Thank you to everyone who helped make the Mice Busters fundraiser a success! This real-world project supported our school garden and provided learners with a valuable opportunity to collaborate, use technology creatively, and develop communication skills. They enjoyed working together to plan, design flyers, and create videos to raise awareness about our garden throughout the school.

In this newsletter, I will share some behind-the-scenes insights of this project and updates on other garden activities. I am grateful for the support of our administrators, teachers, and parents, as well as the unique opportunity to assist our learners in this endeavor.

"THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE LEE!"

Our garden has faced significant challenges due to rodents. In response, we formed a group of fifth-grade volunteers called "Mice Busters." There are 30 members, with 4 to 8 learners from each house. We mainly communicate via Schoology in our free time and meet occasionally during recess for each house. To learn more about this group, please refer to the article "2. Mice Busters - Fifth Grade Problem Solvers" in my last newsletter.

In this newsletter, I will share how we operated the fundraiser, including insights from our activities.

One of the great features of this group is their initiative. Although our activities were voluntary, some learners took it upon themselves to move our plans forward. Some started discussions, while others made presentations, flyers, videos, newspapers, and announcements on Lee Live.

The members made morning announcements with our principals on Lee Live.

✅ The Green House Learners Initiated the Fundraiser.

During recess just before winter break, I was in the garden with the Green House members when they proposed holding a fundraiser. At first, I wasn't enthusiastic about organizing a fundraiser, knowing it would require a lot of work. However, I encouraged them to create a presentation outlining their plans.

Two learners shared their presentations on Canva, and we began collaborating to refine their ideas and discuss what to sell. They also planned a house competition in the fundraiser.

I suggested some changes to their presentations on Canva, and the learners quickly made the necessary adjustments. Through this collaborative process, I realized, "We can do this!"

The Initial Ideas About What to Sell.

After brainstorming, we decided to sell key tags.

Q & A About the Fundraiser Page in the Presentation.

✅ Fundraiser Presentation, Flyers and Videos

One of our members devoted herself to creating a beautiful presentation for our fundraiser and made several edits to improve it. We used her presentation for the LEEdership Council. One of our members, who is also a LEEdership representative, presented it with the support of Mrs. Kastrounis during the council meeting.

Some members voluntarily created flyers to help spread the word about our fundraiser. During the week before the sale, we talked about the need for additional advertisements, as many learners were unaware of our event. A member from the Purple House generously offered to print color flyers to hang around the school.

I was pleasantly surprised when the learners from Yellow House said they wanted to make a video. Although they could only film during recess, they managed to complete it, and one of them edited the video in her free time. We laughed so much while filming, and the result was a catchy and entertaining video for the kids. Thank you, teachers, for using the video in the House meetings!

Flyers Created by Members.We displayed them throughout the school.

I am often impressed by children's varied perspectives and sensitivities compared to adults, and I felt this way in many ways this time as well.

✅ Exploring Alternatives to Killing Rodents

I planned to set up mouse snap traps designed to be safe for kids and contacted the maintenance department to address our rodent problem. However, we are uncertain whether we are allowed to use these traps.

During a meeting held for each house during recess on January 7, some children asked, "Do we have to kill the rats?" So, I posted this topic on Schoology. Many members wanted alternative methods, such as using cage traps, which didn't seem practical. Some members mentioned that Kindergarteners might be frightened by dead rats, while others noted that this would be sensitive content. Discussing the killing of animals is a challenging topic for them. We would need to talk more about this.

Therefore, we decided to try using an ultrasonic device and coyote urine to keep rodents away from our plants. Since many rats are in the field next to our garden, I am also considering bringing barn owls as a sustainable solution to help control the rat population.

"Should we kill rats?" Discussion on Schoology

When people work together, relationship issues can often disrupt the progress of a project, wasting our time and energy. To address this, I spoke with some team members about potential solutions. One member suggested creating a template for our respect agreement and shared it with the group. Another team member contributed items to the agreement, and I also added my input.

I appreciate that they already have the respect agreement and digital citizenship education in their classrooms, as they worked as reminders during our "Mice Busters" sessions. I emphasized the importance of choosing words carefully, especially in online communications, since we rely solely on the words we express. It is encouraging to see that team members are mindful of using respectful words, even when they disagree with others' ideas.

With this positive attitude, they have accomplished many things in a short time while working together. I am so proud of you all, Mice Busters!

Respect Agreement Created By Learners

Respect Agreement Created By Ms. Keiko

Constructive Discussions on the House Competition Prize on Schoology

On January 7, right after the winter break, we held a meeting during each House's recess to form teams and finalize plans for the fundraiser. On January 14, the members painted a thank-you sign for the garden fence while the Yellow House members filmed a promotional video. On January 21, we gathered to confirm the sales process.

During the sales days, the members ate lunch during recess and assisted with sales during lunch. I was pleased with their responsibility in managing all the meetings and sales. They communicated effectively with customers, particularly during the second day when they needed to explain the waitlist. Some members also advertised the Friday sale on Thursday to the entire house in the cafeteria.

The teams had each role but were flexible in covering additional roles as needed. While we designated teams for fundraiser planning and creating flyers and posters, many members willingly undertook tasks beyond their specified roles. I am grateful for their teamwork, which contributed to the success of this fundraiser.

Meeting on 1/7 and Painting on 1/14

Teams of Mice Busters. The members volunteered for each role.

Newspaper Created by A Member

We had a tight schedule for our fundraiser. The school was closed on Thursday and Friday during the first week of January, which left us with limited time to promote our sales. However, the members took the initiative and identified what needed to be done. I made a list of requirements but didn’t need to assign tasks to the members; they were autonomous and dedicated.

I am thrilled that they had a successful fundraiser. Our goal was $200, but we exceeded that by raising $334! Several people also donated to support our garden! As we reached our goal, we could purchase the portable microscope as a prize. Green House, as the house competition winner, can use it first. Congratulations to Green House!

After the fundraiser, I am excited to work with our members to tackle the rodent problem in the garden for the rest of the year! I hope this experience helps them develop a positive attitude and empowers them to make a difference in the world in the future.

The key tag fundraiser was held on January 23 and 24. Thank you for supporting our garden!

The learners from Purple House hung the key tags on the" Thank You Fence."

The teachers purchased key tags for their learners in Active Learning. I appreciate your support! I look forward to exploring the garden together and discovering their key tags!

In January, Purple 3 and Yellow 3 began the Monarch Waystation Project as part of their STEAM curriculum. During the first session, on January 14 and 15, the learners completed a quiz as a pre-assessment. I modified some questions to improve their understanding of Monarch butterflies. Mrs. Shaner read a book about life cycles, and the learners added information to a worksheet on Numbers.

I also took milkweed seeds that had been in the refrigerator for two months and placed them at room temperature. We displayed these seeds in the Garden Museum to demonstrate how they germinate.

Two weeks later, on January 27 and 28, during the second session of the project, Mrs. Shaner read a book about migration and played a video that showcased the wintering grounds of Monarch butterflies in Mexico.

The class completed a worksheet on numbers, and I appreciated that she emphasized the seasons when monarchs migrate and their migration routes while reading. This focus was essential because the pre-assessment indicated that the learners were unfamiliar with these topics, and both groups, B3 and R3, had difficulty understanding these concepts.

Additionally, I demonstrated transplanting the germinated milkweed seedlings into pots, which are now displayed in the Garden Museum. We will grow them until early April when we transplant them in the garden. I hope more learners become familiar with Milkweed plants and Monarch butterflies!

B1 on 1/16

On a cold morning on January 6, I was delighted to find some bags of leaves left in the garden! Ms. Dennis brings bags of fall leaves to our garden every year.

On January 16, the Blue 1 learners moved the bags of leaves to the compost cage. It was a lot of work for little kids, but they demonstrated great teamwork to complete the task. They also reviewed the lifecycle of leaves, observing how their colors change to brown, how they fall to the ground, and how they eventually decompose into leaf mold, a type of compost.

Thank you, Ms. Dennis, for your continuous support of our garden!

B4 on 1/29

A small group of six learners from Blue 4 participated in a garden activity where they harvested basil and transplanted seedlings into other pots in our indoor garden. Before harvesting the basil, they enjoyed its refreshing scent. They also planted cilantro seeds.

The learners carefully added potting soil to the pots and placed the plant watering spikes for some easy self-watering. They can be observed growing under the lights in the Garden Museum.

I appreciated the relaxing and peaceful atmosphere within the small group. The basil was served in the cafeteria at lunch. It is wonderful to grow herbs indoors and enjoy them even during the winter.

Y2 on 1/31

The Yellow 2 learners planted onion and leek seedlings in the garden. While these plants look pretty similar, they have distinct differences. Onions have cylindrical leaves, while leeks have flat leaves. I thought some learners were unfamiliar with leeks, so I showed them the ones from the grocery store. They were curious about how the tiny seedlings grow into the large leeks.

Additionally, the learners played hide-and-seek using toy animals and bugs that I had hidden throughout the garden. I placed around 30 toys; some were easy to find, while others were well-camouflaged, which excited the learners as they searched.

At the end of the activity, the learners smelled coyote urine used to deter rats from the garden and exclaimed, "Yuk!"

The Monarch Club is a group of learners in Red 3 aiming to support Monarch butterflies. The club has been attracting more members, and they kept asking when we would meet. At that time, I was busy preparing for the Mice Busters fundraiser.

After the fundraiser, we finally met during recess. I was surprised to learn that they had created a new game and a website focused on Monarch butterflies. One of the members even took the initiative to teach the others how to create the quiz and the website. Although they sometimes experience relationship issues, they are charming people with many great ideas!

During the winter break, I was shocked to discover that animals had eaten all the onions the learners had planted before the break. I had covered the two beds, but the rats chewed through the fabric and got inside, consuming everything. I even saw a few rats escaping from under the frost cover. After that, they continued to eat the garlic leaves.

After the fundraiser, we purchased an ultrasonic device and coyote urine, which we installed when the Yellow 2 learners planted onions and leeks on January 31. As of February 5, the plants survived with no signs of damage, so I hope our strategy is effective. We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed.

Rats chewed through the frost cover.

The onions P4, G4, and Y4B learners planted were all eaten.

We installed an ultrasonic device and placed cotton balls soaked in coyote urine inside the water bottles with holes.

Thank you to the teachers for collaborating and bringing your learners to the outdoor learning!