Sustainability @ TPPS 

Our Preps worked hard last week to plant their bean seedlings and some secret pea seeds as well! We had a chat about what plants need, and one very important thing is soil!

We had lots of fun making tipis for our beans and peas to grow up, and then drew some beautiful castles to put at the top, just like the one Jack found when he climbed his giant beanstalk. Go and have a look at their amazing colouring! One of the trickiest things about this lesson was putting on our gardening gloves and getting every finger in the right spot.

Grade 5 were delving into the science of soil pH this fortnight. We found out that the pH level of the soil has a big impact on how easy it is for plants to access the nutrients in the soil. If the pH level is not near neutral, the nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium will be locked away from the plants.

We also learned that nitrogen helps plants grow nice green leaves, phosphorus is good for flowers and fruits, and potassium helps roots grow strong.

Grade 6 had fun exploring photosynthesis this week. We got to see the process in action, with oxygen bubbles escaping from newly picked green leaves from the garden. It’s amazing that plants can make their own food!

Have you seen our new sign on the chicken coop? Now you can look at the leg bands each hen is wearing and learn their names!   Which one is your favourite?

Earth Hour Celebrations

This year for Earth Hour, our staff and students chose to focus on enjoying the benefits of spending time in nature with friends. 

We carefully searched in the garden for two sticks each – making sure they were just the right length and shape - and used yarn and creative hands to make nature weavings. 

Thank you to our very generous and wonderful TPPS families who kindly donated all of the colourful yarn to our school.

It was lovely to sit out in the sunshine creating, connecting, and chatting. We encourage you to try it for yourself during the holidays. 

What a joyful way to end the term - enjoy looking at all these unique works of art!