Sustainability Corner

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY AND SUSTAINABLE HOLIDAY SEASON FROM THE STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS OF 2024 AND PARENT SUSTAINABILITY TEAM

On behalf of the parent sustainability team we want to acknowledge the incredible work and impact the sustainability leaders have had on our little school and our broader community. From making a sustainable scarecrow for the International Flower and Garden Show to completing a waste audit, mentoring our younger class sustainability monitors and presenting to students at the annual School Sustainability Festival, Emi, Bilijana, Vivienne and Lucia have created lasting change at our school. Special thanks goes to Alicia Cook and Nick Smith for guiding our star sustainability leaders throughout the year.

Please read with pleasure, the year in review from our leaders.

I'm so happy to have been chosen as the leader of the sustainability team this year! It's been an amazing experience, with activities like watering the garden, presenting in front of other schools, and more. My favourite part was leading the "beaches in a bottle" project. At the end of term three, we went to the town hall to learn about sustainability and saw other schools' presentations. Then, we taught kids how to make their own beach in a bottle using recycled materials. We also launched "junior sustainability," where kids from each grade help with activities on Fridays. I'm so grateful to the sustainability team - Bilijana, Vivienne, and Lucia - for making this year so fun, to Miss Cook for her support, and to the parent sustainability committee for all their support on projects. I can’t wait to take what I have learned as a leader to my new high school!

- Emi

Hi Everyone! I am so grateful to be on the sustainability team this year! It's been such an amazing opportunity, and I love it so much. It's so much fun to organise and make fun events and have people care and listen to me! I love the activities we did such as watering the garden, helping at stalls, doing the green bins and doing the beach in the bottle and the scarecrow activities! The scarecrow was so much fun to make, and we were all so proud of it making it all the way to the Flower and Garden Show for everyone too! Thank you to our amazing team and our great teacher leader Miss Cook!

- Bilijana

Hello! This year I have really loved being in the sustainability committee. It has been so fun and has taught me so much. Being with the committee has made me feel like I have grown both as a student and as a person. I have loved participating in all types of sustainability practices such as watering the garden, teaching younger students about sustainability and emptying the compost caddies (That last one not so much). My favourite activity we did would be our "Beach in a Bottle". We went to the St Kilda town hall and presented the idea and let others make a Beach in a Bottle. My final thanks goes to Miss Cook and the parents, Thank you all so much for an awesome year!

- Vivienne

Hi everyone! I'm so grateful to have been part of the sustainability committee! From my favourite activity the scarecrow, where we spent a long time but it looked so good, and making the beaches in a bottle and presenting it to other school's with our little leaders... to my not so favourite- emptying the compost bins, that were usually mouldy. I loved being with Emi, Vivienne and Bilijana. Emi was a great leader, Vivienne always had good ideas and Bilijana was always very encouraging. All these memories will stay with me forever!

- Lucia

Our committee have also been busy on many sustainable projects throughout the year, including:

● Engaging many grade 1/2 students in the productive gardens and running a weekly Wednesday morning session in Term 4 to support student engagement in the garden.

● Running 8 market stalls over the year, sharing a broad range of herbs, veggies, greens, pesto and scones with the community.

● Continuation of phase 2 of the Koor Garden with more planned in this patch in 2025.

● Supporting a waste audit with the sustainability leaders and Resource Smarts Schools, with more work in updating bin infrastructure across the school in 2025.

● Creating the classroom sustainability monitors to increase our impact in all the classrooms.