Working Bee

Grounds Committee 

The August Working Bee was held on Sunday on a beautiful late winter day with a definite hint of spring in the air.  Perhaps we should update our calendar to acknowledge this late winter – early spring period, termed ‘Sprinter’ by Tim Entwisle, the retiring head of the Royal Botanic Gardens, or ‘Guling’ by the Wurundjeri Traditional Owners, for the presence of wattles and orchids.  Either way, it was a great day to be working in the garden.

Around 30 volunteers attended, including a number of students. It’s great to see students taking pride in their school, helping alongside parents and teachers to keep the grounds looking tidy, and also honing their cooking skills on the BBQ. 

We were also extremely grateful to have Miriam and Suzie from the Australian Plants Society Yarra Yarra group join us to help with planting out several garden beds. Miriam also provided a large number of plants and both Miriam and Suzie imparted great wisdom on the best ways to plant and care for native plants.  In return, we’d just like to give a shout out the Yarra Yarra group’s Australian Plants Expo being held in a couple of weeks on the 9th and 10th of September at the Eltham Community and Reception Centre – get along and check out the wonderful native flower display and stock up on plants for spring. 

Activities for the day included:

Planting outside the main admin building.

Weeding, pruning, raking and tidying up of leaves around the grounds – and isn’t it great to see students working alongside Mr Sicari!

Sanding of the tables in the canteen courtyard.

There are 2 more working bees scheduled for this year and we have a long list of activities, including rejuvenating the Ely Street entrance to the school and planting and mulching to get the garden beds ready for what’s expected to be a warm summer. 

We'd really encourage families to attend at least one Working Bee per year if possible.  The Working Bees are organised by the grounds committee, a group of volunteers and staff, who for many years have worked hard to create a vibrant and engaging outdoor environment for the school community.  However we can only keep up the good work and maintain the school aesthetic with the help of families at the working bees. They are a great way to meet new families, get to know some of the school staff and feel pride in helping to support the school community. 

We are also always looking for new grounds committee members. We’d particularly like to hear from anyone in the school community with experience or interest in helping us develop a strategic plan for the school grounds to guide our activities over the coming years.

If you'd like to get more involved with the school community and help with planning the school outdoor areas and gardens, please contact Anna Panas pan@elthamhs.vic.edu.au or a member of the committee. The schedule of upcoming meetings and Working Bees for term 4 are listed below.

EHS Grounds Committee 

ANNA PANAS, On Behalf of the Grounds Committee