Tag: elizabeth

Elizabeth

Cleaning the Garden before Planting

As we approached the end of the winter months, our teachers and students began preparing the school garden for the upcoming growing season. Even with the colder weather, our school community stayed committed to caring for our outdoor learning space. Students helped clear leaves, remove debris, refresh the soil, and tidy up the raised beds to ensure everything was ready for spring planting.
This early season cleanup gave students hands on experience with garden maintenance while reinforcing teamwork, responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Teachers guided students through identifying winter damage, turning the soil, and learning why preparation is essential for a healthy garden.

Elizabeth

Planting Day with Commissioner Stanley J. Neron

We are excited to share that during the 2025–2026 school year, our school has expanded our existing vegetable garden thanks to the 2025 Kids Dig In Grant. In partnership with Groundwork Elizabeth and the Union County Board of Commissioners, we added a new raised planting bed along with soil, seeds, tools, and additional materials provided through Groundwork Elizabeth’s garden program.
Our students worked alongside Groundwork Elizabeth staff and Union County Commissioner Stanley J. Neron on planting day, actively participating in growing fresh vegetables. We are proud to continue donating a portion of our harvest to the community, strengthening our connection and giving back to those around us.
Our garden continues to enhance our school environment while providing hands-on learning experiences that promote teamwork, environmental responsibility, and healthy habits. We look forward to another successful growing season and sharing our harvest with the community.

Elizabeth

Fall Harvest at JFS

The fall has brought a new beauty to our community garden at JFS! It has been wonderful to see all of the produce that we have been able the harvest recently and give back to the community through our food pantry. We have grown perfectly crisp apples, crunchy cucumbers and juicy tomatoes, just to name a few! Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who put so much time and dedication into our garden!

Elizabeth

September Garden Updates

September has brought new energy to our garden as we welcome many new students to our school! We’ve loved seeing students and teachers visiting the garden for the first time, eager to explore and learn about the plants growing there. This month, teachers and students will take turns caring for the garden, sharing responsibilities to nurture and maintain our growing plants. The teamwork and enthusiasm have been wonderful to witness!

Our garden continues to flourish with more tomatoes and eggplants ripening on the vines. We’re excited to watch this season’s harvest grow and to involve our new students in the hands-on experience of gardening.

Elizabeth

August Garden Update

We’ve had a busy month in the garden, and all of our hard work is paying off! In August, our dedicated school team members celebrated the first harvest, observing the fruits of their labor.

The garden has been an amazing hands-on project this summer, and we’re so proud of the time and effort the team put in to nurture the plants. We can’t wait to share the harvest with our students when they return!

Elizabeth

August

Our clients love greens!

Elizabeth

July Update: Growing and Learning in Our Preschool Raised Bed Garden

Our raised bed garden continues to thrive this summer! Throughout the month of July, the preschoolers enrolled in the summer program, along with the support of their teachers, have been working hard to take care of the plants. The children water the garden daily, help pull out weeds, and enjoy observing the growth of the vegetables and flowers.
So far, we have seen exciting progress! Many of the plants have grown taller and stronger, and some vegetables are starting to sprout. The students are learning about the life cycle of plants, the importance of sunlight and water, and how to care for living things.
The garden has become a special part of our summer routine, giving our preschoolers a hands-on learning experience that connects them to nature. We look forward to continuing our work in August and celebrating our first harvest soon!

Elizabeth

Farm to Table

Straight from the garden to the table.

Elizabeth

FRUIT!!

We love fruit!

Elizabeth

100 Degrees Or Pouring Rain; Doesn’t Matter at JFS!

Planting, landscaping and flowering.