Stepping Stone Path

On Saturday April 6th a small group of volunteers completed the stepping stone path for the frog pond. The construction fencing was removed, the stones were laid, the bridge had been bolted to the cement, and the tadpoles were swimming abundantly. The children who see the pond are definitely taking away some fun impressions. We also added a trash can to the upper yard near the pond to emphasize litter going in the right place, and to remind the general public that Clifford is a school for children and not a dog park. 

Construction of the Redwood Observation Deck

Saturday March 16th the team at Evolution Construction came in to build the redwood observation deck for the Clifford School Frog Pond. What an amazing effort and outcome!

Construction: Phase 1

RCSD Facilities puts up construction fencing (Thanks Don!)



Rick and Gwen review plans, and stake out the deck perimeter and posts



Holes dug for posts



Sione's Construction works all day Saturday to prepare for concrete pouring



Custom-made stepping stone frame, made by Sione





Bobcat removes extra dirt from the site



This is where the bridge will go, at the end of the pond



Cement poured for stones



Hand-printing and decorating of stones by Clifford families




Getting site ready for phase two: redwood deck construction

Project Background and Status

Under the leadership of Gwen Minor, Middle School English Teacher at Clifford School, parents are working together to revitalize the Clifford Frog Pond in the upper yard as a respected habitat and learning environment. Last semester we removed the non-native pampas grasses, and this semester we are working on a landscape plan. This blog post captures some of the project's highlights and plans.

Frog pond during the first rain of the season (December) in Clifford's upper yard

Exhibit sign to be installed near the pond's observation deck explaining the habitat and frog lifecycle

School parent volunteers and hired landscapers who helped remove the non-native pampas grass bushes (tough job!) on December 15th

 Litter we found in the area after removing the pampas grass bushes

Here is the landscape plan of the restoration, which includes a redwood observation deck, bridge, stepping stones, and a short wood & cable fence to protect the area. Designed by dedicated Dad at Clifford School, Rick Thall. 

Fundraising

Fundraising donations will assist the construction of a Redwood Observation Deck next to the pond, so our students can witness “real life science” as nature unfolds. In addition, a short wooden and cable fence will protect the area from being trampled upon, to insure the habitat will be available to students in the future. The fundraising campaign that happened during the week of January 28th was a HUGE SUCCESS! We are on our way to meeting the financial goal, thanks to several donor families and an entire school who pitched in to help. 

Remaining funds can be covered through a Stepping Stone program. We estimate room for 20 stones at about $250 each (some stones have already been designated from a donation in the initial fundraiser), to be decided on a first come first serve basis, with priority to families who helped support the project.

If you would like to consider a donation, please contact Gwen Minor at gminor@rcsdk8.net. 

Construction Plan

Construction planned to start on March 9th / 10th for concrete work, and on March 16/17 for deck construction. If weather is poor, we can move the dates back. Hope is to have entire project completed before kids return from Spring Break.  Click HERE to see the detailed drawings.

Questions?

Contact Gwen Minor, Clifford's 7th Grade English Teacher who is the champion behind the project: gminor@rcsdk8.net

Or you can contact her helper, a parent volunteer Lorraine Akemann: lorraineakemann@gmail.com