As part of our Community Impact blog series, we highlight events where the community came together in support of our schools. Recently, Out Post Farm and 17 PTO volunteers worked together to accomplish Operation Pumpkin Patch! This was a coordinated effort to transport 260 pumpkins from Out Post Farm to Placentino for the PreK/K Pumpkin Stroll which was held on October 27th.

The Pumpkin Stroll is a favorite Placentino fall event where Pre-K and Kindergarten students decorate little pumpkins for their class pumpkin patch, parade outside the school in fall attire or costumes, and then sing adorable fall/pumpkin related songs for their families.

We’d like to extend a big THANK YOU to Out Post Farm for providing over 260 pumpkins and to the 17 volunteers who loaded, transported, unloaded, and created the Pumpkin Patch!

Volunteers:

Beth Leach
Brittany Ela
Elissa Simkins
Elizabeth Navarro
Emily Raffile
Jacqueline Hayes
James Archibald
Jennifer Schiavoni
Jess Scalzo
Liz Ahluwalia
Lucas Wisner
Marissa Marcoux
Marissa Santos
Mary Ann Sanchez
Mary Arnold
Michelle Nauss
Sarah Hill

The Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA) is a PTO sub-committee dedicated to creating outdoor learning spaces where all children can learn, play, and rest. Since first breaking ground in November of 2022, they have been busy turning the Placentino Courtyard into a beautiful garden of learning and discovery. The project concluded this fall with the planting of new spring bulbs in the courtyard.

OLA is deeply appreciative of Barrios Landscaping for donating close to 100 hours of labor (wow!), Jim Stucchi and Ahronian Landscaping for the many plants and materials they generously donated.

Next, the OLA is bringing their magic to the outdoor spaces at RAMS. This fall, the OLA team spruced up the garden bed next to the RAMS entrance, and is now in a conceptual phase of working on the “learn and rest” garden space for RAMS. The OLA is also in talks with the administration about planting shade trees around the most sun exposed walls of RAMS as a means of passive cooling during heatwaves.

To learn more about the OLA, click here to view their webpage or email outdoorlearningalliance@gmail.com.