Dear Parents,

There’s something magical about a garden or simply green space where you can go and experience precious moments to relax and enjoy nature.

This year, the Bacich native garden has taken on new importance. It is a place where many of our students love to go to explore, imagine, and dream. They discover worms, rollie-pollie bugs, butterflies, and spiders. They gather sticks, shells, berries, twigs, stones, and greenery to build forts and tiny fairy homes. They dig in the soil and crush stones into powder, “like the Miwok Indians did long ago,” one of our third graders reported. Some children lie on the benches and stare at the clouds going by.

Individually and in small groups the children enter this space and it becomes an imaginary and magical place. “Stores” are set up in and amongst the bushes and shrubs. Some students have even created a bartering system where they exchange nature’s commodities. This is a place where they are learning to work together, negotiate, and compromise with a sense of timelessness.

Recently, Bacich received a KSPTA Grant to add to our beautiful redwood garden beds located in this space. And soon, one of our Bacich parents will offer a lunch garden club where children can plant in these beds and learn about the art of gardening.

In our fast paced world where we are often so removed from nature, this quiet place is where our students can reengage their senses and connect with Mother Earth. Unlike the big and busy playground, this small garden space offers our students a place of calm and wonder.

I’m grateful that our school campus has this little tucked-away pocket of green space for our students to imagine and delight in being together. Next time you are on campus, I invite you to come explore, relax, and enjoy the beauty of our school garden!