Our Habitat Friendly GardenRegional Award

By students Jett & Oktavius

About Our School• Chewton Primary School is located in a semi rural area just outside the city of

Castlemaine.• We have 44 students from p-6. Our families have helped create an environment

that reflects the local environment and encourages our students to interact closely with the natural habitat.

• We have made a commitment to improve the biodiversity values of our school and ensure that programs enhance student learning of biodiversity.

• WE have just completed the Biodiversity module for ResourseSmart accreditation.

Student Involvement • Students have built, installed and monitored nesting boxes placed around and outside the

school grounds. • In 2014 our students presented at a leadership program 'Coastal Ambassadors', on the

effects of dumping rubbish in public land has on animal habitat. This presentation took the form of a short film made by students - " Over The Fence".

• We have just commenced work on the Murray Darling Basin Champions project, testing our local creek water and noticing changes in water quality that in turn will affect the habitat for our local yabby species in the nearby school creek.

• Our 2014 School Production: 'Still Waters‘ , told the story of our local creek and the changes that human activity has had on the habitat for the threatened Phascogale.

• One of our leadership teams is Biodiversity. This team is currently conducting the annual Biodiversity audit of our school grounds.

• Student Biodiversity Action Teams established at the beginning of each school year in line with our school leadership programs.

• Whole school Habitat Quality Assessment is undertaken at the beginning of each school year by students

Parent/ Teacher/Community • Many of our projects involve working with local Landcare groups and Post Office

Hill Action Group, as mentors, educators and helping hands. We use the resource of the Local Landcare trailer for planting days, and our local Landcare Facilitator is a regular visitor to school.

• We are well supported by the Chewton Chat, our local Chewton paper. The editor is always happy to publish our biodiversity journey with stories and entries to the Chewton Web page.

• Our families are vital and passionate members of our team. They assist with planting, student transport, planning of areas for our grounds and ensuring our policies are followed. Parents are key players in policy writing and seeking funding opportunities

• The school promotes biodiversity via the sustainability section in our newsletter and the tab on our webpage. www.chewtonps.vic.edu.au

General Appearance and Uses

• Wetlands

Interpretive garden

Indigenous planting

Compost

Nesting boxes

Quiet Space

A Sapling

A Bird Box (I think a Cockatoo got to this one)

Grassy Field

Fern

A Growing Tree

The Trees Out The Back

Special Features• Some areas are planted exclusively with plants found within a 10km radius of our

school site

• We ensure all new plantings ( with the food garden and shade areas excluded) in other parts of the grounds are Australian native species increasing habitat for local wildlife. We actively maintain our school grounds, reducing need for herbicide.

• Any spaying that is done is with ‘Frog Friendly’ chemical

• The area our students like the best is the ‘Natural Creative Play Space’. Here they can build cubbies, burry gold and use the natural grasses as hiding places

New Development • We are currently in the process of building a Sustainable Cubby house

using all recycled materials. This has involved the students collecting bottles and filling them with sand to create the walls of the cubby. The frame is all natural material much of which has come from a local recycle yard.

Ground Facilities

• Workplace and operational• Grounds and Buildings Committee to consider habitat

conservation and the use of indigenous species when planning planting areas and ground improvements.

• Planting regimes are in line with local considerations (low water consumption/drought tolerant) were applicable.

• Our interpretive garden (indigenous planting area) is maintained and protected from non-indigenous species incursions.

• All new planting areas are mulched.• Garden waste is composted or mulched for reuse.

Other

• At Chewton PS we enable visitors to see our vision and commitment to creating a sustainable and responsible future illustrated in our physical school environment and our teaching, learning and operational practices, and to show how education and commitment to these practices are aligned to create a dynamic and nurturing learning environment.

Community Activities • Finding our birds Breakfast• Friday 5th December, 2014• 7.30 – 9.00am • Locating our local birds • Come to school early next Friday morning and join us for an early

morning stroll across Post Office Hill, then back for breakfast at school. With the assistance of local Habitat for Bush Birds project coordinator Tanya Loos, Chewton PS will host a community workshop focussing on our local birds, how to hear, locate, identify and protect the habitat of birds in and around Post Office Hill and in the gardens of Chewton and surrounds.

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Parent Comment

• “For children to understand their own surroundings is crucial to respecting and protecting resources and quality of life, present and future. The hands-on learning experienced by the children at Chewton Primary School is invaluable and very exciting. They are discovering and exploring the amazing biodiversity and intricate anture of their place on Post Office Hill, Chewton. ” Jennifer, parent.

The End