From the Classroom

7 Tips for Exceptional Watershed Curriculum

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7 Tips for Exceptional Watershed Curriculum

It is getting to be my favorite time of year! No, not the holidays. It’s time for new Watershed Classroom proposals!

With the application deadline coming up on November 27th, many environmentally minded Petaluma educators are working hard to pull together their projects. While the Watershed Classroom is designed to make outdoor, place based education more accessible, we know the application process itself can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially for first year applicants.

We compiled a list of advice for teachers who may be having a hard time knowing where to start!

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Introducing Intern Michele Vannucci

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Introducing Intern Michele Vannucci

It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Watershed Classroom intern, Michele Vannucci!

She comes to us after managing the Santa Rosa Junior College nursery and is currently working to complete degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Horticulture with a focus on nursery management.

In her short time with us since starting in early September, Michele has already taken on many important roles on our team. She has been working with students at our David Yearsley River Heritage Center Field trips, attending important events with implementing classrooms, and helping to maintain and organize educational materials like our water testing kits.

I could go on about how enthused we are to be working with her but I would rather let her speak for herself. We asked her a few questions about working with the Watershed Classroom and here’s what she said...

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The Watershed Classroom Gets Oriented!

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The Watershed Classroom Gets Oriented!

The Watershed Classroom is about supporting teachers implementing exceptional Petaluma Watershed curriculum. What this means is we at Friends of the Petaluma River spend a lot of time speaking with teachers, training teachers, coordinating with teachers… Don’t get us wrong, we love teachers! Our guiding principle is that educators are our community's most valuable resource.

Yet we realized that there was one piece missing from our side of the Watershed Classroom experience: STUDENTS! Though we sometimes get to work with students during field trips or at our end of the year Student Showcase, many participants in the Watershed Classroom had not even heard of the program. We decided it was time for a change.

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Project Highlight: Each One Matters

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Project Highlight: Each One Matters

Kesseru and Watt are entering their second year in the Watershed Classroom with their project called Each One Matters. In collaboration with Daily Acts and the School Garden Network of Sonoma County they are building a garden on campus, filled with native plants and flowers.

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