Going Green

Today was Earth Day. Everyone was encouraged to walk or ride to school. Elliot and his mother and sister rode their bikes.
We had to add extra bike racks just for today!
Elliot, Katarina, Romi and Bella walked or rode to school.
Ian and his mom walked Owen the Wonder Dog into our classroom.
Here's Erik and Connor after their walk to school.
Luca, Stefan and Gracie walked to school.
Thomas told us he walks to school every day!
Emma and her mother walked part of the way.
And look here: we celebrated Luca's birthday today! He was our class helper.
We went on a "green" walk to find ways that Gullett is kind to the earth. We use recycled mulch on the playground.
Fourth grade makes compost for their garden.
Every class has a recycling bin for paper.
The school has several rain barrels to save rain for watering the plants.
Ian discovered that Gullett does not bag its cut grass. This helps cut down on trash.
We found a tree that died. Instead of hauling it away, it was turned into a teaching center.
The bags hold leaves and trash that will be added to the compost.
The teacher's workroom has a paper recycling cart by the copier.
Near the office, we collect toner and printer cartridges.
We also collect batteries, cell phones and other items that can be recycled.
This year our cafeteria went to plastic trays and real forks so that we no longer throw these items away. They are washed and reused over and over.
Our school collects empty aluminum cans.
We have two dumpsters to collect newspapers, phone books, paper and magazines.
This cart is to haul off all of the cans we recycle each year!
We noticed that even our neighbors have recycling bins!
The second grade green house helps keep our campus "green".
They reuse their pots.
They repurpose stones for walkways.
Next year in second grade, we'll have a chance to work in the garden!
We noticed that Gullett choses plants that require very little water.
Look at that: a gallon jug used as a bird feeder!
There are large "paper only" recycling bins throughout the campus.
This is a map of the proposed garden on the second grade ramp. It will help keep our campus "green."
We decided that buses help because instead of using lots of cars for a field trip, we can share one bus.
The big trees help shade the rooms and keep them cooler in the warm weather.
Ms. Jarriel said that she keeps her projector turned off between classes to save on energy.
We do not use the overhead lights during computer because the screens give us light.
See? We can use the computers just fine without additional lighting.

Oh! Look at this! Luca's dad brought him a balloon in the shape of an 8 for his 8th birthday celebration.
Luca's grandparents came in from Washington D.C. to celebrate his birthday. They brought us some great snacks, and read two of Luca's favorite books to us.

Thanks for the fun celebration. We hope that you love Texas as much as we do during your visit! Please come again.