Earth Hour

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Earth Hour is an international event usually held on the last Saturday of March between 8:30-9:30pm.
During this hour, people around the world turn off their lights in support of addressing climate change.

At Pine Grove Public School, we will be participating in Earth Hour on Friday, March 23, 2018 by powering down and turning off or unplugging all non-essential lights, computers, and other electrical devices. Through learning and action, we can make a difference for our planet.

In addition to our school Earth Hour event, we encourage students to take this message home and as a family, participate in Earth Hour on Saturday, March 24, 2018 between 8:30-9:30pm. Some activities you could do include: stargazing, board games by candlelight, watching an eco-themed film, or make a family pledge to commit to protecting the environment. By reducing and conserving our energy use we are helping to reduce the amount of air pollution in Ontario caused by the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. In fact, the air quality in Ontario has improved in recent years because of these types of actions.

We look forward to hearing about all the creative ways your family participates in Earth Hour! Photos are welcome!

Thanks for your support in this worldwide movement to raise awareness about climate change and protect our planet!

Sincerely,
The EcoTeam

World Water Day Fundraiser

World Water Day is a global event celebrated each year on March 22nd. On this day, people around the world take action to conserve water, educate others, and celebrate this vital resource! This year Pine Grove Public School will be participating in a Water Awareness and Action Campaign. During the week of March 19-23, we will encourage students and their families to take action in conserving water, protecting our waterways, and celebrating this amazing resource. 

Simple actions at home, such as using a reusable water bottle or turning off the tap while washing dishes, can have a big impact on the environment and help to support the cause! 

Throughout the campaign, students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities in their classrooms. As well, The Me to We Committee and the Eco Club will be selling Drink in the Box and reusable water bottles from Monday, March 19th to Friday, March 23rd. 

Options Available: 

• Pine Grove Eco water bottles
• Drink in the Box 

Junior/Intermediate (upstairs classes) - a table will be set up outside of the intermediate pod.

Primary (downstairs classes) - Eco Club students will be coming around each class to sell.

All proceeds will be donated to Wateraid Canada. 

Thank you for your support, we look forward to hearing about the unique ways your family participated in raising awareness and taking action!

National Sweater Day

Dear Parent / Guardian,

Our school will be taking part in National Sweater Day on Thursday, February 1, 2018! National Sweater Day is an annual event organized by World Wildlife Fund Canada. On National Sweater Day, WWF asks Canadians to turn down thermostats by two degrees Celsius at home, at school and at work to highlight the role that energy conservation plays in preventing climate change.

Our school building will be a little chillier on February 1, so we are asking that all students wear or bring a sweater to school.

In addition to turning down the heat and turning up our sweaters, classes will be participating in a number of activities designed to help students understand how everyday actions affect our planet’s future.

We are looking forward to a cozy day in the classroom! To learn more about National Sweater Day, please visit sweaterday.ca.


Sincerely,

Pine Grove’s Eco Club

Pine Grove's Second Annual G.O.O.S Bin Design Challenge!

At Pine Grove, we are very eco-friendly and try our best to reuse, reduce and recycle. That's why most classes have G.O.O.S bins (good on one side paper).

Last year the Eco Club held a contest to see which class could come up with the most creative and appealing G.O.O.S bin and the class that won would get a hot chocolate party. The winning class made an oven around the bin (shown below).

This year we will be holding our second annual design challenge.
Entries are due on Friday, January 26th, 2018. The eco club will be coming
around to photograph the designs.

Good luck, Pine Grove!

- D. M.

Reduce your Carbon Footprint

Hey Everybody! Do you want to know how to reduce your carbon footprint? Well first you have to know what a carbon footprint is. Your carbon footprint is another way of saying to how much you pollute, use energy, create garbage and much more. Climate change is made worse by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. If we do not consider our carbon footprint, this problem will become worse.

How can we reduce our carbon footprint?

• Taking public transportation instead of individual cars (better yet, walk!)
• Buy only what you need from the store 
• Eat less meat and dairy
• Plant your own food
• Eat less processed food 
• Buy from farmers markets 
• Keep your car in tip-top shape
• Slow down the speed down on your car

For more information about your carbon footprint, visit http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ 

Pine Grove Public School Food, Toy and Winter Coat Drive

From Monday Nov 20th to Wednesday Dec 20th Pine Grove Public School will be conducting our annual Food, Toy and Winter Coat Drive to help support the Vaughan Food Bank and The Red Door Family Shelter.

We will be collecting gently used winter coats in all sizes. Winter is here and there are people in our community who need our help. Also, we can divert waste from the landfill by donating our items rather than throwing them out!

Here’s a great idea! Why not bring in food, toys or gently used winter coats to school when you come for parent teacher interviews!

On behalf of the Me to We Committee and the Eco Club we would like to thank Pine Grove families for being global citizens by helping others in our community!

Yet another Platinum year ahead

Hey! Guess what? Pine Grove Public School is back with another year of eco achievements! We set some big goals this year in order to earn our fourth Platinum certification in a row. We've already been busy with Litter Round-Up, Trash Blasters, and Lights-Out Wednesdays and Fridays. We hope to continue with some of last year's programs, such as maintaining our eco-garden, World Water Day, Litterless Lunches and lots more.

Let's go Pine Grove!

-J.G.