The HES FTS program works to connect local food and farms to our school cafeteria, classroom and community in order to promote healthy kids, vital farms and life long learning.  Read about our history.

This past June, 9 members of our FTS team participated in the Vermont FTS Workshop at Shelburne Farms.

One outcome of the workshop was our new mission statement (above) and six goals for the coming year:

1. Form a FTS committee, with regular monthly meeting time – determine coordination role
2. Revitalize school gardens and add compost system – consider relocating to central visible space
3. Use more local food in the school cafeteria, and promote Sunflower Café use of local foods
4. Develop an optional FTS unit for each looping team, and more thoroughly connect related projects in health, FCS, art, music, etc
5. Communicate FTS program – via www.HartlandFarm2School.org, school newsletter, teacher news to parents, email to teachers, and communication with other schools in our SU and in the Upper Valley FTS Network
6. Raise funds through FTS projects (Farm Fest, sales of salsa, pumpkins, seeds, and requests to broader community and foundations.

Our FTS program is organized around monthly agricultural themes, including:

Maple Syrup; Extending the Growing Season; Seed Starting; Fall Harvest; Tomatoes and Salsa; Apples; Root Vegetables,; Dairy; Grains and Cereals.  Each month, there are a series of activities conducted that relate to the monthly theme, including:

• Lunch in cafeteria, snacks or tastings offered made with local
• Displays in central foyer in school
• Field trips to area farms
• Classroom activities and visits by farmers

Rainbow Roots:  Our FTS theme in early February was root vegetables – the display in the foyer showed off the wide variety of root vegetables, the seasons to sow, grow, harvest and eat them (i.e., all year round).  K-1-2 grades had a chance to experience some different root vegetables with all 5 senses – and participated in a taste test of carrots, parsnip and beets in bean dip and ranch dressing.

The HES third grade is visiting Cedar Mountain Farm at Cobb Hill co-housing in Hartland each month to do farm chores and experience life on the farm through the seasons.  See the recent article in the Valley News

3RD ANNUAL HARTLAND FARM FEST WAS HELD ON SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2010 ON THE GROUNDS OF THE HARTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY – check out the photo gallery at www.hartlandfarmfest.org

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