Camp Sea Lab Joins WOLF School
WOLF School Honors Its 2020 Award Winner Antonella De La Tore
Dear Friends of WOLF School
What's Up Wolf School?
We have big announcements for school aged kids near Aptos and Livermore! This week the Web of Life (WOLF) Field School is busy preparing for our new Outdoor Learning In-Person Program starting at the end of August at both Monte Toyon Camp and Camp Arroyo. We are excited to invite small, socially distant, consistent groups of 12 or fewer students to experience our outdoor classroom.
WOLF School is Adapting and Changing!
Just like our natural world, WOLF School is making some long term changes and adapting to its new circumstances. Here's a brief update for those who want to see how the school, the naturalist teachers, and our admin staff are faring. We miss you, and look forward to seeing you at a program or online as soon as it is safe and possible!
WOLF Office Moved
The WOLF School moved its administrative office in Aptos last week (May 31) as a result of the covid-19 shelter in place. Without schools and students to serve, we have gone into hibernation until we can get our kids and naturalists back to learning science in the woods, at the seashore, and in the mountains.
We are grateful for the opportunity to move some of our administration back to our Monte Toyon home site in Aptos, where our office was located from 1998-2012. We love Monte Toyon! Some admin staff will work from home offices until further notice.
Latest News
Most naturalist teachers and program directors were furloughed in March when schools closed, but when UCCR/WOLF received the 8 week Small Business Loan, many were able to return to work and have been doing a great job of developing curriculum, editing our media, creating virtual lessons, and helping get everything ready for when schools reopen and kids can return to outdoor science school. Outdoor science school reopening is our highest priority.
Summer Day Camps
Next week, WOLF School will pilot virtual (online) specialty summer camps, with the intent to keep bringing our mission of "Building respect, appreciation, and stewardship within the web of life" to kids even while sheltering in place. Our summer camp goal, based on current county health and CDC regulations, is to start day camp (in real life, not just virtual) at Monte Toyon in early July, although this may change. We may follow up with additional programs at Camp Arroyo, our site in Livermore, CA. Plans continue to evolve.
WOLF Science Camp Next Year
We are in contact with our attending school teachers who remain strongly committed to getting their students back to camp and learning science, leadership, and connecting to the web of life. The state of education and the world has everyone unsure how school will proceed, so we are waiting and planning the best ways to support our classroom teachers and their students so they can come to camp.
Current Projects
Aside from delivering summer day camp to kids, our priority now is to fundraise for program support and to address future student needs. We are also committed to updating our safety protocols, curriculum, and program expectations so that when students return to WOLF, they will get the best possible outdoor education experience. We will continue to work on this until our students come back.
Thank YOU!
If you have skills, time, or funds you would like to share, please get in contact with Heather, the WOLF School Director to talk about your interests.
Front Line Training for WOLF School
Meet WOLF School Online
The Web of Life Field (WOLF) School is still here!
We miss outdoor school, and we miss our students, and we miss our teachers too! During this shelter in place time, we have been sharing resources, learning, adapting and growing just like the redwoods and the kelp forests do.
We are bringing our best efforts, our most creative thoughts, and our positive intent to helping teachers and their students continue to “build respect, appreciation, and stewardship within the web of life.”
The WOLF School mission is our mantra and as we move toward regenerating in this new education environment, we are listening to our staff, our teachers, and our stakeholders. If you want more information about the WOLF School, if you want to get involved, to come to camp, to help kids learn in the outdoors, to help plan our future in educating our students, please reach out to Heather, the WOLF School Director, at hbutler@wolfschool.org.
We would love to include you in the WOLF Pack!
What do we need most, you ask?
Can you donate?
Any amount will help us as we make the transition to social distance outdoor education programs and try to address the needs of our classroom teacher partners for the future.Can you help promote WOLF School by liking, commenting and sharing our social media posts on Instagram and Facebook?
We are using our social media posts and website to make announcements and to offer interesting science videos from our colleagues, and some WOLF School originals. You can even share your own WOLF Camp story with us by using #MyWolfStory.Share your ideas & memories!
Please send us your great ideas, memories and what you like most about WOLF School. We also value what you think might be a great idea for WOLF to think about as we are creating our future together.
We are grateful for your thoughts and shares, thank you. Here’s a few photos taken prior to SIP, we hope you enjoy!
#myWOLFstory - From Student to Naturalist, Always Exploring
By Pika, WOLF School naturalist
When I was little, I was a science geek. For my 8th birthday I asked for a microscope and lab goggles. My favorite books were the ones about weather patterns or cool animals. I had so many questions and wanted all the information possible to understand the world around me.
When I got to 6th grade, my class attended WOLF School at Monte Toyon. My little scientist’s heart nearly burst with joy! At WOLF School we explored exciting new environments, sang silly songs, and discovered cute creepy crawlies. I was so impressed by the naturalists’ passion and wealth of knowledge. They made it clear to me that following my dream of becoming a scientist was worthwhile.
I ended up studying conservation biology in college, and when it came time to look for my first real job after graduation, I knew exactly where I wanted to be- back at WOLF School! I am so thankful for the experiences WOLF has given me, both as a student and as a naturalist. I hope that I have helped my students see that being a scientist doesn’t always mean working in a fancy laboratory - you can do science in your own backyard, just by asking questions and exploring the world around you.
Fostering a Culture of Welcome, Equity at UCCR
As the Director of UCCR’s premier outdoor science education program Web of Life Field (WOLF) School, Heather Butler is an integral part of what makes UCCR a leader in the camp, conference and retreat industry. Heather has a passion for all things living, be it a newt crawling out from under a rock, or one of the Naturalists that teach school-age children at one of the facilities we manage.
