Environmenal Education
Position: School Garden Coordinator for Forest Grove School District
Direct Reporting to: EdenAcres Executive Director
Position Description: The School Garden Coordinator works with EdenAcres (EA), Dairy Creek Community Food Web (DCCFW), and school staff and garden volunteers to develop and implement school learning garden programing at each of the schools with learning gardens and help design and develop new and developing learning gardens in schools without a fully established and functioning learning garden. The School Garden Coordinator collaborates with teachers and administration to develop in-class garden lessons that connect to grade-level curriculum and standards, develops and teaches after school garden clubs, offers Harvest of the Month education, helps organize community events, helps recruit, supervise and train volunteers, and documents outcomes and impacts through evaluation and tracking.
Responsibilities:
Work with teachers to develop in-class garden lessons that support grade level content standards. Provide hands-on lessons with at least I class from each school.
Coordinate with teachers and EA Lead Experiential Educator to decide on content and identify or develop lessons.
Coordinate with school administration and teachers to establish a schedule and plan for the lessons.
Organize and obtain supplies for the class. Implement Harvest of the Month lessons/tastings.
Utilize Harvest of the Month materials (newsletter, posters for the cafeteria, hand stamps, classroom connections, identifiers, book titles, Q&A trivia, math/science experiments)
Develop and run after school garden club for Echo Shaw Elementary. Run 14 spring sessions.
Organize quarterly work parties in collaboration with partnering organizations (EA, DCCFW) and school staff to keep the garden maintained and planted.
Get the schedule to the office to be included in newsletters and other outreach o Decide on tasks that need to be done o Purchase/deliver materials o Maintain a sign-in sheet
Recruit and coordinate volunteers from schools and community to participate in garden events and maintenance
Maintain regular contact with administration at each school, EA, & DCCFW about activities in the garden. o Record hours, activities and results.
Track number of teachers, students, and student-hours. Take pictures and ask for photo releases. o Attend monthly EA Board Meeting to report on activities.
Environmental Educator,
Purchase materials for the garden and educational supplies. Track expenses and maintain budget.
o Provide professional development opportunities for teachers. (Ex. Send email/newsletter to teachers with workshops that relate to garden education.) o Organize and facilitate monthly Garden Educator Meetings (GEMs)
Preferred Characteristics:
o Passion for garden-based education
o Experience working with children/youth ranging from k-12
o Basic gardening and cooking skills
o Understanding of public school settings
Excellent organizational skills and ability to coordinate groups of diverse participants
o Creativity to develop lessons, events and community engagement opportunities
o Spanish language and cultural competency is a plus
Hours and Compensation: August 28th — June 8th (40 weeks minus 5 weeks holiday break in December and 1 week spring break) Average 36 hrs. per month for 9 months. $20.00/hour. Total Hourly temporary employee. One year position funded by Metro & Trail Blazers Foundation.
How to apply: Send resume and cover letter to info.edenacres@gmail.com
Dairy Creek Community Food Web 