September: Students have been busy growing both inside and outside of the STEM classroom. Our first sprouts were put into the Tower Garden on September 11th and are thriving. Our next round of seedlings were put into our second Tower Garden on September 18th. Inside students are growing a variety of different lettuces, celery, arugula, rainbow chard, and spinach. Classes have also planted their garden box in the Great Outdoor Learning Center {GOLC} and are growing common Fall vegetables like broccoli, carrots, beets, radishes, peas, onions, lettuce, and garlic.  Students are comparing the process of growing in soil versus aeroponically, and observing the plants weekly to monitor growth. Thank you for all of the seed donations! They helped to provide a wonderful variety for the students to enjoy! 

August: We are starting off the 2024-2025 school year with some exciting updates! First, GRACE has donated a second Tower Garden to us for our indoor growing. Students in Grades 1-8 will be growing with the Towers during STEM & Sustainability classes. Additionally, our GOLC has received all foundational updates needed thanks to Pantano Home & Garden and the Harrison Family. They generously donated the mulch and rock needed to finish our grounds and combat against the erosion that takes place over time. They also helped to build up the boulders over the pond. The PreK4 playscape mulch has been redone as well, and our pond is housing a happy toad and Shubunkin fish. 

Tower Garden is an aeroponic growing system that allows our students to grow year round. Students study seeds, germination, and the process of photosynthesis. They observe plants weekly and compare the differences between growing inside and outside. Harvests are celebrated with "Seed to Salad" parties or given to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. Donating our fresh greens has become a tradition during the Lenten season. We received our first Tower in 2018 and our second one was donated by the GRACE Association in 2024. The students love eating the produce they grow!

Our Great Outdoor Learning Center opened in September, 2020. It is comprised of an outdoor classroom, pond, sensory & pollinator garden, and garden boxes for growing. We plant in the Fall and Spring and learn from each of our growing seasons. Our PreK4 playscape sits at the edge of the GOLC and teachers have the opportunity to have class outside and utilize the garden in different ways to support the curriculum. Our GOLC evolves with each new school year. 

Donations are always appreciated! If you have soil, seeds, or plants that you'd like to donate, please contact Mrs. Campasano at campasano@stbenedictnj.org. Thank you! 
 

1. School performance increases when children learn outdoors.
2. Learning outdoors is healthy.
3. Learning outdoors supports child development.
4. Teaching and learning outdoors is fun!
5. Learning outdoors helps develop a sense of place and civic attitudes and behaviors.
6. Outdoor education engages families and the community. 

*Research support for these indicators can be found here.