Friday, November 3, 2017

Skyview Community Herb Harvest

The Skyview Harmony Garden will open its gates on November 18th, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, for a community herb harvest! What better than to cook with fresh-picked organic herbs grown by your neighborhood school? Everyone is welcome!

We'll have hot coffee, a little music, and a scavenger hunt for your little ones. Gates open at 9am. Bring your ziplock baggies! This event is co-hosted by the Skyview Hatchlings Early Childhood PTA. For more information, please check out our Event Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/125243368146312


Here is a list of herbs currently growing in the Skyview Harmony Garden:

SAGE
ROSEMARY
SWEET BASIL
HOLY BASIL
RUE
GERMAINE
CHIVES
PEPPERMINT
SPEARMINT
MEXICAN MINT MARIGOLD
THYME
OREGANO

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Skyview Garden Tee Shirts are HERE!

Since our school garden's founding you've been asking "Where can I buy the tee-shirt?" Introducing the Skyview Harmony Garden tee-shirt available for purchase at our Booster Website!

These beautiful dark green unisex shirts come in all sizes (s-xxxl). Our name is proudly displayed on the front and our favorite Chinese Proverb is printed on the back. It reads, "All the flowers and all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today".

Purchase your shirt HERE and support the Skyview Harmony Garden! Your money will go to garden programming, curriculum development, teacher training opportunities, and garden maintenance. Thank you for your commitment to educational excellence at Skyview Elementary and Richardson ISD. Now, go buy that shirt!

Available HERE.

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Back To School Work Party



SATURDAY AUGUST 26, 2017  | WORK PARTY 

Join us on Saturday the 26th from 9:00-10:30am in the Harmony Garden for our back to school work party. Skyview PTA will provide snacks and cold water for volunteers. We also have gloves and tools on hand! You're welcome to bring your kids or grandkids. They'll enjoy helping out and playing the outdoor musical instruments!

Sign up at the link below and let us know you're coming:

 Again, we are so grateful for your support and enthusiasm for the Skyview Harmony Garden program. You've made our first year in operation a HUGE success, and we're so excited to partner with you for the 2017-18 school year!

Monday, May 29, 2017

Summer Volunteers Needed!

Thank you for making this an OUTSTANDING year in the Skyview Harmony Garden. In the past few weeks, Skyview students and teachers have been harvesting and enjoying a wide array of organic produce. During teacher appreciation week, students prepped veggie trays for their teachers to enjoy in the staff lounge. We've even had students who swore they'd never eat a green thing, participate in taste tests from our herb garden. Success!

Now our beloved school garden transitions to the summer months and we need your help. Students and teachers are away for the summer and no longer available to care for the garden. And our 2017 Outdoor Learning Coordinator will not reporting to the garden until the first week in August. We must rely on the support of our community.

We are seeking local families and neighbors to adopt the garden for one week during June and July. During your chosen week, you'll be in charge of watering two to three times. You'll also have the pleasure of harvesting anything that's ready to be eaten!

Please sign up HERE. Questions? Please email Sarah Greenman for more information at skyviewgarden@gmail.com. Again, you have our deepest gratitude. Your volunteer hours mean the world to us. And we are so thrilled at the success and impact of our first year in the Skyview Harmony Garden!


And here are some recent photos from the Harmony Garden!












Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Flower Pick-Up | Sat. April 29

Just a reminder: If you purchased flowers from the Skyview Harmony Garden, pick up is THIS Saturday at noon at the Skyview Harmony Garden. If we have rain, we'll be in the Skyview Gym. The door to the gym is right next to the school garden. You MUST pick up your order at noon or send someone in your absence. Thank you for supporting Skyview's school garden program! And feel free to email us at skyviewgarden@gmail.com if you have any questions. 



Sunday, April 23, 2017

Earth Day 2017 Photo Album

Skyview Elementary School celebrated ONE YEAR in the Skyview Harmony Garden this weekend with a neighborhood-wide Earth Day Fair and garden expo. The event was a huge success and well attended by Skyview families and staff. We also had Dallas Councilman Adam McGough and family in attendance as well as RISD Trustees Justin Bono and Kristin Kuhne. 

Attendees enjoyed dinner from Rock and Roll Tacos and sno-cones from Big D Kona Ice. Children enjoyed playing the outdoor instruments in the Harmony Garden while parents were treated to tours of the garden by Skyview's Peace Maker Club and Game Changers Club members. Neighborhood families with children 0-5 years old were also able to visit the Hatchling Booth and sign up for Skyview's early childhood PTA and playgroup. These little Skyhawks in training meet monthly for playdates hosted by Skyview PTA. Interested in joining the Hatchlings? Please email us at skyviewptadallas@gmail.com. 

The Skyview Art Club hosted a "Paint & Plant" activity and sold original art note cards created by Skyview students. And thank you to everyone who pre-ordered flower flats from the Skyview Harmony Garden for our spring fundraiser. 

Local band, The Charming Gardeners, were outstanding and provided the perfect ambiance for a neighborhood night out! Thank you to EVERYONE who made our event a success. And a special thank you to all of the PTA and Harmony Garden volunteers who helped set up and clean up! You make Skyview GREAT!

















And thank you to Funny Cheeks Face Painter, Teretha Johnson, 
for making our Earth Day event extra special for our little gardeners!
Here are some photos of Teretha's handiwork:









Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Earth Day Fair 2017



All of Lake Highlands is welcome to join us for our Annual Earth Day Fair!

SKYVIEW HARMONY GARDEN
SATURDAY, APRIL 22nd from 5:00-7:00pm

Come see our one-of-a-kind school garden in all its spring glory! Enjoy food trucks, sno-cones, garden tours and demonstrations, face painting, flower sale, and live music from the Charming Gardeners (a favorite local DFW band). This is a fundraiser for the Skyview Harmony Garden but is free to the public! Bring the whole family!


ENTERTAINMENT

- Kickoff Welcome from Councilman Adam McGough, Principal Dodd and Sarah Greenman

- Live music from The Charming Gardeners

- FunnyCheeks Face Painting

- Enjoy the Harmony Garden's collection of outdoor musical instruments!


FOOD

- Rock & Roll Tacos

- Big D Kona Ice

- Skyview PTA Concession Stand


BOOTHS

- FLOWER SALE: Please visit the flower sale booth and pre-order flats and/or pots of beautiful plants for your spring garden. This is a fundraiser for the Skyview Harmony Garden.

- SKYVIEW ART CLUB will host a paint and plant children's activity. They'll also have art notecard sets for sale. These cards feature original art by Skyview students inspired by the Harmony Garden.

- SKYVIEW HATCHLINGS (our early childhood PTA) will host a booth for neighbors in the Skyview feeder pattern with children age 0-5. Come sign up to participate and learn about upcoming events for your little ones!

- SKYVIEW PTA will be selling memberships for 2017-18 as well as yard signs. You can also grab drinks and snacks from our concession stand.

- SKYVIEW HARMONY GARDEN will be hosting tours of the garden, lead by students from our Peace Makers Club and our Game Changers Club. You can also meet our Outdoor Learning Coordinator and see what our students have been up to in the garden.





Sunday, April 2, 2017

Flower Sale Fundraiser



Support the Harmony Garden! Buy flats of flowers from the Skyview PTA and fill your garden beds with gorgeous spring color! Click HERE to peruse the plant and flower menu. The printable order form can be found below.

There are two ways to order: You can return your form and money (checks can be made out to Skyview PTA) to Robin Kelly in the front office at Skyview Elementary School before April 22nd. Or you can order your flats in person at the Skyview EARTH DAY FAIR & Garden Expo on April 22nd from 5:00-7:00pm. Your flower flats will be ready for pick-up on Saturday, April 29th at noon at the Skyview Harmony Garden.

Please send your questions to Sarah Greenman at skyviewgarden@gmail.com. (The order form below is a digital image. Just click, hold and drag it to your desktop. Then open the file and print.) Thank you!


Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Harmony Garden Mural & Ms. Emily Ash

It's only been a year since Skyview PTA broke ground on the Skyview Harmony Garden. But it has already become an RISD-wide attraction. At the center of our school garden is a stunning "L"-shaped mural - a mural created by Skyview's own art teacher, Ms. Emily Ash.

Ms. Ash is a local artist and educator. With the help of her 6th grade art students and the Skyview Art Club, Ms. Ash painted this enormous mural installation in the spring of 2016. The mural depicts children creating community through art, music and nature. The themes of equity, respect, community and reverence are highlighted in the mural.

This spring, we're excited to reveal part 2 of the mural installation. Hand-lettering that reads "Skyview Harmony Garden" is flanked by soaring skyhawks (the Skyview mascot). You'll have a chance to see the finished product on Saturday, April 22 at Skyview's Earth Day Fair & Garden Expo. Learn more about it here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1747882502188616/. During our Earth Day Fair you'll also have a chance to visit the Skyview Art Club booth and talk with Ms. Ash in person about her work and the process of installing such a large and inspiring mural.

Until then, here are some photos of the mural and some sneak peak shots of the newly painted elements:








Saturday, March 11, 2017

Community Work Party | March 25


Join your friends and neighbors at the 
Skyview Harmony Garden spring work party!

Saturday, March 25th
9:00 - 11:00am

Skyview PTA will have bottled water and snacks on hand for all volunteers. We will be weeding the vegetable beds, replenishing the decomposed granite pathways, planting a replacement tree that was lost during a storm last year, and planting flowers to beautify our campus! Please let us know if you're coming in one of three ways: leave a comment below, email us at skyviewgarden@gmail.com, or RSVP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/events/1783545915300646/.

And if you're able, we're accepting donations of Vinca, a lovely sun-loving flower found at any and all nurseries. We'll be planting Vinca around the school marquee, as well as in flower beds around the school entrance and in the Harmony Garden. Thank you!!



Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Signs of Spring

The groundhog just announced 6 more weeks of winter, but here in Texas it's been warm and sunny. This week, many of our dormant plants are showing signs of hope and growth! This will be our school garden's first opportunity to experience spring. Last year at this time, the Skyview Harmony Garden was still in the planning phases. (We broke ground on April 16, 2016). The students are excited to see what else will pop up in the coming weeks! 

Interested in helping us kick off the spring season? We're hosting a Community Garden Work Party on Saturday, March 25th from 9:00-11:00am and you're invited! Learn more on our Facebook Event Page