On Thursday, April 30 from 6:00 p.m., to Friday, May 1 at 7:00 a.m., Rockway Public School is sending 16 of their teachers and their principal outside to sleep under the stars, rain or shine. Each staff member will pitch a tent in their current playground and sleep outside. For each $1,000 raised, the school will take a tent away and a staff member will sleep on the ground.

The school has received a $20,000 grant from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation for a “greening” project they have been selected to participate in, which will help improve their school grounds. However, in order for Rockway PS to get their new outdoor classroom, they must raise an additional $20,000 to match the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation funding.

Donations can be made in person the night of the event or submitted through their Go Fund Me page at www.GoFundMe.com/RockTheDream.

Everyone is welcomed to come visit their playground and meet Roo, their mascot, and all the staff participating!

About the “greening” project

This initiative will positively impact the lives of Rockway PS students and strengthen the surrounding school community for years to come. The redesign of their new natural outdoor learning space will include natural play features, shade, seating, discovery centres, water play, sensory elements and dramatic play areas, which will promote imaginative play, exploration, outdoor learning and provide a variety of activities to support large and small muscle development.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, “environmental education promotes the learning of knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices that children need to be environmentally responsible citizens. Students will understand our fundamental connections to each other and to the world around us through our relationship to food, water, energy, air, and land, and our interaction with all living things.”