Friends of Ivanhoe

Welcome to the Green Campus page! This page keeps you up to date with the things we’re doing at Ivanhoe to make our school (and our wider community) a greener place. Some of these things have been happening for a while and some are new this year….

At the beginning of the school year we pledged to make all FOI events ‘Zero Waste’. We had great success with the Hoedown and produced only ONE bag of real trash. Everything else was either composted (food, biodegradable utensils, plates and cups) or recycled (cans and the plastic cups and foil that some of the outside vendors used).

For their Thanksgiving celebrations the kindergarteners all brought a cup and spoon from home so that we didn’t have to buy and dispose of disposables (just like the olden days!).

For the Pancake Breakfast we composted the plates, cups and utensils in our own compost bins at Ivanhoe but had to throw out the leftover eggs and ham because they would be too much of a temptation to the beasties of the neighborhood if left in the compost bins!

This year we are serving oranges instead of popsicles at the Phyzzie Fit Phund so that we can compost the rinds. The kids were disappointed but said the oranges were very juicy.

During testing season and at end-of-year parties there is always a lot of non recyclable trash in the bins! If you are buying snacks for your class please think about buying things that don’t have much packaging. Instead of individual juice boxes you can buy a big container of juice. Think about bringing cups from home that can be washed and used again. Ask the kids to each bring a plastic cup and plate for that week. Buy big bags of chips etc – avoid individual servings. Buy fruit and compost the leftovers at school.

Look out for our battery collection jar outside the school office. We take them to the hazardous waste center for safe disposal so that they don’t end up in the trash!

We have a container by the lunch tables for all of the compostable lunch leftovers (no meat, cheese or fish please!). These leftovers are composted in the reading garden and we use the finished compost to feed the plants. This year, the kindergarten classes also have their own compost pot for leftovers.

As promised, the raised beds went into the reading garden in the fall. Big, big thanks to Brian Hahn (Jack’s dad) for making them for us!

The garden is looking lovely right now so go and take a look. It’s due to a combination of some really special manure (sorry about that smelly week at the end of last year) and lots of lovely winter rain.

Mr Bartoletti’s class has grown a spectacular crop of fava beans and will be eating them in class as soon as they are ready.

We’re also growing peas, squash, strawberries, garlic, leeks, salad and herbs. The student gardeners have enjoyed some delicious and spontaneous salads this year. However we’ve been slightly thwarted by the raccoons and their destructive digging.

The Brownies also planted some hollyhocks around the perimeter and they are coming along nicely.

A very big thank you is due to the Owens family (Riley’s mom and dad) for organizing and paying for the new planting on the bank. It has totally transformed the lower yard!

The kindergarteners have also started some gardening projects this year with their own raised beds and they are looking lovely.

Students help in the reading garden on Tuesdays at 1.30pm and everyone is welcome.

There are lots of these big blue bins around school and each classroom also has a recycling bin.

If you have a plastic or glass bottle or a can you can put these into the bins bearing the bottle sign. We collect these for the recycling deposit; the money is used for school projects.

You can put any other recyclable materials into the other blue bins. This includes: clean paper and cardboard, plastic bags, plastic food boxes, clean foil trays and Styrofoam.

You will have noticed that this year we have been communicating with parents almost exclusively by email. We have saved tons of paper and money!


Avoid spam blocking by adding info@friendsofivanhoe.org to your email address book.	Welcome to the Green Campus page! This page keeps you up to date with the things we’re doing at Ivanhoe to make our school (and our wider community) a greener place. Some of these things have been happening for a while and some are new this year…. Zero waste events At the beginning of the school year we pledged to make all FOI events ‘Zero Waste’. We had great success with the Hoedown and produced only ONE bag of real trash. Everything else was either composted (food, biodegradable utensils, plates and cups) or recycled (cans and the plastic cups and foil that some of the outside vendors used). For their Thanksgiving celebrations the kindergarteners all brought a cup and spoon from home so that we didn’t have to buy and dispose of disposables (just like the olden days!). For the Pancake Breakfast we composted the plates, cups and utensils in our own compost bins at Ivanhoe but had to throw out the leftover eggs and ham because they would be too much of a temptation to the beasties of the neighborhood if left in the compost bins! This year we are serving oranges instead of popsicles at the Phyzzie Fit Phund so that we can compost the rinds. The kids were disappointed but said the oranges were very juicy. During testing season and at end-of-year parties there is always a lot of non recyclable trash in the bins! If you are buying snacks for your class please think about buying things that don’t have much packaging. Instead of individual juice boxes you can buy a big container of juice. Think about bringing cups from home that can be washed and used again. Ask the kids to each bring a plastic cup and plate for that week. Buy big bags of chips etc – avoid individual servings. Buy fruit and compost the leftovers at school. If you need help or ideas for this please email johannamaryhosking@hotmail.com School battery collection Look out for our battery collection jar outside the school office. We take them to the hazardous waste center for safe disposal so that they don’t end up in the trash! School compost We have a container by the lunch tables for all of the compostable lunch leftovers (no meat, cheese or fish please!). These leftovers are composted in the reading garden and we use the finished compost to feed the plants. This year, the kindergarten classes also have their own compost pot for leftovers. Gardening at school As promised, the raised beds went into the reading garden in the fall. Big, big thanks to Brian Hahn (Jack’s dad) for making them for us! The garden is looking lovely right now so go and take a look. It’s due to a combination of some really special manure (sorry about that smelly week at the end of last year) and lots of lovely winter rain. Mr Bartoletti’s class has grown a spectacular crop of fava beans and will be eating them in class as soon as they are ready. We’re also growing peas, squash, strawberries, garlic, leeks, salad and herbs. The student gardeners have enjoyed some delicious and spontaneous salads this year. However we’ve been slightly thwarted by the raccoons and their destructive digging. The Brownies also planted some hollyhocks around the perimeter and they are coming along nicely. A very big thank you is due to the Owens family (Riley’s mom and dad) for organizing and paying for the new planting on the bank. It has totally transformed the lower yard! The kindergarteners have also started some gardening projects this year with their own raised beds and they are looking lovely. Students help in the reading garden on Tuesdays at 1.30pm and everyone is welcome. School recycling bins There are lots of these big blue bins around school and each classroom also has a recycling bin. If you have a plastic or glass bottle or a can you can put these into the bins bearing the bottle sign. We collect these for the recycling deposit; the money is used for school projects. You can put any other recyclable materials into the other blue bins. This includes: clean paper and cardboard, plastic bags, plastic food boxes, clean foil trays and Styrofoam. Going paperless You will have noticed that this year we have been communicating with parents almost exclusively by email. We have saved tons of paper and money!