Recycle Art

Grade 3 and 4 Students had the chance to use their imagination and create art projects using recycled materials. They worked cooperatively in groups and transformed bottles, cardboard, paper, and other household/office materials. 

Thinking outside of the box and being innovative allows students to create unique pieces of art and is an environmentally friendly way to put to use items that would normally be thrown out. 

Dr. A.R. Lord - Organics Collection and Diversion Program

Did you know that organics make up over 1/2 of all waste collected regularly for Vancouver School Board?  Dr. A.R. Lord now has an organic waste collection bin and has adopted the districts organics diversion program.  All students and staff will segregate this waste for compliance with Metro Vancouver's ban on organics from landfills.

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/new-school-year-new-waste-bins

National Tree Day Weds Sept 23

Parents and guardians, we hope that you can join in on the ceremonial tree planting with students, staff and Tree Canada https://treecanada.ca/en/ on National Tree Day!  Opening remarks in the gym  will commence at 11:30am and then all will head over to the neighbouring Hastings Garden.

Sustainability and Green Iniatives at A.R. Lord Elementary

Teachers, students, parents, and staff have been advancing the sustainability of our school.  Some of the green projects that were carried out this year included a comprehensive lunchroom recycling program, school learning garden, earth day celebrations, and bottle recycling.  Students participate and are engaged in all of these great activities and sustainability and the environment are included in the learning curriculum in the classroom.  

To find out more about the Vancouver School Board Green Initiatives:
http://www.vsb.bc.ca/vsb-green-board

School Recycling Program at A.R. Lord Elementary

Sorting waste and recycling are a way of life for this generation of young people and this even extends to the school. A comprehensive recycling program  has been implemented at A.R. Lord and goes beyond the basic. Teachers, students and custodial staff all pitch in to ensure that landfill waste is minimized and the maximum of materials are recycled.
The current  waste segregation program includes:
*Paper and Cardboard
*Hard Plastics
*Soft Plastics
*Returnable Bottles and Cans for Deposit

*Food Scrap Limited Compost for the school learning garden
*Landfill Garbage  - Non recyclables

Dream Rider Productions Presentation

Performing arts troupe, Dream Rider Productions recently came into the school and gave a fun, interactive performance to divisions 3-6. Prevention of littering and vandalism begins with shaping the attitudes and behaviours of children at a young age. They used wacky versions of the storybook characters kids know and love to instill a desire to keep our environment safe.  http://dreamriderproductions.com
Kids were taught:

• The know-how to appropriately dispose of garbage and recycling
• A sense of personal responsibility for our city streets and natural spaces

A.R. Lord: Recycling for a Good Cause - Canadian Red Cross

A.R. Lord Teachers, Supervision Aides and Student Council

Recyclable beverage containers and bottles are collected at Dr.  A.R. Lord and support a great cause! Our fabulous school supervision aides gather and recycle all beverage containers, juice boxes and bottles at the school.  They clean and sort them and then take them to exchange for money at the local recycling bottle depot.  

Approximately $300 was collected in recycling money and in turn, the student council determines how the funds will be used.  This year they have opted to donate all funds to the CANADIAN RED CROSS.  

A wonderful way to teach the next generation about community, charity and sustainability!

MORE SCHOOL LUNCHROOM COMPOSTING!

Teacher and Students Going Green!

Composting Program

Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary has unveiled the new compost program.  Collection buckets are placed on the tables during lunch for everyone to deposit their fruit and vegetable scraps into.  

Kids are taught which items can go into the collection bucket and which items cannot.

The scraps will then be emptied into a compost in the school garden to create an organic and natural nutrient source that enriches the soil. 

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Remember to attend the School Garden Celebration this Thurs 3:00 to 4:00pm.

Earth Week Events April 20-24th at Dr. A.R. Lord

• Parents, caregivers and families, please join the school on Monday April 20th right after lunch for a special assembly for Earth Week.  (1:00pm in the gym)
• Wednesday April 22nd - Litterless Lunch Day:  Set an example and ensure that your child's lunch does not have any items such as wrappers, plastic, and other garbage that cannot be recycled.  Minimize packaging and replace with reusable containers.  The school will also be launching a limited food scrap composting program (fruit and vegetable scraps only).
• The Performance "CLEAN UP YOUR ACT" will be given by DreamRider Theatre for Divisions 3-6 on Thursday April 23rd. This performance is a lively show that encourages kids to reduce waste and cut down on water and energy consumption. 

• A Spring Garden Celebration will also be held after school on Thursday from 3-4 pm.  This is to honour of Earth Day and in recognition of all students, staff, community partners, parents, and the students from the Eastside and Sunrise programs.  Refreshments will be provided compliments of the Parent Advisory Council!  Take home a vegetable seedling plant!

JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

Newspaper Seedling Pots: Environmental Caretakers Club

It's easy to make your own newspaper seedling pots. Under the guidance of Ms. Mcmaster and Ms. Young, members of the Environmental Caretakers Club recently made their own pots to plant peas.    These eco-friendy pots are made of recycled newspaper strips that are simply rolled into a cylinder cup.  They are biodegradable and when it is time to transplant the seedlings, they will be transplanted directly into the ground.  What a great project to try at home!

Environmental Caretakers Club

This new club at Dr. A.R. Lord is hosted by Ms. Macmaster, Ms. Young and Dr. A.R. Lord parents, Linda, Lisa and Jana.  It meets every Friday at lunch (12:30pm) in the library.  Everybody is welcome!  The club will be working on lots of projects such as the school garden and helping to organize Earth Day activities.  

This past Friday the club made paper pots and planted pea seeds to start growing in the school and later plant out in the garden.

School Garden Work Party Thursday Oct 23rd 3:30pm

Join in and lend your green thumb at next week's School Garden Work Party.  A group of student and parent volunteers will be doing some upgrading by replacing the soil in the school garden planter boxes.  We are looking for volunteers to help out.  Simply show up with your shovels and lend a hand at the West end of the playground.

Thursday October 23 at 3:30 pm after school

These gardens are part of a school program under the Environmental Youth Alliance's (EYA) Growing Kids program! Educators will be visiting the school and working with students both in the school food garden and in the classroom throughout the school year.  They will learn about plants, seeds, soil, garden sustainability, and food.

For more information on the EYA:  http://eya.ca/growing-kids.html

School Garden Summer Blooms

Radishes in the garden

Dr. A.R. Lord  has maintained a garden since 2011 and is now in full summer bloom.  This garden was initially started with a grant from the Vancouver Foundation and partnerships with organizations such as Tree Canada, Environmental Youth Alliance, and the Vancouver Parks Board have allowed family volunteers, and teachers to give students the chance to learn about food, gardens, and sustainability.

Over the summer, even when school is out, the garden continues to bloom so we encourage Dr. A.R. Lord families to visit the garden.  Do some weeding, tend to the garden and help yourself to a little bit of the bounty (but please leave some for others).

What is in bloom?  We found Strawberries, radishes, and herbs such as chives and sage to name a few.

Mint in particular is in great supply so try a FRESH MINT INFUSION to drink (hot or cold).

• Pick a few sprigs of fresh mint 
• Rinse to wash in fresh water
• Take several leaves and put into a cup
• Bruise or muddle the mint leaves with the back of of wooden spoon to release the mint oil
• Top with boiling water and steep 5-10 minutes
• Remove the leaves.  Add a little honey or sugar if you like.  
• Or try it cold on a hot day by bringing to cool and serve over ice.

The start of the garden project 3 years ago