jewelz;131943 wrote: Just a little note about the memorial garden though....My kids came home from school one day telling me how a teacher was buried in the playground...that's the stuff urban legends are made of. I guess those things can be a little confusing sometimes.
Jewelz

this made me LOL.. oh the things kids think!

We too have had the untimely passing of both a young student and a teacher. We placed a plaque with the students picture and name near the principles office. For our teacher, the PTO, planted a tree and flower garden in the playground, with a marble plaque in his honor.

Just a little note about the memorial garden though....My kids came home from school one day telling me how a teacher was buried in the playground...that's the stuff urban legends are made of. I guess those things can be a little confusing sometimes.
Jewelz

I would ask if there was any specific place within or out of the school that seemed more important to her. As she was a K teacher did her children have a separate playground than the other students, as many schools do.

I would recommend outside, near an area that would be used, such as the playground. A plaque on a tree or a bench near the playground is a great idea. Here's one more, what about naming the playground after her, if it isn't already named? You could even contact the town hall to see about having this added to the cities documents to make it official.

One last concern. We had a child pass away within our school and wanted to do something similar as to what you are doing, but his parents are very private, so we are unsure how to proceed. You may want to look into this first to make sure that it wouldn;t be an issue with family members. If not then maybe you could even have a dedication cerimony.

Good luck
PresidentJim

Being a K teacher, she was probably big on reading and creativity. A rock garden created by the students with their names painted on the rocks or the stepping stones with items placed by the students would be touching. YOu can plant a tree and also purchase a nice bench for near the tree. K teachers are big on reading stories to students. So to create a nice area where the kids can sit outside and new teachers read to the students (using the bench) would be perfect. Maybe the stepping stones created by the students can actually be used as a "seat" by all future classes. Each year, incoming students can plant annuals around the area to honor this teacher. It would be a nice reading garden area for years to come.

We are in the process of completing this same type project. We decided to purchase a bench and a bronze plaque in an outdoor area we have. It will be among picnic tables, flower barrels and trees. The teachers and families at our school are really looking forward to having a memorial for our well loved teacher.

you can have a bronze plaque inscribed, and then have it on a stake, so it can be seen once the flowers/plants grown up around it. That's also nice if it's a Memorial Garden, because down the road, when your school experiences another death, you can add to the garden with another plaque, and as budget allows, more flowers, benches, etc......