A message from our committee
Happy 1st Day of School! As students return, we're excited to say that Outdoor Learning will be in full-swing at all of Falmouth's public schools. Thanks to generous donors, hard-working volunteers, and the incredible staff and teachers of Falmouth, our students will have a great start to the year. Even more exciting, we are excited to welcome Dr. Sarah Vendetti, the new district Learning Partner Specialist, to the Falmouth Public Schools.
There's still uncertainly of course, which is why we're gearing up to assist teachers and students with the tools and learning supplies necessary to support Outdoor Learning. 
 Please visit school's various Amazon Wish lists to show support:
Lawrence School
Morse Pond
North Falmouth
East Falmouth
Mullen Hall
We are also currently seeking tree stumps for seating as well as yoga mats for the majority of the schools. Email us if you can help!
We started last year off with a clear goal in mind: raise enough money to get each Falmouth public school its own Outdoor Learning Tent. We are thrilled to say we did just that. Six of the seven schools have received their tents and thanks to incredible volunteers, they were all installed beautifully. The last tent is here and it will be installed at Mullen-Hall Elementary this month.
We now have a second set of tents that we're ready to install. The down-payment has been made for those WeatherPort tents, but we still need help paying for the rest. If you would like to make a donation please do so via the Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 organization via check or on their website.  
Other ways to donate:
For those interested in donating monetarily to the Outdoor Learning project overall OR for specific school requests you have seen posted we have several ways to do so. All donations must have a note whether on a memo line or in their online memo. (Example below) 
Venmo
Paypal
Checks: made out Rotary Club of Falmouth-these we can pickup directly from you or you can mail to PO Box 293 Falmouth MA 02541

Example: If you want to donate to Morse Pond for picnic tables you would write: Outdoor learning-Morse-picnic tables on your memo.
If you have ideas or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. This is a true community effort.
Respectfully Your Leadership Team,
Amy Leonardi, Liz Lerner, Kelly Blau, Leona Silva, Corinne Minshall, Amy Wyman, Jackie Jepsen, Danielle Sabens, Beth Dusan, Laurel Smith, Sarah Vendetti, Randi Oakley, Melissa Gray, Kate Skehill, Kristina Woods, Paul McCadam & Garth Smelser

Thank You, Supporters! 
A HUGE THANK YOU to Falmouth Toyota for their very generous donation of $20,000 to the Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod for the benefit of the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee! This donation enables us to help purchase the 2nd round of outdoor classroom shelters as well as help fund the 1st round of the QR Curriculum project which will benefit Teaticket Elementary School! ​​

Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers for all 7 schools and at least 1 to 2 licensed/ certified contractors and or engineers per site to oversee the build and anchoring of our latest batch of WeatherPort tents. Please send us an email if you're interested in helping: falmouthoutdoorlearning@gmail.com

{North Falmouth Elementary School Requests} North Falmouth is in need of outdoor teaching supplies:

6 - 6 foot wooden picnic tables (approx cost is $150 per table)
6 smaller kid style picnic tables for kinder ((approx cost is $60-70 per table)

Comment below or private message us so we can keep it updated as we meet their needs. Let us know if you can help or would like to make a monetary donation towards the committee purchasing the needed items. We can accept donations via PayPal or Venmo as well and restrict it for this need.

Contact: Leona Silva

As we prepare for a new school year, outdoor learning is stronger than ever! We have the 2nd round of tents which will arrive in the coming weeks as well as are working hard on our curriculum project in partnership with the schools and 300 committee. As we prepare to keep our students and staff safe and promote outdoor education we once again are coming to our community for help with some supplies we need to get going for the year.

If you are inclined, we welcome any donations so we can purchase the requested supplies via Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 volunteer organization.

{Lawrence School Request} Lawrence School is in need of outdoor teaching items for the school year including benches, clipboards and seating for students for outdoor learning curriculum.
Let us know if you can help or would like to make a monetary donation towards the committee purchasing the needed items. Comment below or private message us so we can keep it updated as we meet their needs.

75 clipboards
50 camp style chairs for student seating for outdoor spaces
3 benches for students to use at vernal pool
1 large container for storage for the outdoor supplies ideally 25 gallon or bigger.

Contact: Kelly White

As we prepare for a new school year, outdoor learning is stronger than ever! We have the 2nd round of tents which will arrive in the coming weeks as well as are working hard on our curriculum project in partnership with the schools and 300 committee. As we prepare to keep our students and staff safe and promote outdoor education we once again are coming to our community for help with some supplies we need to get going for the year.

If you are inclined, we welcome any donations so we can purchase the requested supplies via Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 volunteer organization.

{East Falmouth Elementary Request} East Falmouth is in need of outdoor teaching items for the school year including gardening tools and supplies to support outdoor learning curriculum. Additionally we are looking looking a business sponsor for the student outdoor bags for supplies as well as Adirondack chairs for the teachers for outside learning. Let us know if you can help. We have included their official Amazon Wish list link below.

Contact: Beth Dussan
https://a.co/5MGSftZ

As we prepare for a new school year, outdoor learning is stronger than ever! We have the 2nd round of tents which will arrive in the coming weeks as well as are working hard on our curriculum project in partnership with the schools and 300 committee. As we prepare to keep our students and staff safe and promote outdoor education we once again are coming to our community for help with some supplies we need to get going for the year.
If you are inclined, we welcome any donations so we can purchase the requested supplies via Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 volunteer organization.

{Mullen Hall Elementary Request} Mullen Hall is in need of a few outdoor items for the school year including sticky easel pad paper for outdoor learning as well as some recess supplies. We have included their official Amazon Wish list link below.

Contact: Laurel Smith and Danielle Sabens

Wish List Link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/24NAWK02ZDRM1?

As we prepare for a new school year, outdoor learning is stronger than ever! We have the 2nd round of tents which will arrive in the coming weeks as well as are working hard on our curriculum project in partnership with the schools and 300 committee. As we prepare to keep our students and staff safe and promote outdoor education we once again are coming to our community for help with some supplies we need to get going for the year.

If you are inclined, we welcome any donations via Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 volunteer organization.

​{East Falmouth Elementary Request} We are in need of approx. 80 tree stump seats for outdoor learning. We prefer non pine. Best dimensions are approx 18 inches-2 feet tall and 16 inches diameter.

Contact: Beth Reardon Dussán

As we prepare for a new school year, outdoor learning is stronger than ever! We have the 2nd round of tents which will arrive in the coming weeks as well as are working hard on our curriculum project in partnership with the schools and 300 committee. As we prepare to keep our students and staff safe and promote outdoor education we once again are coming to our community for help with some supplies we need to get going for the year.

If you are inclined, we welcome any donations via www.falmouthrotary.com/page/donateRotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 volunteer organization.

Special thank you to our volunteers from the committee, students, Rotarians, Falmouth Public Schools, the Facilities team, and more for their amazing efforts at getting the first round of classroom tents installed and raised prior to the close of the school year. Below is a video showing our volunteers as they installed and students making use of them.

Efforts are still on going, we are creeping ever closer to our goal for the 2nd round of tents! If you are interested in helping by donating to finish this phase please do so via Rotary Club of Falmouth, Cape Cod, a 501c3.

Outdoor Learning is Here to Stay: Permanent Tents To Be Installed at All 7 Falmouth Public Schools by End of Summer

The Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee, in collaboration with the Falmouth Public Schools, are pleased to announce that six all-weather tents have been installed at all but one of Falmouth’s seven public schools. The last of the tents is scheduled to be installed at Mullen-Hall Elementary School by the end of the summer. 

The purchase of tents was made possible by generous community donations
and funding from the schools. The tents are WeatherPort brand, can withstand New
England weather and have a lifespan of 15-20 years. The total amount raised for the
overall project to date exceeded $100,000. Fundraising efforts remain ongoing with the
goal to raise another $100,000 for a both second set of tents for the schools as well as
curriculum support, enrichment activities, professional development, and supplies.

In August 2020, the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee, a subcommittee of the
Rotary Club of Falmouth, Cape Cod, formed in an effort to help keep students safe
during the pandemic by creating outdoor learning spaces. Inspired by the reopening
committee put together by Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Lori Duerr and her willingness
to work together and problem solve, members of that same committee took off and
running with the idea of outdoor education as a chance to not only keep students safe
during a pandemic but also enrich student learning during and after. With the
encouragement and support of Dr. Duerr and her administration, the committee
flourished. Administration, principals, teachers, parents and students collaborated
together to prepare for the reopening last fall as well as met weekly as the school year
progressed. The schools also contributed towards the purchases of the tents. As the
project has grown, the administration has looked to hiring a Learning Partnership
Specialist who will help with the project as it grows in partnership with the community.
​
“I am so grateful to everyone for their support especially Dr. Duerr, her administration,
our dedicated teachers, the parents, the students, community volunteers and
businesses. The pandemic did bring about blessings in the form of allowing our
community to come together and problem solve for the good of our children. It has been
overwhelming to see how the town of Falmouth has risen to the call of service above
self, a Rotary motto, during a time filled with uncertainty.”

Funds were raised for supplemental materials including white boards, picnic tables,
clipboards, sanitizing wipes, and more. Hundreds of volunteer hours were also logged
to cut and set up tree stump logs, create a tree stump interactive math game, setup sun
sails, clean up gardens, deliver goods, line fields, make yoga mat seating, and
more recently, install tents. To date the committee has put in over 1300 hours of
volunteer hours including close to 300 hours of time setting up the outdoor classroom
tents thanks in large part to the dedicated facilities teams from the schools.
“This project, which aligns with so many of Rotary International areas of focus was
featured in national news stories in the NY Times as well as international news through
CBC Canada,” said Falmouth Rotary Club President, Paul McCadam. “Our club has a
major commitment to the youth of Falmouth and it is our goal to help the youth becomethe leaders of tomorrow.”

COVID-19 transmission is greatly reduced when individuals are outdoors and studies
have shown that children are more engaged when learning outside. Outdoor learning
reduces the burden on indoor classrooms while providing fresh air, hands-on learning
opportunities, and the health benefits associated with increased access to nature. It also
helps to have a more place-based education approach that involves making
connections to global context through an interdisciplinary approach while using the
community as a classroom.

The Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee is excited to see this effort come to fruition
and for what the future holds with this community wide collaboration. The committee
joined by teachers around the district are entering the next phase of support for the
students and staff. A resource page is being constructed on the website to help support
teachers as needed. In addition, partnerships with local nonprofits are ongoing and
outdoor classroom curriculum is being designed to help assist teachers with this new
opportunity.

The Rotary Club of Falmouth and the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee would like
to like to thank our Sponsors and Partners for their continued support:
300 Committee; Anonymous 1; Accurate Fence; Apache Mills; MBL; Cape Cod
Aggregates; Cape Cod Electrical; Cape Cod Five; Cape Cod Health Care; Cape
Cod Moms; Chick-Fil-A Plymouth; Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod; Eastern Bank;
Falmouth DPW; Falmouth Road Race; Falmouth Toyota; Falmouth VIPS; Gary
DellaPosta, CPA; Good Grief Cape Cod; Hamilton Tree & Landscaping; Inman
Tree; Inspiration is Everywhere; John LeBlanc Construction; Kerfoot
Technologies; Martha’s Vineyard Bank Charitable Foundation; Murray
MacDonald Insurance; Nissa Morton Yoga; Pamela Heylin, Realtor; Pie in the
Sky Bakery; Pure Warrior Cape Cod; Richards Designs; Robert Minshall Painting
& Papering; Recovery Without Borders; Remy’s Rainbows; Rooted Cape Cod;
Scoutlier; Supreme Pizza; The Valle Group; The Yoga Collaborative; Three
Streams Yoga; Turning Pointe Dance Studio; Tuttu4u Accessories; UptownBody; Vidal Construction; and WHOI.

The committee website is: www.falmouthoutdoorlearningproject.com where you can
view their sponsors and keep up to date on their current activities and successes. You
can donate to help the committee financially via Rotary Club of Falmouth, Cape Cod, a
501c3: https://www.falmouthrotary.com/page/donate
​
Please reach out to Committee Lead Amy Leonardi with questions and details surrounding the tent install, to get involved and plans for the future.

Thank you to Cape Cod 5 for awarding a $2500 grant to the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Committee to support our project!! We love our local community banks! "Defiantly Independent. Exceptionally Strong. Unquestionably Committed."

We would also like to thank the Falmouth Road Race for their extremely generous grant donation of $10,000 towards the shelters for the Outdoor Learning Classrooms! Their commitment to the overall health and well being of our community, our children and our teachers/staff is beyond compare. This brings us even closer to our goal to fund 15 of the shelters. We are humbled to have been selected as one of the recipients for this year!

If you would like to make a donation please do so via Rotary Club of Falmouth Cape Cod, a 501c3 organization via check or their website! Please help us reach our goal and get these ordered asap! We are so close and it is with the support of our families, our businesses and our local partners that we can achieve something special for our students. We are running a marathon and everyone is part of the team!
​
https://www.falmouthrotary.com/page/donate