Welcome to the 

St James  

Sustainable Sensory Garden

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

There are many parents who may not be aware of what’s been happening in the Tilley playground area or the story behind it.   This has been led by David Ferrier who has invested many hours and energy into transforming the Tilley area.  This was only posssible after the completion of the St James capital works.  Previously in the newsletter we shared in detail the works of Stage 1, but now wish to share the story behind the project.

In the middle of the second COVID-19 lockdown last year, it was decided that whilst the children were home schooling that there was an opportunity to develop the tired looking Tilley play space.  There were a number of school families who were adjusting to the restrictions in the lockdown phase.  To support the re-entry into the school community and to assist with relieving the anxiety of the readjustment to school life, the garden project was initiated.

In 2020 prior to the children returning to school, a new Sensory garden was constructed around the outside of the astro turf playground in the old garden beds.  A new kitchen garden above and below the ramp leading into the Tilley play space added to the reconstruction. This was Stage 1 of the program. 

Further works involved were:

. a dry creek river bed called 'Crocodile Creek' was established to create some interest for the children

.  a little fenced area with toy farm animals

.  a bush cubby house

.  an outdoor teaching area we called a Yarning Circle

.  a little fairy house with real fairies of course  

.  a trail of wooden steps linking all of the different areas as an adventure trail. 

The trail has signs and winds around to the new vegetable boxes. The new play space has created a great deal of interest for the children 

This inspired Stage 2 to commence.  Before the summer holidays a meeting was convened with the newly formed student Green team who shared their ideas on what they would love to have in the new food forest. They all shared sustainability ideas that they had learnt from the recent Sustainability festival.  Moving forward it was decided that the old and worn astro turf/concrete playground was to be ripped up and replaced with new soil/manure and lots of mulch to begin building a new food forest.

It was a bold decision and required many hours of labour.  The connection to nature for the children, families and staff at St James will evolve over time.

After the successful kitchen garden implementation, which was an early priority,  8  larger raised garden beds were installed ready for the students to plant new crops of vegetables for the Autumn and Winter months. A further adjustment was made to extend the Crocodile creek which now winds itself down and around to the Osborne Close entrance. 

With the excitement of the project a special request from students for a new sand pit was acknowledged.  In keeping with the theme of the project focussed on agriculture it was decided to create a sandpit with resembles a  'pig pen'.  The surrounding rustic fence of the sandpit is similar to the old Newmarket stockyards.  A 'chicken coop' constructed with other repurposed materials will eventually be home to poultry that we hope to enter into this year's Royal Melbourne Show.   

Stage 3 are plans to repurpose the bricks stacked along the wall adjacent to the laneway to build an outdoor pizza oven. The kids are very excited at the thought of making pizzas for their families with ingredients grown in their very own garden. The children also have a plan for water tanks and new compost bins.  A new bush tucker indigenous food garden is planned underneath the prickly paperbark tree. 

Further information, photos and stories behind each stage of the project can be found on the 'tree principles' facebook page. If interested in being part of the new 'Parent Green Team', please contact the school.

Regards,

Brendan Flanagan

Principal