1 of 56

CAELI District Innovation Hub

Our Journey to Becoming a

Green Ribbon District

Rialto Unified School District

January 19, 2023

2 of 56

Nate Ivy

Instructional Coach

Freemont Unified School District

nivy@fusd.k12.net

3 of 56

Agenda

4:00 - 4:10 Welcome and Connections

4:10 - 4: 15 Green Ribbon Schools and Districts

4:15 - 4: 40 Rialto USD: Our Green Ribbon District Journey

4:40 - 4:55 Current District Opportunities

4:55 - 5: 05 Q&A: Jamboard and Discussion

5:05 - 5:25 Breakout Room Discussions

5:25 - 5:30 Closing, Feedback, and Resources

4 of 56

Welcome & Connections

5 of 56

Map Padlet

Click the + sign to add your name, location and links.

6 of 56

Connections

  • Breakout Rooms (5 minutes)

  • What is your name, organization, and role?

  • Where are you located?

  • What is an environmental issue important to schools in your area?

7 of 56

Innovation Hubs

  • Community-Based Partners
  • County Offices of Education
  • Districts
  • Equity
  • Green Career Education
  • Policy and Advocacy
  • Professional Learning

8 of 56

District Innovation Hub

GOALS

  1. Build a community of district practitioners and partners.
  2. Create, curate and share environmental literacy and sustainability resources.
  3. Build capacity for district planning for environmental literacy and sustainability.
  4. Cultivate, support, and showcase leading edge exemplars.
  5. Research, design, and deliver the best green district support strategies.

9 of 56

Systems Approaches

10 of 56

Q&A Jamboard

11 of 56

Our Journey to Becoming a

Green Ribbon District

Rialto Unified School District

12 of 56

George Garcia

Education Programs Consultant

California Department of Education

GGarcia@cde.ca.gov

13 of 56

A Bit About the Awards

  • Recognizes whole school sustainability and environmental literacy achievement
  • Limited to five nominees per state
  • Aligned with ED-GRS
  • Removes barriers to entry
  • Provides feedback
  • Encourages re-application

14 of 56

The Award’s Three Pillars

Pillar I: Reduce environmental impact and costs

Pillar II: Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff

Pillar III: Provide effective environmental and sustainability literacy

Pillar I

Pillar II

Pillar III

Image Credit: The Center for Green Schools

Schools and districts earn state recognition by demonstrating achievement in Three Pillars:

15 of 56

Juanita Chan-Roden

Agent: Science & Career Programs

Rialto Unified School District

jchan@rialtousd.org

16 of 56

Our Journey to Becoming a Green Ribbon School District

Presented By:

Juanita Chan-Roden, Agent: Science and Career Programs

Brian Montes , Grounds Supervisor

Date: January 19, 2023

17 of 56

17

Welcome to Rialto USD

Rialto Kindness

Kindness is the personification of honorable and compassionate service to others.

 

Rialto Equity

Equity is achieved when all students, staff members, and families are acknowledged, accepted, and valued, and have the needed support and encouragement to take personal responsibility to realize their highest aspirations.

18 of 56

18

Pillar I

Reduce environmental impact and costs

Pillar II

Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff

Pillar III

Provide effective environmental education, which teaches many disciplines, and is especially good at effectively incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways

19 of 56

Our district language shifts to include:

  • Reduce Environmental Impact
  • Improve Wellness
  • Focus on Sustainability Education

19

20 of 56

20

Rediscovering Our Community Heritage

1914

1942

1955

21 of 56

21

Reconstructing Schools for Environmental Learning Equity

2015

Grown- Up Learning

Student Learning

22 of 56

From CaMSP’s to Finding Funding for Grounds Projects

    • Partnerships with Municipal Water Districts
      • Grants
      • Turf Rebates

23 of 56

23

Rethinking Campus Spaces

24 of 56

24

Outdoor Learning Labs

25 of 56

25

How does a district, ensure

Environmental Literacy for ALL” ?

Delivering Lessons Based on People, Place & Planet

26 of 56

26

27 of 56

27

Heritage Citrus Groves

28 of 56

    • Inter- and Intra- Departmental Collaboration
    • Responsive Systems
    • Funding
    • Creativity
    • GRIT

Taking These Ideas to SCALE…

29 of 56

29

    • Active in the California School Nutrition Association Legislative Action Committee
      • State and National Level
    • Farm to School
      • Co-Chair with the First Partner, Jennifer Newsom, to Create a Roadmap for Farm to School in California
    • Outdoor Classroom to Cafeteria
      • Garden Agreements
        • Procure student grown produce at fair market prices

Program Development

30 of 56

Keystone Cafe Food Pantry & Civic Action

    • Creates Access to Food for our Families
    • Collaborate with Educational Services
    • Partnership with Feeding America, and Local Community Businesses

31 of 56

31

Future Plans

    • Create a Dining Experience in all Cafeterias
      • Eliminate Disposable Trays and Utensils
      • Install HE Dishwashers
    • Nutrition Education Expansion
    • Student Work Program
    • Provide Work Opportunities for Students
    • Student Franchise Training Cafe
    • Create Zero Waste Kitchens
    • Modernization of all Kitchens
      • New Equipment and Other Upgrades
      • Training

32 of 56

32

Questions?

33 of 56

Green Schoolyards Grant

CAL FIRE

34 of 56

Julia Gowin

Urban & Community Forestry Program

CAL FIRE

Julia.Gowin@fire.ca.gov

35 of 56

CAL FIRE

Green Schoolyards Grants

The purpose of this grant type is to green schoolyards to protect the health, well-being, and educational opportunity of children most vulnerable to increasing temperatures and extreme heat across California.

Eligible practices include: Planting of trees, removal of pavement, installment of natural features for learning and recess, pocket forests, rain gardens, botanical gardens, natural playgrounds, outdoor classrooms, food producing gardens and landscapes.. Staff recruitment and training for maintenance, improvements to policy, procedures, best practices, plans, monitoring systems..Education including curriculum development to enhance hands-on learning and environmental literacy..Projects shall be centered around improving the environmental conditions and experiences for school children with highest levels of co-benefits.

Eligible entities: cities, counties, qualifying districts (including schools and eligible child care facilities), or nonprofit organizations.

Grant opportunities: Implementation Grant or Planning Grant. No school campus will receive both.

36 of 56

CAL FIRE

Green Schoolyards Grants

Implementation Grant

All aspects of planning and implementation of the grant project can be included.

Budget limitations: Up to $30,000,000* per applicant including $2,000,000* max. per school campus included in the project. Funds paid on reimbursement basis. Advance payment options available to nonprofits serving disadvantaged communities.

Pros: If awarded, the entire project is funded.

Cons: More complex application process that requires more information/knowledge at the time the application is submitted.

*limits may change as we finalize the grant guidelines

37 of 56

CAL FIRE

Green Schoolyards Grants

Planning Grant

All planning aspects of the grant project can be included in this option to result in a shovel-ready project.

Budget limitations: Up to $1,500,000* per application including $100,000* max. per school campus included in the project. Funds paid on reimbursement basis. Advance payment options available to nonprofits serving disadvantaged communities.

Pros: Simpler application process. If completed successfully, grantees are in the desirable position to apply for various grant opportunities with a shovel-ready project.

Cons: Funding for project implementation is not guaranteed.

*limits may change as we finalize the grant guidelines

38 of 56

CAL FIRE

Green Schoolyards Grants

  • Grant Guidelines are being finalized
  • Application portal will open later this month
  • Grant webinars will be held later this month
  • Application deadline around the middle of March
  • Planning grants need to be completed within 12 months
  • Implementation grants need to be completed by March 2026�

Please contact me with questions: julia.gowin@fire.ca.gov

Check our website: Google CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry Grants

39 of 56

California B-WET Training Grants

NOAA

40 of 56

Seaberry Nachbar

CA B-WET Program Director

Office of National Marine Sactuaries

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

seaberry.nachbar@noaa.gov

41 of 56

California Bay Watershed Education and Training (CA B-WET)

  • CA B-WET promotes locally relevant learning opportunities for students and teachers focused on environmental literacy and meaningful watershed educational experiences
  • This year, CA B-WET is soliciting projects that build capacity for implementing climate literacy in the classrooms
  • Applicants may apply for 1-3 years of funding at $100,000 per year
  • Proposals are due February 22, 2023

42 of 56

Program Priorities

Projects proposed through this solicitation should build capacity for county or district-wide K-12 climate literacy initiatives which support the policies and structures necessary to advance climate literacy. Proposals should create frameworks, incentives, support systems,and/or drivers for climate literacy to encourage or support systemic planning and implementation in local school districts. Projects should also seek to connect to existing education initiatives like Career and Technical Education (CTE), Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming, project-based learning, or other efforts/initiatives that already have momentum at the county or district.

43 of 56

Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program (CCJEP)

Ten Strands

44 of 56

Roni Jones

Director of Curriculum

Ten Strands

rjones@tenstrands.org

45 of 56

Climate Change & Environmental Justice Program

The writing teams are:

46 of 56

Breakout Rooms

47 of 56

Breakout Rooms

  • Rialto USD - Curriculum (Juanita)
  • Green Schoolyards Grants (Julia)
  • B-WET District Capacity (Seaberry)
  • CCEJP Pilot (Roni)

48 of 56

Closing, Feedback, and Resources

49 of 56

50 of 56

District Innovation Webinar Series

Spring 2023

→ Join us from 4:00 - 5:30 pm on the third Thursday of each month.

Jan 19 - “Our Journey to Becoming a Green Ribbon School District”

Featuring: Rialto Unified School District

Feb 16 - “Shared Leadership for Green Schools: A Systems Approach to Environmental

Literacy Planning” Featuring: Encinitas Union Elementary School District

March 16 - “Green Giants: Schoolyards, Gardens, Forests, and the Champions Who Support Them”

Featuring: Val Verde Unified School District

April 20 - “Taking Equity to Scale: Outdoor Learning & Climate Change Education Initiatives in

California’s Largest District” Featuring: Los Angeles Unified School District

May 18 - “Connecting Student Learning to Campus Sustainability: Energy Projects for Career

Readiness” Featuring: Porterville Unified School District

June 15 - “A Superintendent’s Perspective: Leading for Lasting Change”

Featuring: Cabrillo Unified School District

Find recordings and resources from each meeting here.

Register here.

51 of 56

Sign up for the newsletter at ca-eli.org

52 of 56

Meeting Feedback Link:

https://forms.gle/9vvi9FMDM9JzSbhh6

Contact:

Amy Frame

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Ten Strands

aframe@tenstrands.org

53 of 56

Appendices

54 of 56

CAELI Leadership Council

55 of 56

Guiding Principles

  • Equity, Justice, and Accessibility
  • Scalability
  • Shared Leadership and Collaboration
  • A Wide Range of Environment-based Experiences
  • Connection & Care

56 of 56

Domains

  • Community Partnerships
  • Policy and Advocacy
  • Sustainable and Climate Ready Schools
  • Sustainable Funding
  • Teaching and Learning