Fundraising Survey for 2019–20

Library: Request from families and teachers

Cost unclear

“A book is like a garden carried in a pocket.” — Ancient proverb

Mundo Verde has many kids who love to read … and many books that get lost. It includes teachers who spend hours curating their classroom collections and but can’t lend books to students in other classes. And it contains many kids who struggle with or dislike reading but might read more if that perfect book came their way.

A school library would enable Mundo Verde to curate a well-rounded collection, track books, and make them available to all students. This would include books originally published in Spanish and resources to help teachers with expeditions. Data from the American Library Association shows a direct connection between schools with libraries and higher reading scores, and it’s easy to see why. This proposal doesn’t come with a cost estimate, but we hope that those who think our school needs a library will make it a priority

Subsidy for high-quality Spanish books for students in Spanish classrooms

Estimated cost: $2,000 to $10,000, depending on scope

Help fill out high-quality, Spanish-language books for every classroom at Mundo Verde.

Many parents have noticed (and teachers agree) that the supplies of Spanish books for students to read (in grades where they can read) and to read to students (in pre-K, etc.) is lacking. Without such books, the ability of students to progress and master the language will suffer. We estimate that about $2,000 per year is needed for 5 years to properly outfit all Spanish classrooms in Mundo Verde, or $10,000 in one single tranche.

Instruments for aftercare instrumental music class

Estimated cost: $6,000 to $8,000

The Padres Arts Committee has spent the past year preparing to pilot an exciting afterschool strings instrumental program beginning in January 2020, in collaboration with the DC Youth Orchestra, that will be rolled into the school’s aftercare program. Because it will be open to all kids in certain grades, regardless of their parents’ financial ability to rent or buy an instrument, we cannot move ahead with the program unless we raise $6,000 to $8,000 to purchase instruments to be lent to families who need this form of financial assistance for their kids to participate.

Funds to support community building

Estimated cost: $20,000

Last school year, the Culture and Community Committee assessed organizations to increase equity and inclusion efforts in family community — within Padres activities and throughout the school. They identified Kindred as a potential organization and provided MV administration the information.

Mundo decided to partner with Kindred for the 2019–20 school year.

Kindred will first asses the school community (including staff/administration) and make suggestions to: increase Padres’ effectiveness; build trust and create a greater sense of community among parents, among staff and between staff and families; and address equity and inclusion questions/issues among families.

These funds would be earmarked to carry out the suggestions that Kindred makes — so we can begin to pursue these solutions.

Industrial composting facility to process all school waste in-house

Estimated cost: $20,000 assuming additional grant funds

Thanks to Chef Dot and our amazing food services provide our children with healthy, diverse, delicious meals to explore flavors and textures every day. As part of these processes, and for multiple variables, not all students eat their breakfast/snack/lunch. They scoop it in a clear bucket, and most of them disconnect from the process right there. Weekly we haul dozens? hundreds? of pounds of food to become compost so far way! We can do better, we can donate more, feed more animals AND process food scraps on-site with special equipment to produce nutritious soil for our garden, minimizing vermin, we could even partner with local organizations as S.O.M.E. for some labor to contribute through the composting operation process.

This would improve our community bond, reduce our discards utility bills by 30%, become a fundraising product and provide cutting edge STEM opportunities for all of our students.

If the school invests $20,000 dollars on purchasing a machine that allows the school to compost on-site, Regenerative Solutions has committed to $25,000 worth of operation management to create and execute a comprehensive Zero Waste master plan for the entire school.

This would go to the side of our outdoor patio, where MV currently stores trash.

Example of an industrial composter

Example of an industrial composter in action (video)

Turf soccer / multi-use field behind the Zocalo

Estimated cost: $35,000 to $40,000 and $1,000 annual maintenance; would last 8 to 10 years

Think of the possibilities: soccer, sports, fun, outdoor movie nights — all will be possible on the west side of the campus on a medium-sized L-shaped turf field. The field will take up the entire west side of the building from the very bottom of the steps near the blue blocks to the steps that lead up to the garden. The turf will make the area usable year-round, even after a light rain, and will be a huge improvement from the current pavers. Kids play soccer there now and routinely come home bloody. If kids were voting, this would be at the top of their list.

One contractor provided an estimate for turf (it was a contractor that did dozens of DCPS turf fields). The estimate was $30,000. It may cost an additional $10,000 for permits, depending on how complicated the permitting process gets. But everything indicates that it is legally feasible.

Outdoor kitchen for cooking and gardening class

Estimated cost: $25,000

Would include: Hand-washing station, outdoor food preparation area for the cooking and gardening class. The outdoor cooking area would be covered by a structure that creates a roof.

The dream of this project is a space for students to cook food and transform it into delicious and simple dishes, whether in Cooking and Gardening class or in afterschool clubs. If they can do this at school, they’re more likely to do it in the future. The current “push-in” model for Cooking & Gardening education at the Cook campus limits cooking activities possible, as there is neither a heat source nor equipment in the classrooms where lessons are delivered. Any actual cooking must be done by the teacher outside of the classroom, with students missing out on the “fun” part.

Models for such outdoor kitchens exist in numerous public schools and nonprofit community gardens throughout DC. The Cooking and Gardening instructor has begun the process of gathering blueprints, construction budgets, and best practices from organizations who have built such spaces. This was a request from the specials teacher. Estimate assumes that there will be electric present out in the garden.

Funds for Each Classroom

Estimated cost: $12,000

Classes have individual needs, sometimes because of the particular interest of the teachers, sometimes because of the particular needs of students, or because of where the adventure of learning has taken a class. The item provides $350 (to be disbursed through Padres via Mundo Verde) for each class and specials class to spend on its own special necessities. It allows teachers the extra flexibility to be creative about class needs with these extra funds.

Make the Double Boo more accessible to children in wheelchairs or with other physical limitations

Cost: $35,000

During the 2018–19 school year, Mundo Verde and Padres partnered on a plan to improve the on campus play space. That plan included a climbing structure called the Double Boo and the swings that have already been installed. The Double Boo has been ordered, but we have the opportunity to change the order and make the Double Boo more accessible to all children. The more accessible Boo would have an open area at the bottom where a child in a wheelchair could enter, and it would have a hammock in the interior that would present a low-barrier play option for children of differing abilities and strength. The surfacing underneath the Double Boo would remain wood chips.

This is the plan for the current Double Boo which had been ordered.

Here is the plan for the modified Double Boo.

The cost difference between the two options is $35,000. We still must raise $10,000 to complete the play space project, so the total remaining cost for the play space project would be $45,000 if the plans for the Double Boo are changed.