Up on Play: Schools by Landscape Structures

Up on Play

Schools Issue 2

Hawthorne Elementary School

Bringing play to schools around the nation Landscape Structures was honored to participate in the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ (NAESP) fifth annual Community Service Day along with nearly 100 principals from around the nation. Together, we installed an inclusive playground at John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday, July 10. Mary C. Donnelly, principal of John Ruhrah for the past 12 years, believes the new playground will enable the school to dramatically increase the use of outside grounds for both instruction and recreation. Principals congregated at Seattle’s Hawthorne Elementary School in March 2012 to build an inclusive playground. In just a few hours, the inclusive PlayBooster® playstructure was installed, allowing the principals to network with each other and interact with Hawthorne Elementary students. In April 2011, we created a nature-inspired outdoor learning environment for Booker T. Washington Elementary School in Tampa, Fla. Now more than two years later, Principal Toynita Martinez says the outdoor classroom concept is being embraced. “All of our teachers are taking advantage of the outdoor classroom,” said Martinez. “A lot of math and science classes take place outside. Plus, reading groups disperse in the space to finish a reading assignment and then come together to discuss.” Our first time participating in the NAESP Community Service Day was in 2010. We designed a sensory-rich play space complete with the Sensory Play Center® and Cozy Dome® for students at MacGregor Music and Science Academy in Houston, Texas. “We’re really proud and still excited about the gift that NAESP and Landscape Structures provided,” said Principal Patricia Allen of the playground. Learn more about our partnership with NAESP, and our joint commitment to enhancing the lives of children and the communities in which they live.

Booker T. Washington Elementary School

Building

school playgrounds and community Planning and building a school playground is a rewarding, yet challenging experience. Whether you’re updating an existing playground or creating a new one, it’s useful to use a step-by-step guide to help you assess your play area and community needs, create a playground design that all visitors can enjoy, and properly install and maintain your play area to ensure you maximize your investment. Landscape Structures’ playground planning guide offers a few simple steps to help you design an amazing playground in which your entire school community finds value.

Envisioning your playground Get started on your playground project by defining objectives—age groups of users, number of students, space and budget requirements, and design features—for your play area. Planning an efficient layout and following recommended design guidelines can help ensure you create a beautiful playground that is safe, fun and comfortable for kids of every age and ability.

Designing to fit your environment The characteristics of your site, including both natural and man-made elements, impact your playground design. Work with your Landscape Structures playground consultant to analyze your site and make the most of the environment. Once you have your vision and site analysis, you can begin the design process. Whether you’re envisioning a sprawling inclusive playground or a more compact nature-inspired playstructure, your Landscape Structures playground consultant and designer will help bring your image of play to life.

Funding your playground Landscape Structures understands that a large factor in the playground planning process is funding, which is why the company offers ideas for fundraising programs to help you reach your budget goals. From scratch-off games to walk-a-thons, event management programs to playground grants, these highly profitable programs will make your fundraising easier and more fun. Another way to help cut costs is to consider making your playground a community build project. Landscape Structures and its network of playground consultants has supported thousands of community build playground projects, and will offer advice and materials to help you through the process from start to finish. Not only does a community build help save money, but it will also help create a heightened sense of pride and ownership among the school community.

Enjoy and maintain your playground After completing the first steps of planning in addition to fundraising, your playground will be ready for students! Celebrate all the work that went into creating your amazing school playground by hosting a grand opening party to welcome students, families and community members, and thank all that were involved in the process—committee members, fundraisers, donors, build volunteers, etc. While your playground should last for many years, it’s important to schedule regular inspections and maintenance checks to ensure it stays safe for users. Landscape Structures provides customized maintenance kits for each playground order to assist you in ongoing maintenance. Plus your local playground consultant can provide advice on recommended frequency of inspections and support as needed. Contact your local Landscape Structures playground consultant to request your copy of the playground planning guide, and then browse playlsi.com to learn more about how to create an amazing playground.

Florida school celebrates SpongeBob-themed playground, reading oasis On Thursday, Sept. 12, Enterprise Elementary School in Enterprise, Fla., celebrated the grand opening of its new playground that mimics SpongeBob SquarePants’ hometown of Bikini Bottom. The playground came to the school after Madison Hern, a 5th grade student last year, entered the 2012 Nickelodeon “I Wanna Play” Sweepstakes and won the grand prize playground makeover. Landscape Structures is proud to have had the opportunity to work on this innovative school playground design. Included in the playground design is SpongeBob’s pineapple house, which was sculpted from concrete; Squidward’s house, which is reminiscent of an Easter Island Head; and the Cozy Dome® was used to represent Patrick’s rock house. Plus, there are many colorful, flower-shaped climbers and extras included in the overall design. The grand opening included costumed SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward characters, a university marching band and a trademark Nickelodeon sliming of Enterprise Elementary’s principal in front of its nearly 600 students. Check out photos of the event here. That evening the Deltona Kiwanis Club hosted a Family Reading Night at Enterprise Elementary, which began with the dedication of the new Kiwanis Reading Oasis. This unique reading room, donated by Scholastic, will be used by students and their families for family reading time, and Kiwanis members will read to and mentor students. Additionally, all the students were able to visit the Scholastic Book Fair and select a book of their choice thanks to Nickelodeon. Learn more about the unique partnerships that brought the playground and reading room to Enterprise Elementary here.

Leave it to the professionals Landscape Structures is so honored to work with schools around the world. We’re constantly learning about fun and unique projects on which you’ve worked, obstacles that you face and innovative solutions that you create to overcome challenges. That’s why we’ve created this new feature that spotlights a school professional, introduces him or her, and gives you a glimpse into what projects and programs he or she has implemented. Our featured professional is Alison Epler, principal at Thornton Creek Elementary School in Novi, Mich. Read below to learn more about Alison, and her experience as an educator and school leader. Q: How long have you been involved with schools as an educator or school leader? A: I was a classroom teacher for 11 years in Brighton, Mich., in the same building and grade level where I did my student teaching. I taught first grade for five years and fourth grade for five years. I left the classroom during my 11th year and worked as a consultant/Response to Intervention Facilitator for the building. My master’s degree in educational leadership was completed in 2006, and I am beginning my third year as principal for Northville Public Schools. Q: Thornton Creek Elementary was awarded the grand prize of our School Grounds. Playgrounds. Common Ground.™ contest because of your commitment to creating an inclusive environment. In addition to the new playground, can you explain what you’re doing to move forward with this commitment? A: Our fundraising continues as we are working to add a track around our playground. Our elementary school is a neighborhood school and backs up to many homes of our students, and the path will be great for runners, walkers and bike riders. Plus, our students participate in a Mileage Club during lunch recess and we have a Girl on the Run program, both of which will be able to use the track. Q: What have been some of your favorite initiative to tackle since being a principal? A: Academically, we are working toward aligning instruction with the Common Core State Standards. Our district passed a technology bond, which will fund Promethean boards for all of our classrooms. Along with those initiatives, we are working to increase our extra-curricular activities to include Chess Club, Lego Robotics, Junior Great Books, Science Olympiad and Girls on the Run. As you know, we just completed our inclusive playground project. It was a lot of fun and our committee was very creative with their fundraising efforts. From popsicle sales to concerts to a walk-a-thon, we worked hard and had fun all while promoting healthy habits and an active lifestyle. Q: What are some of your personal hobbies when you’re not being a principal? A: My favorite time outside of school is spent with my family. I have a 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. I also have three sisters and nine nieces and nephews, with whom we spend a lot of time. We love being outside golfing, swimming, walking, riding bikes and fishing! I am in the middle of training for my first half marathon, which will take place in October!

Learn more about Alison and Thornton Creek Elementary School by visiting thorntoncreek.northvilleschools.org.

Industry News Read about the latest happenings affecting schools, and then join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Let us know what you think about the following topics: • Honoring principals across the nation The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) will once again pay tribute to the outstanding elementary and middlelevel administrators from across the nation during its annual National Distinguished Principals program, Oct. 24-25, in Washington, D.C. Learn about the 2013 Class of National Distinguished Principals here. • Funding for experimental schools Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), a partnership between the Gates Foundation, the League for Innovation in the Community College and EDUCAUSE, is accepting grant applications on a rolling basis this fall for districts throughout the country looking for funds to transform their schools. Learn more about this funding opportunity, which helps schools shift from traditional teaching to more experimental models, here.

Calendar of Events Looking forward to seeing and celebrating with you during the following events:

• Boosting achievement in schools Ten Guilford County, N.C., schools, most of them elementary schools, are being targeted this year for extra support in hopes of boosting achievement. The schools will get top priority for more teacher training, classroom monitoring and even building maintenance. Read more about this effort.

September • Green Apple Day of Service October • National Principals Month

• California proposes new testing plan As California lawmakers consider legislation to revamp the state’s standardized testing system, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan threatened to withhold federal funding. The proposed state law would end the standardized exams used since 1999 in an effort to advance new learning goals, called the Common Core standards. Read more here.

• SPD Foundation 3S Symposium & Expo November • NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo December • Inclusive Schools Week

Landscape Structures Inc. 601 7th St. South Delano, MN 55328-8605 888.438.6574 763.972.5200 playlsi.com