River Run is a unique addition to the resources of Winthrop Elementary School as well as the towns of Hamilton and Wenham. Inspired by our own Miles River less than one mile from the campus, River Run was designed to echo the river’s path in 1/100th scale.
As an outdoor classroom the goal of the site is to provide our teachers and children with a environment that enables them to follow the state mandated curriculum in an inspiring outdoor setting.
The site includes a bird nesting area, a tree house observation deck, seating for a more formal classroom construct, a butterfly garden, a sensory garden, a vegetable garden, river stones to help children identify and analyze key mineral and rock compositions, a composting area, a rainwater harvesting system, weather station, a human sized sundial, native plantings and more.
If you are interested in serving on the River Run committee and helping to maintain this beautiful addition and finding meaningful ways to weave it into our children’s school experience, please contact Susan Tomases at stomases [at] comast.net or Susie Gingrich at sgingrich [at] shsna.com.
hi Amy! just wanted to know what was happening with the signage for RiverRun? Also — do we still need volunteers for RiverRun recess duty? are the kids allowed to go over there yet?
Website looks great! Hope you are good.
Jenny – I will check into this and get back to you.
Jenny – I heard from Susan with regard to your questions:
1) Signage – because of strict town zoning regulations, we haven’t been able to implement the signage plan suggested. All signage is on hold for now.
2) River Run does need parent volunteers for recess, which we will discuss at our next FOW meeting on October 8, and post opportunities on this site.
Thanks for using the comment feature, and keep visiting! ABK
I assisted in getting help to cover River Run last year. It was sparce to say the least. As I understand, there has been very little to no coverage so far this year, which is such a shame, the kids really love being able to play at River Run.
I am not sure if I can make the next FOW meeting, but, I think we should be aggressive in requesting help.
We should post it on this site and also ask the room parents to ask their class parents. I think more people will come forward if they are aware of how much the kids enjoy it & that they have not been able to use it.
We need 1 volunteer a day for only 1hr each day to cover all grades. People can schedule for 1 or 2 days a month—anything helps!
By the way—love this site!