What will the VSB install in the new playground?
When it comes to the playground, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) has a mandate and budget from the BC Government to restore certain elements of the playground such as the gravel field, basketball hoops, bicycle racks, and picnic tables, along with general landscaping. The VSB will re-install current playground equipment that is up to code. At General Gordon, this includes our two swing sets and our red and yellow playground equipment used primarily by the K-gr.3 age bracket.
What does the VSB NOT install in the new playground?
Covered play spaces, new playground equipment to replace old non-code playground equipment, hockey nets, any previous Parent Committee funded items such as gardens or raised veggie beds.
Why is playground equipment so expensive?
Playground equipment has to be built to last and to withstand hours of daily use. Most of the equipment is steel construction and all playground equipment is built to the prevailing safety codes. The VSB does not allow parent-made or wooden playground equipment on their properties anymore.
Why are you buying full size cedar trees?
At $6000 ($3000 for tree, $3000 for installation), Cedar trees green up the site (one of our objectives, see below) and provide a relatively low-cost, low-maintenance canopy for outdoor play in the rain. We could plant smaller, less expensive trees, but would have to wait at least 15 years or more to get the benefit of the natural canopy cedars can provide.
How will my money be spent?
Early on the Parent Committee came up with a philosophical framework of goals and objectives for the playground in order to prioritize both how and on what any funds raised should be spent.
So far, our goal for what we hope to achieve with the playground are as follows:
Goal: have the school grounds maximize, as much as a play space is able, the scholastic potential of every child that goes to General Gordon, and in doing so, also create a space the community as a whole can use, engage in and enjoy.
We think this goal is achieved by creating school grounds that are:
1. Inclusive and Balanced, meaning that all children of differing ability, skills, age, gender, or inclination have equal access to fitness and a diversity of activities, including cardiovascular fitness, strength and conditioning fitness, social sitting spaces, and, possible sitting “alone time” spaces. Studies show a correlation between increases in fitness and increased academic achievement. Fitness, especially cardiovascular fitness, builds endurance in the entire neurological system, including the brain, allowing for increased attention span and focus.
2. Greener, Aiming for a 30% increase in vegetation over the current site and a carbon neutral installation. Studies have shown an increase in exposure to green space has a number of amazing benefits which would help all students, including: reduction in feelings of anxiety, fear, and anger, increases in empathy (possible decreases in bullying), improvement in concentration and attentiveness, increases in self-esteem, and helping kids cope with emotional stress.
3. All season, that is - to achieve an increase in the use of the grounds by the students in wet or rainy conditions, through strategic use of canopies (natural and artificial) and a close look at surfaces (of fields, sitting spaces, playground equipment), so if an element of the playground isn't covered, at least the surface of the element will be conducive to use even when wet or cold.
Any element of the playground that the playground fundraising committee proposes to purchase will be filtered through these three objectives, and will be either inclusive, green, or all season, and hopefully - best case scenario - all three at the same time!
Inclusive also means being aware of and creating spaces that people in the community will also use and enjoy. Our first priority for any purchase made by the PAC is given to the students and teachers who use the school grounds day in and day out, but with a strong eye to making the space an enjoyable destination for the neighborhood as a whole.
How did you decide what pieces of equipment were important to replace?
The Parent Committee has spent many hours prior to the old school being torn down collecting data on student usage during recess and lunch on both sunny and rainy days and during the summer and winter months in order to understand how all the elements of the current playground were being used, and by which groups. Based on this usage data and consultation with teachers regarding their in-class use, the Parent Committee put together a number of recommendations for the VSB to consider, one of which was to ensure the current large grassy area dotted with trees remained largely as-is in the new landscape plan. The VSB incorporated this recommendation into their landscape plan, and have also approved and made space for the items we wish to include in the new playground.
What is the order of priority for installation?
Phase 1:
The mini-forest can only be installed March 2016, therefore is first priority (Installed March 18, 2016!). Second priority is the Spinami, as it is on sale until the end of Feb 2016, and after that - due to exchange rates - the price increases. The granite table also can only be installed during the construction phase, and is therefore third priority. The Orbis is next on the list as it provides a challenging piece of playground equipment for older students, whom are currently not served as the old wooden playground equipment will not be reinstalled.
We hope to have all fundraising done for Phase 1 items by June 2016. We have $33,000 to go.
Phase 1 items:
1. Mini Cedar Forest
2. Spinami
3. Granite Table
4. Orbis
Phase 2:
These items can be installed at any time after construction when fundraising finances allow.
Phase 2 items:
5. Raised Garden Beds
6. Permanent Outdoor Hockey Nets
7. Playground Covered Area
8. Hockey Covered Area
9. Native plant/Meditation Garden