Dear Blessed volunteer friends, 
I've finally scheduled the Recycling Luncheon, after being stopped by innumerable small re-cycling elves, asking about it, and slowly losing faith. So on Thursday, December 13, from  12:00 until 1:00, I will host ONLY the 8th graders, in the Conference Room. They will be out of the school on Friday, and would thus, otherwise, miss the treat.
On Friday, December 14, all the other Recycling Captains will have lunch in the Conference Room during their regular lunch time.  We will start setting up and prepping at 10:00: salad, fruit, juice, and such. If anyone could make the two runs for pizza (at 11:00 and 12:00) I would be very grateful. 
Let me know if you can help, and witness this charming little get together. I will share with the students the feedback they received from their teachers. 


Possum
After our Riverbank workday this past Saturday, I was walking the bank with neighbor Nancy, and we spotted, on the other side, a small mammal slinking through the dry grasses.  At first we thought it was a cat. But it lacked a furry tail.  It was, we thought, too white for a possum. Nancy went on her way, and I, intrigued, followed the creature's path from my side, until it revealed itself clearly on a log at the river's edge: a possum, sure enough, with prehensile tail, pretty pink snout, and black tipped, frost nipped ears.  I'm fond of this amazing creature, and I looked up an article I wrote about it for the Chicago Reader, many years ago. Hope you like it.
Mr. Leki

Dear Friends, 
The snow and cold have slowed and quieted the land.
A perfect time for me to catch up on my post trip classes.
In fourth grade we compiled  charts showing the signature species the live in each of the 5 ecosystems of Sauganash. I found beautiful photos of the flowers in full bloom and got a little kick every time the kids said, Aaaawwwww! The lesson was "Communities of Plants" and how in native ecosystems plants self-organize based on their sunlight and soil moisture preferences. So if you tell your child that you saw "Monkey Flower" (Mimulus ringens) at Sauganash, he/she could tell you that you must have been in the Slough, where that plant lives!
In 5th grade we did an analysis of our simulation game about habitat fragmentation. Our results confirm the theory that larger parcels of land (islands) closer to an intact natural area, will have higher bio-diversity.  As Diego put it, "This is relevant because Sauganash is like an island in an ocean of urban development".
I am also rehearsing (accompanying) four classroom preparing for the Holiday show. This always gives me a boost! Three of the songs are in languages other than English!
The book fair is up and running and it includes copies of my picture book:
The Fight Between Quiet and Noise
for $10. A portion of the proceeds will go to Waters Ecology program.

I have read/performed the book in a number of classrooms, and that is also alot of fun. And offers a chance for a discussion of Noise and Quiet, and how one can "invite" Quiet to visit!

I spend most mornings (until 10:30), and afternoons (after 1:00) doing journal response with the Mighty Acorn journals. This is also a very relaxing and gratifying activity. If you would like to join me for a cup of tea and read journals, please let me know. I have finished three of eight classes.

Stay warm, 

Mr. Leki

Hello Friends, 
Happy long week end. 
On this veteran's Day, I pray that  all wars end and disappear from the face of the earth. 

Tomorrow I will be reading Mighty Acorns journals all day, in preparation for Report Card Pick Up Day.  If you would like to help, please come for an hour, more, or less. 
I will be in the Conference Room from 8:15 until 10:30.
Then I will be by the fish tank, from 10:30 until 1:00,
then back in the Conference Room.

We hope to invite the 8th Grade to the Garden on Thursday to do extremely important work to prepare for Winter AND
the moving of plants, shrubs and vines from the Snake and Turtle Garden
which, apparently, will be involved in the siting of the new Annex.
Snake and Turtle Garden was originally called the Native Edibles Garden. 

Here's the posting from the kiosk:
The Garden surrounding this playground was created 
in  2002-3. It was hewn out of  solid asphalt.
The asphalt was removed by hand, by students, parents, teachers and neighbors, over the course of 18 months.  About 4,000 square feet of asphalt was removed.  This allowed 90,000 gallons of rain water per year to be diverted from the sewers, into the ground and soil, to grow flowers and edible plants.  The work was joyous, exhausting, and heroic.  In the future we will display images from that project and explain more about how and why our school took on this task.
We planted Concord grape vines onto the barren chain link fences, foreseeing children and parents gorging on the sweet fruit. Please be gentle with these plants, and it is wise to wait until they are very dark before eating. Also, parents, please do not allow your children to climb or cross any fences. They are there to protect the plants. 


When we pulled up the asphalt we found, underneath, not soils, 
but a 2 foot layer of boiler cinders.  Digging up these cinders was exhausting, 
and hauling them away in dumpsters cost a lot of money that we didn't have.  
So we left the cinders in place wherever we could:
like underneath the path.
And we built effigy mounds, 
one of a very large turtle, 
being followed by a very large Snake. 
To the west we piled up a hill, to create a 
"hill prairie",
a special kind of dry prairie with its own suite of plants. 
We covered them all with soils and planted them with plants that were edible, or produced edible fruits or vegetables. 
The idea was that you could enter one end hungry, and exit the other with your appetite satisfied.  There was American hazelnut and plum, black walnut, Wild cherry, Paw paw, many grapevines, raspberries, wild onions, Jerusalem artichoke, wild strawberries, and, planted on the back of Snake, Northern dropseed grass, whose seed was used as a grain plant by our native ancestors.
There are many funny stories associated with this garden's creation. 
And the Legend of Snake and Turtle. 
It was funded by Friends of the Chicago River,
as a pilot project to show how we can reduce the dumping of sewage in the River, 
by opening the ground to accept rain water. 
There is a large binder in my office documenting this project. 


We are hoping that the new Annex project will include transplanting of viable shrubs and vines to a new location. Perhaps Snake and Turtle could be re-located to the North bio-swale, as part of a new children's Nature-play area.


Recycle Captain's Luncheon will be this Friday, during the students' normal lunch hour. 
It will be in a location as yet to be determined. 
Set up and all preps generally start at 10:00.
But at 10:30, I will be at a meeting in the Alderman's office about the addition.
So, I will not be back until 11:30. 11:45, 
missing the first students.
Hmmmm. Maybe I should postpone until after Thanksgiving???


Stay tuned, 
Many thanks, 
And enjoy this wonderful season, 
Mr. Leki

​Dear Friends, 
We have (almost) finished the whole fall field ecology schedule w/o rain outs or mishaps.
I give thanks to the great grandmother earth for setting such a lovely table, 
and watching over her children.
We have one more field excursion 
Tuesday, November 6, from 9:00 until 1:30 to 
Horner Park (west bank of the river)
with 6th Grade, Room 305 
to do chemical and biological testing of the river water, and to walk through the lovely. multi-colored plant community, 
as it finishes its work, before taking a winter's rest. 
Please join us, including a picnic lunch. 

We have been able to take more classes out to the garden,
 for work, study and harvest, 
thanks to the new Garden Coordinator position, 
held by Ms. Peterson, 
and the assistance of garden and ecology volunteers. 
This week we will bring out the whole 7th grade:
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 8:30 Room 302
Thursday,  Nov. 8, 10:30 Room 
Thursday, Nov 8, 11:30 Room
and 
Thursday, at 8:30 2nd Grade, Room 204, 
will come out to collect beautiful leaves, 
learn about the old Chicago River bed that lies asleep under our grounds, 
and to harvest Jerusalem artichokes (Helenium tuberosa).
We have been given some great weather to allow us time to get in these experiences 
and will continue as long as the weather holds out. 

The ecology program, 
with serious volunteer help has finished the 1st grade leaf paste up,
and will start doing journal response for the Mighty Acorns. 
Let me know if you are interested in this very delightful task.
With the gap in my field ecology program, 
I will now be schedule post-trip follow up lessons in the classrooms for 4th, 5th and sixth grade, 
and I will begin weekly lessons on trees with the 1st grade. 
On Friday, Nov. 23, 
we will host the Recycle Captains luncheon
and I hope I can find some volunteers to help set up, serve and clean up.
I also am thrilled that I have been invited to accompany several classes in the Winter Musical performance in December. 
Music makes me happy.

Finally, 
These days outside are achingly beautiful. Please have a listen and read along 
with this Poem by Robert Frost, put to music by friend and neighbor Doug Lofstrom,
performed by  our Bullfrogs Community Choir.


 
October, 
by Robert Frost
 
Oh hushed October morning mild
Thy leaves have ripened to the Fall
Tomorrow's wind
If it be wild
Should waste them all.
 
The crows above the forest call
Tomorrow they may form and go.
Oh hushed October morning mild
begin the hours of this day slow.
 
Make the day seem to us less brief
Hearts not averse to being beguiled
Beguile us in the way you know
 
Release one leaf at the break of day
at noon another
One from our tree
one far away.
 
Retard the sun with gentle mist
Enchant the land with amethyst
Slow,
slow!
 
For the grapes sake
if that were all
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit
must else be lost
For the grapes' sake along the wall.
 
O hushed October morning mild
Beguile us in the way you know
Begin the hours of this day
slow.

Dear Friends,
Last week went from hot to cold, dry to wet, 
but all the trips were "Go" and wonderful.
This week Tuesday, Oct 16,  8:30 -10:30, 2nd grade Room 203 goes off campus for the first time, 
to explore the riverbank at Berteau Street. They will do leaf rubbings of riverbank trees, 
weather station, 
and sketch riverbank flowers. 
Please join us after drop off for a briefing.

On Wednesday, Oct 17, 3rd Grade, Room 202, is off for their first trip to Sauganash. 
They will be using their beautiful new field journals to document their adventures. And they will be picking rare native seeds for the restoration process. Please join us at 9:00 by the fish tank for a briefing. 

On Thursday, Oct. 18, 3rd grade Room 201 does ditto as above, and as above, please join us. 

On Friday, Oct 19, 6th Grade, Room 310, will venture to the river to do water quality testing. Stay tuned for details because our destination may be changing. 

The very best to you and sorry for this short notice. 
Mr. Leki

Trips today are a go, but ​... we will try to leave from school as early as possble,
closer to 9:00 than 9:30.
And we will leave Saugnash early, maybe by 12:00
(or earlier) to avoid incoming thunderstorms.
Let it be so!
Mr. Leki

​Dear Friends, 
We have three trips coming up this week. If you have not yet signed up with the CPS volunteer application, please do. There is a lag time to be fully approved. 
https://cpsparentu.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=319488&type=d

Approval is required even for coming in to paste up leaves, or staple journals. Thanks for your willingness to help out. 

Wednesday, Oct 10, 4th Grade, Room 308, Mighty Acorns will be off to Sauganash to explore and to learn about plant communities, and to collect seed, rare and precious. There is a forecast for rain, but stand by, one never knows what will happen or what surprises rain might bring us. Please join us at 9:00 by the Fish tank for a briefing, bus leaves at 9:30, picnic lunch at 12:15, back in the bus by 12:45, back at school by ~1:15 

On Thursday, Oct 11, 3rd Grade, Room 211 will have their first Mighty Acorns experience with free exploration, practicing woods smarts, field journaling, and stewardship (seed collecting). They  have learned our traveling song and are very enthusiastic about the prospects for encountering wildlife! Please join us at 9:00 by the Fish tank for a briefing, bus leaves at 9:30, picnic lunch at 12:15, back in the bus by 12:45, back at school by ~1:15.


On Friday, 6th Grade, Room 304, will walk to River Park to do water quality assessment and check out the newly created "rapids" which now connect the main North Shore Channel to the North Branch of the River is a manner accessible to spawning fish!  Please join us at 9:00 by the Fish tank for a briefing, we leave at 9:15, picnic lunch at 12:15, and  back at school by ~1:15. 

Still much pasting to do on the 1st grade leaf collections. Let me know if you can put in some time on this.  And I am still looking for an opening to have a workshop for new Mighty Acorns parents, to discuss your important co-explorer role during these field trips. Time is short!

Copies of my book "The Fight Between Quiet and Noise" are available from me at school, or at the website: www.sipipublishing.com. A portion of the proceeds will support the Waters Ecology Program. 

Many thanks to all, 

Mr. Leki

​Last week our 5th graders picked wood reed and bottlebrush grass from the oak woods at Sauganash. It was great to see them be so comfortable at recognizing these two important grasses. Both are used to repopulate areas in the Forest Preserves that have been devastated by alien invaders, lack of fire, habitat fragmentation, etc.  Our ecology lesson for this trip is about species richness on different sized islands located at different distances from a mainland. Larger islands, closer to the mainland can maintain greater species diversity (and ecological health) than smaller islands farther from the mainland.  These small islands are analogies for the small and isolated Forest Preserves, adrift in an ocean of development. As species disappear, because of disease, predation, poaching, invasives, etc, there is little opportunity for re-populating these species through natural means.  Imagine a pair of green prairie snakes attempting to migrate to Sauganash from Forest Glen, having to cross the Edens expressway. Not going to happen.
So our activity, collecting rare seed and transporting it to distant islands, creates a bridge, a possibility for increased species diversity and ecological health. 
7th Grade was treated to a virtually mosquito - free walk through the dunes and the Magic Hedge at the Lake, ablaze with Lady's Tresses orchids, grass of parnassus, gerardia, great blue Lobelia, lakeside goldenrod, and New England aster: a rich dreamy swarm of beauty. Thanks to all the parents and volunteers who made these trips possible. 

This week, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 5th Grade, Room 209 repeats the trip to Sauganash. Meet by the fish tank at 9:00. Bus leaves at 9:30, returns at 1:15. Picnic lunch, long pants and shirt. Boots recommended. 
On Thursday, 4th Grade Room 307, visits Sauganash to learn about Communities of Plants: how these creatures self organize to populate specific habitats and ecosystems there. Join us to learn some of the plant names and to glory in the blue stemmed goldenrod and short's asters abloom in the oak woods. Picnic lunch. Meet at 9:00 by the fish tank. Bus leaves at 9:30, returns at 1:15.

Mr. Leki