Lettuce Turnip the Beet

Paso Verde is Natomas Unified's newest TK-5 school that opened its doors in August 2017 for its founding year.  Paso Verde’s garden "Lettuce Turnip the Beet" was funded largely by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, but it has gotten a big boost from community friends, too — Fiery Ginger Farms,  Sacramento County Farm Bureau, local Cub Scout troops, and our PTA all contributed to ensure we had a successful foundation for our learning. We broke ground on our garden in October and our minds and crops have been growing steadily ever since. 

Our mission: To engage and empower scholars through an edible education that integrates food into the curriculum and provides access to healthy food that reframes the way our diverse community comes together to nourish one another in mind, body, and soul. 

Our Values: We value the time gathered with one another learning from a diversity of experiences that we share in our garden and around the table. We value the love that is cultivated through the harvesting, cooking, and sharing of our crops and our stories with one another and our community. We value the relationships that we grow with each other, our families, and our community through sustainable programs that instill whole food mindfulness and the culture shift to thriving locally.

 Population: Our learning community includes a large population of Asian, Hispanic, Black/African American and multi-racial scholars including many who are designated English Learners. We are proud to be located within Natomas Unified, a district that is notably one of the most diverse districts in the Nation.

Pedagogy: We integrate edible education into our academic classroom, as well as, use our campus garden and kitchen facilities to expose scholars to new and engaging learning environments. We feel strongly that including families in the learning process invites greater possibilities for sustainability and transformative learning centered around food. In our inaugural year, we continue to seek professional and community development opportunities that will shape our pedagogical framework at our Paso Verde campus centered on sustainability and international mindedness through IB and STEAM based learning.