Continue your support for nutrition education in Trumansburg Schools

Do you remember last year’s nutrition programs?  The Foundation is pleased to have been able to support Localvore Club:   where middle school students learned about nutrition, local food sources, and food preparation, sampling and sharing!   Recently, the Foundation supported Classroots:  a campus-wide event that connected local farmers, chefs, small-scale food producers, and researchers with the school community to promote nutrition, an awareness of local food production & culture, and to begin to establish relationships that could lead to internship & employment opportunities for high school students and graduates.

 We need your support to be able to continue such programs.  Are you able to help us raise $10,000 in honor of our 10-year Anniversary?  In only ten years, the foundation has distributed over $150,000 of community donations to teacher-inspired projects that serve students pre-K through high school; and our goal is to continue that tradition.

 Please donate now to support educational enrichment for students across the district: http://tcsdfoundation.org/donate/

Food is Elementary: A Testimonial

The "Food is Elementary" program should be part of a child's  weekly "specials" in the Trumansburg Elementary school just like art, music or P.E., in my opinion.  It is  a curriculum   that includes a massive amount of integrated education about plants, chemistry, science, geography, culture,  cultural tolerance, math, sensory awareness, and physical  coordination.  That is not even a complete list.  We live in a rural community surrounded   by farms and yet, many of the children by 3rd and 4th grade  have a narrow interest in food and a subpar knowledge of where it comes from and how to cook and enjoy it.  Yet,  this is an activity they will do until the end of their  lives.

Just in volunteering one day,  I received a text from a thankful mother saying that her  daughter "LOVED" her "food education" class that day.  I witnessed this child earlier in the day try a spicy sauce that was entirely new to her and out of her comfort zone.  I saw her participating and not knowing the answer to one question, but having a correct hunch on another.  I saw many children engaged and excited and others quite challenged  by the new material which is really fundamental food information. As we know, children don't always share with their parents every detail of their school days, but this class had clearly made the nightly news at home.

 Antonia was able to wrap in information about what sea surrounds North Africa (no child in 4 classes knew that the answer was Mediterranean without big hints) and to open children's minds to people that are different than themselves with anecdotes about different dining customs.  She was able to transport them in a small way to a different geographical location with the flavors and smells of exotic spices.

 Whether you teach technical writing (writing directions to a recipe), math fractions (recipe measurements), world geography (with maps), science (climate/plant science) or history (of the American South) the elementary lessons could be tied into the "Food is Elementary" class in a very tangible way that is memorable and that enhances their studies and understanding of the subject at hand.

I hope to see this program expand in the years to come.  From the garden to the plate, it will bring good health to our children and grow their minds simultaneously.

Dewi Rainey (Mom of a 5-year old in Kindergarden)

Trumansburg 4th Graders Prepare Nutritious and Beautiful Food

Food is Elementary, a program that TCSDF wholeheartedly supports, is underway in our elementary school! Here are some pictures of fourth graders preparing food — nutritious and beautiful! This past Monday they prepared a dish called Three Sisters with garlic, tomatoes, basil, spinach, beans and pasta. They then got to sample it in the cafeteria at lunch on Tuesday! Reportedly some students returned for thirds and others have repeated the dish at home with their families! All third and fourth graders are enjoying learning about and preparing nutritious foods this spring. As they did this week, students will get to sample the foods in the cafeteria thanks to the generous participation of our cafeteria staff who are working with the program to help with moving the recipes from classroom to the cafeteria. In addition to this the students will also have the opportunity to work in the garden.

Stay tuned for more information on this program and thank you for your support of TCSDF! Together we are bringing valuable programs to the students of the Trumansburg Central School District!