April is here!

April is always a busy month for BioSITErs, and of course as Spring blooms- it makes all of us happy to be outside! So get ready!!

BioSITE Open House

BioSITE Open House is just around the corner! Open house at CDM is a great time to showcase student work, introduce our program to the community, and invite visitors to try some hands-on BioSITE activities. BioSITE families are invited to visit the museum for free during the week of open house, giving BioSITErs the chance to share their unique program with the rest of their family. This year will be particularly exciting as we celebrate BioSITE's 15th anniversary!

• Saturday April 11 - Sunday April 19... Free CDM Admission to BioSITE families, student work and BioSITE posters on display all week



• Monday April 13 - Wednesday April 15... Special BioSITE activity tables facilitated by high school mentors

To get kids excited about this upcoming event, we have created a simple classroom activity for you. Students can make "Save the Date" invitations for their families to let them know that BioSITE open house is on its way! Inside the card you'll find details about open house, but the outside is blank for BioSITErs to decorate themselves! We will be emailing the project to everyone as a Word file attachment, so keep your eyes peeled.

Lastly, be thinking about class projects that you might like to have on display during open house. It will be a great source of pride for students to see their work on display in the museum!

Green Vision/Green Schools Conference

Have you heard yet about the upcoming Green Vision/Green Schools Conference hosted by the City of San Jose? The conference will be held Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 8AM to 5PM at the San José Fairmont Hotel, 170 South Market Street, San José. Teachers, parents, principals, students, counselors, and other community members from throughout the South Bay Area are invited to attend. School district superintendents, administrators, and school board members are especially encouraged to participate. The conference links the City’s Green Vision with the greening of San José’s schools and will showcase ways that schools and school districts can save money while protecting natural resources and fostering the next generation of environmental stewards. Sounds a lot like BioSITE, doesn't it? We will actually be there as part of a panel presentation!

Here are some of the themes the conference will be addressing...

· Gold from Green: Green School Facilities Saving Energy, Water, Waste and School Budgets – for school district superintendents, administrators, school board members
· Green Schools 101: Basic How tos for Beginners (recycling, composting, gardens, funding)
· Green Schools Beyond the Basics: Next Steps for Intermediate Green Schoolers
· Connecting Children with Nature: Environmental Education / Local Nature Field Trips

Best of all, participation fees have been drastically reduced for early registrants. Find out more at http://www.sjrecycles.org/gogreen/GoGreenSchoolConference.asp and spread the word if you know anyone else who might be interested!