SAKG 

                       Citrus Donations Welcome:

If you have a surplus of lemons, limes and oranges we would love your donations. These will go towards mini market goodies and recipes used in SAKG cooking classes.

The start of the term has been a busy one in Garden Class. Although we've had a few wet days, they have given us the opportunity to complete some indoor projects and continue our learning in different ways.

Each year, our Grade 5 students choose the seeds for the upcoming spring and summer growing season. They selected a wonderful variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers that they will grow from seed and care for over the coming months. Their hard work will be rewarded next year when they harvest their produce to use in Cooking classes.

Our senior students have continued the work they began in Term 1 to improve the Senior Learning Space and garden. Earlier this year, they removed old mulch and applied gypsum to help break up the heavy clay soil. This term, we have spread fresh mulch and begun planting 130 indigenous tubestock kindly donated by Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary. These include Common Everlasting Daisy, Saltbush, Cut-leaf Daisy and Poa grasses, all of which are indigenous to our local area. As these plants establish, they will provide valuable habitat and food sources for pollinators and other native wildlife.

Alongside this hands-on work, students have been learning about the importance of creating a healthy ecosystem. Through the lens of regenerative agriculture, we have explored how biodiversity supports the health of our kitchen garden. By encouraging a wide range of insects, birds and other animals into the surrounding environment, we can create a more balanced ecosystem that naturally helps reduce pests and diseases.

On our wetter days, the Grade 6 students have been creating zines to educate our younger students about composting and how we can compost in our classrooms. It has been wonderful to see them use collage, drawing and handwritten text rather than digital tools, allowing their creativity and artistic skills to shine while creating resources that will support sustainability across our school. Best of all, once the zines have served their purpose, they can be composted too, demonstrating the principles of a circular system and reducing waste. 

We are also continuing to care for our kitchen garden, where the peas, garlic and broccoli are all growing well. We look forward to the warmer months ahead and sharing the progress of our gardens throughout the term.

Happy gardening,

Mrs Claire Gilbert, 

SAKG Specialist Teacher