Farm-to-School Program

Hawk Meadow Montessori School is creating a Farm-to-School Action Plan, with the help of a Farm-to-School Committee made up of members of the faculty, administration, parent body and student body. This committee will be working closely with the Strategic Planning Committee as they develop the plans for the future of the school. Members of the school community have begun the process of updating the buildings in accordance with regulations and the Montessori philosophy. Connecting farm, food and community is a priority to the school community, as it was to Maria Montessori.

A garden will bring our students, faculty and families together. It will also encourage community outreach. Along with the fun of getting dirty, gardening will help our children learn valuable lessons about patience as they wait for vegetables to grow, responsibility as they care for plants and even loss when flowers die.

Farm-to-school integration will include having school gardens, gardening classes, outdoor classrooms, culinary classes, horticulture projects, discussion of local agricultural products, and field trips to farms and food processors. The expanded Farm-to-School program will provide opportunities for hands-on instruction across a variety of subjects, including science, math, social studies, health, and more.

A Farm Plan was created in order to develop the campus in the most sustainable way possible, taking soil type, topography, seasonality and educational accessibility into consideration. Garden areas, winter and summer paddocks for livestock, maple sugar tree groves, compost area and outdoor classroom space have been designated.

There will be opportunities for students to meet neighbours, local farmers and other students as they learn the source of their food. Curriculum and practical life skills are all intertwined in the garden and our natural world. The consensus is unanimous: Hawk Meadow values all things that Farm to School represents.