of the southern beds.
The garden fence was completely rebuilt and enclosed with new gates last summer by Tom, our talented handyman contractor. And thanks to our staff making a personal connection with the workers who were out a few weeks ago trimming our large deciduous tree back from the power lines, we have a fresh load of chipped liriodendron (tulip poplar) branches waiting to be spread between the garden beds! We welcome volunteers to help us with garden projects, so if you're interested in helping with the weeding, planting, renovation of the drip system, or the spreading of bark chips, please contact Lisa at llinderman@gardnerschool.org.
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Best of Clark County 2024
Nominate Gardner for Best of Clark County 2024!
The Columbian's Best of Clark County awards are a wonderful way for our school to get noticed in the Clark County area. Last year, we were the runner-up for Best Childcare and a finalist for Best School and Best Preschool. Let's make this the year we take the top spot!
Gardner School is a unique and needed school in Clark County, and we hope you will support us in making it to the voting round by nominating us today. You can nominate us in the following categories:
- Best Preschool
- Best School
- Best Childcare
- Best Summer Camp
We hope you will take a moment to nominate us in all categories, and share with your friends and family to vote, too. We'll share posts on social media, also, for easy sharing. Nominations close April 30th.
Thank you for your continued support of our mission to cultivate authentic learning through integrated experiences in a supportive community.
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NW Kids Best Summer Camp Nominations Now Open!
Nominate Gardner for
NW Kids Best Summer Camp!
NW Kids Best Summer Camp Contest, sponsored by i9 Sports
The Basics
- The three camps with the most nominations in each category become finalists.
- Voting will be open from May 1st - May 15th.
- Winners of each category will be announced in mid-June.
- The camp with the most overall votes will be named Best Summer Camp!
Categories Gardner Offers Include:
• Arts • Great Outdoors • STEAM •
Nominate Gardner Summer Camps Here
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Tumtum's Netherland Adventure Continues
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On Friday, April 19th, Tumtum continued their learning about the Netherlands with a trip to the Holland America Flower Farm in Woodland. Tumtummers got to wander the fields with their adults and pick a dozen fresh flowers to take home and remind them of the day. After they left the tulip fields, they visited the nearby Horseshoe Lake Park for a picnic and playtime in the beautiful spring sunshine.
Opportunities like these field trips and the Hagelslag they tried last week help link their classroom learning to real life experiences and create a deeper understanding of the world. It's also a wonderful way for Gardner families to connect with their childrens' homeroom teachers and each other!
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Campus snapshots
What's happening on campus
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Upcoming Events
Thursday, April 25th
Wy'East and Kalama at the Oregon Zoo
Wy'East and Kalama are going on a Reading Buddy trip to the Oregon Zoo. If your student is in one of these classes and you're interested in driving and chaperoning, contact your student's homeroom teacher!
Friday, April 26th, 8:15am - 10:00am
Hike with the Head
Join us at drop off and take a walk down to WSU with our Head of School, Emily Davis. See the route the kids take when they explore the WSU trails, get some exercise, and enjoy a walk and talk with the head of school and other parents.
Thursday, May 2nd
Parent Chat in the Farmhouse
Our "first Friday" this month is a "first Thursday" due to the In Service/No School day on Friday the 3rd! Join admin and parents in the farmhouse for coffee and chat.
Thursday, May 2nd, 2:30pm
Gardner Talent Show
Auditions opened right after Spring Break, and students are hard at work. Join us in the Great Room to cheer on our unique, impressive Gardner Talents!
Friday, May 3rd
In Service Day - No School
Monday, May 6th - Friday, May 10th
Teacher Appreciation Week!
Tuesday, May 7th - Thursday, May 9th
K-6 Parent Conference Days
Please watch your student's homeroom newsletters for information about scheduling a parent conference for one of these days! Conferences will be held in the afternoons.
Thursday, May 16th
Loowit Overnight on Campus
Our second grade students will be returning to campus after dinner to play games with Teacher Peter, then sleep over in the Great Room! Teacher Cheris and Lisa will be staying over, and our parent volunteers will be cooking up breakfast for our campus campers in the morning! More details in Loowit's newsletter!
Tuesday, May 20th - Thursday, May 23rd
Mazama Parent Conference Days
Please watch Mazama's homeroom newsletters for information about scheduling a parent conference for one of these days! Conferences will be held in the afternoons.
To see and subscribe to our calendar of events, click below!
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