Vegetable signwriters in action

The Green Team has worked with Mrs Barker at creating a list of the benefits of our school vegetable garden. 

This list is a little different - it will be displayed in the garden, and is designed in  'vege-market style'.

Here are Room 12 students Montana, Katana and Ella at our first lettering session:

Tanya Playfair's mural team has created two beautiful works of art.

Article by Tanya Playfair:

Have you noticed the new murals 

overlooking the Year 2 playground?

These were developed by the Senior Art group during our targeted learning in term 1. The children began by looking at what Greenhithe means to them. They came up with ideas around the native bush; pohutukawa, kowhai, tui, ferns and flax. 

The students then merged their ideas to form the background and foreground pieces. In groups, they then layered on paint, using a range of processes and techniques. We think the overall look is fantastic and we are very proud.

Many thanks to Barry for materials and setting the murals in place, to Marsha Smith for her expertise and guidance and to all the families that provided paint.

Thank you also to those who helped to complete the murals during the holidays, the Smith family, the Leong family, Sylvia Leadley and my boys.

Tanya Playfair

What IS an Enviroschool, anyway?

Greenhithe School is an Enviroschool.

What exactly does that mean? 

Enviroschools aim to function in a sustainable manner according to guiding principles provided by our local councils(see below).

Schools can focus on reaching one of these four award stages:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Green Gold and
• Beyond Green Gold

Greenhithe School has achieved the Silver award in recent years, and we are currently working at keeping our great reputation! There are many activities and features in our school which come under the Enviroschools 'way of living':

Travelwise
Solar power from our library  roof panels
Paper recycling
Fruit scraps from the Year 3s to our worm farm
Vegetable gardens
Nature garden and trail
Butterfly garden
Murals depicting local wildlife
World Vision support (as part of the 'global village')
Bird-friendly plantings in the new Year 2 area.
A Unit on 'Guardians of the Earth' looking at conservation of sea creatures and ecosystems
A Unit on Maori culture and language
A Unit on 'Wearable Art' focusing on the culture and characteristics of a different nation by each class.

Parents and students fill our new vegetable garden surrounds - made by Barrie.

For more information on the Enviroschools award system, see the excellent summary provided by Northland Council: 
http://www.nrc.govt.nz/For-Schools/Enviroschools/Enviroschools-awards/#info

Some excerpts are below:

The Enviroschools Guiding Principles are:

• Sustainable Communities
• Empowered Students
• Maori Perspectives
• Learning for Sustainability and
• Respect for Diversity of People and Cultures. 

The four key areas of school life that have an effect on sustainability and student learning are: 

• Place/Wahi (physical surroundings)
• Practices/Tikanga (operational practices)
• Programmes/Kaupapa Ako (living curriculum) and
• People and Participation/Tangata (organisational management).
• 
  

Silver Award - key words

Maintaining Extending Increasing range and depth of learning and action Developing connections and integration Projects and participants growing in number

Silver Award- Description

We have a clear, shared whole school vision and we are working together creatively to make it happen.  There are obvious signs of all the Guiding Principles in our school, across all the areas of school life.  We have a sense of inter-relatedness/whanaungatanga in terms of our school, our community and our environment.  Our sustainable practices are being kept up and are growing; we are branching into new aspects as well as going deeper with existing ones through student-led enquiry.  Students are fully involved in planning and making decisions about actions.  We are tracking our progress and can show that more change has happened.  Our work has involved lots of people in our school, as well as parents, whanau and other community members.

• 
  

Greenhithe School vegetable gardens - the first plants are in!

The first plants have been planted 

by Mrs Hodson's gardening group

 in our new raised gardens.

Now it's up to the Green Team to continue the work!

Here are some of the Green Team members 

with Mrs Barker. 

They are showing off their Enviroschools display in the staffroom foyer.

The Green Team in front of their 'What has been done so far?' display.

(Watch this display, there is more to come.) 

After posing for this photo, the Green Team planted carrot, nasturtium and radish seeds in the new raised beds, 

and watered them in.

      This is what the Green Team wants to help create:

This is our goal - a well-filled, productive edible garden.

Greenhithe School's new vegetable gardens are taking shape

Many thanks 

to all the students and parents 

who helped move 

four cubic metres of soil/compost mix

into the new raised gardens.

It was a LOT of soil to move!

Here are some photos of some of our 

parent helpers, the gardening group, and Room 12 children 

getting their hands dirty:

Introducing Term One's Green Team.

Term One's Green Team 

- a talented group!

The Green Team has recorded things that have changed over the years in Greenhithe School. 

Their ideas filled this large mural! 

Some excerpts are shown below, and there are more available to view on their 

new display

outside the staffroom.

Projects at Greenhithe in Term One 2013

Greenhithe School 

is an 

Enviroschool

Term One

What's happening around Greenhithe School this term?

The seniors are working on targeted learning projects. 

Mrs Hodson's group has been brainstorming design ideas for a vegetable garden. They have chosen a site, planned how to lay out raised garden beds, and worked out what materials they will need. They are researching what plants work best as companions, and will soon be busy filling and planting their new gardens. Many thanks to Barrie for his practical help with finding wood, sawing and building. 

Mrs Playfair's group is working on some art panels to decorate the walls of our school. These will celebrate some of the natural taonga of the landscape around us.



The Green Team is in action!

Our new 'Green Team' meets in Room 12 on Thursdays. They have been looking at aerial photos that show how our school used to look years ago. They found the 1959 photo fascinating. Back then, our school was one small cluster of buildings in an enormous field. What is today's playing field was a small forest, and around the school there were undeveloped gravel roads, a ploughed field, and just a few houses. We will put these photos on display in the foyer near the staffroom. 

This process of looking back is showing the children that many changes have been made over the years. Some careful planning and deciding has been done about what buildings were needed and how to place them, and where to put fields, courts and gardens.

The nature garden - before

The nature garden - after

We have looked at the 'before' and 'after' photos of the nature garden and the butterfly garden and discussed what was involved in completing these projects. 


We are assessing what is currently happening around the school to care for our world: e.g. worm farming, recycling paper, turning off lights to save power, planting native shrubs to feed the birds, using solar power.

The butterfly garden - before

The butterfly garden - after

Our next step is to think about what else can be done to make our school, and our environment, a better place. The children will ask others for their ideas, then create a 'vision plan' for the future, to display along with the aerial photos. 

Towards the end of the term, pop by and have a look at their work -  in the foyer, near the staffroom -  or visit this blog.


Worm liquid is being collected - ready for sale soon!

This delightful brown liquid is being diligently produced by our worms and collected and bottled by our 'worm farmers'. It will be available for sale at the end of each term, so if you are looking for a powerful fertiliser for your garden, watch for the special 'worm liquid shop' outside the office - and for the children's special advertising notices.

This product has had enthusiastic reviews and sells out fast, so get in quick!