Specialists

Sustainability 🌱

What a wonderful term of learning in Sustainability!

What a fantastic term of learning, investigating and taking action in Sustainability! Our students have been busy exploring frogs, compost worms and soil, discovering how small changes can make a big difference to the health of our environment.

Creating a home for frogs 🐸

Our Year 5 and 6 students have been exploring our school’s frog bog and investigating what frogs need to survive and thrive. Did you know that 36 frog species are recorded in Victoria, with 11 species listed across the broader Melbourne region?

Students have been investigating what makes a suitable frog habitat, including the importance of shelter, water, plants and safe places to hide. They have also explored some of the threats facing Australian frogs, including habitat loss, disease and changes to environmental conditions.

Students have been putting their learning into action by considering how we can improve our frog bog and make it a more welcoming habitat for local wildlife.

Want to find out more about Australian frogs? Check out FrogID, a fantastic Australian citizen science project where you can learn about frog species and their calls, and even submit frog-call recordings to help scientists monitor frog populations.

Welcome to our 4,000 new pets! 🪱

At the beginning of Term 3, HEPS welcomed 4,000 new pets: compost worms!

Students have been learning how to care for our worms and what makes a healthy worm farm. We discovered that crushed eggshells are particularly useful, providing grit to help worms process their food and helping to regulate the pH of the worm farm.

Students have also been learning about how compost worms help us reduce food waste by transforming scraps into nutrient-rich worm castings, which can be used to improve soil and support plant growth.

Inspired by EnviroStories, students have been writing factual narratives about the life of a compost worm, combining their scientific knowledge with creative storytelling.

Soil Really Matters! 🪴

Our Junior School students have been discovering just how important soil is!

Through hands-on investigations, students have been exploring different types of soil and asking the question: What helps plants grow best?

They have been comparing sand, compost and worm castings, observing differences in colour, texture, grain size and permeability. Students have also been investigating whether snowpeas grow best in sand, compost or worm castings.

Along the way, they discovered that worm castings are packed with nutrients and can help support healthy plant growth.

From tiny compost worms to healthy soil and local frogs, our students have been learning that every living thing has an important role to play in a healthy ecosystem.

What an exciting term of Sustainability learning at HEPS!