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WINTERS FLAT SUSATAINABILITY JOURNEYLETTERS OF SUPPORT on BIODIVERSITYStudent Support statements for BiodiversityEarly Years StudentsWe have learnt how to grow plants and Terry in the garden taught us how to plant trees. Molly & Louis Yr 2At school we plant trees for the birds to make their nests. Caleb Yr 1We planted a Bush Tucker Garden for National Tree Day. Jacob PrepWe plant trees and look after them by watering them. We must plant them straight. Tyson PrepAt school l have learnt to plant a tree very carefully without breaking it. When l plant a tree l feel clever. I know that trees and plants give us oxygen. Steph Yr 2As school l have learnt how to look after chickens, plant food and cook the food l planted. I love doing this. Maeve Yr 2I have learnt about different local animals such a birds and l have learnt you need to care about animals. We have bird boxes and l love seeing birds going in and out of our box. This makes me happy. Annika Yr 2I have learnt to use a cooking knife in cooking. We cook with the veggies we grow from the garden. Oliver Yr2Middle Years StudentsI’ve learnt that we need to help plants live. We need to save them. Theo Yr 4We’ve got veggie gardens, compost bays, chickens, bush tucker gardens and heap more. Aleara Yr 4Last year we looked at Biodiversity. It’s all about the Earth and how it works. It’s important to save the Earth. Joss Yr 3 Our class made a weather station to help our school grounds. We also planted lots of trees. Ciara Yr 3We needed to save our Oak Trees as they got really sick. We did some research and bored holes around the trees. We put coconut husks, dolomite, sand and compost in the holes. We also put mulch around the trees. We are doing everything we can to save those beautiful trees. Cash Yr 4Senior Years StudentsLast year our focus was on Biodiversity. Our school grounds are lush and thriving. We have learnt about biodiversity and how important it is to keep our planet alive. Billa Yr 5I take part in the Meeting Place which is for Aboriginal students to learn about culture. Last year we had a focus on plants and animals. Joe Yr 5Our Biodiversity at Winters Flat is great. We have bird homes, frog ponds and lots of space for animals and lots of trees. Amara Yr 5In 5/6O we each have a tree at school that we care for. We talk to the tree, water it and try to keep it alive and strong. Yr 6 TaraAt school we have a big garden, compost bays, worm farm, recycling, chooks and a kitchen. Each class has a ‘care for area’, which they clean up in the school. Our class don’t need to clean our area because it is always clean. Francesca and Asher Yr 6We have worked on our Bush Tucker Garden project. We applied for the grant and we got it. We have designed our garden working with our local elders identifying which local plants would be best. We have worked out costings; materials needed and invited Friends of Campbell’s Creek to join us in our ‘planting day’. I am looking forward to cooking our bulbs. Grace Yr 6536638514859000Support Letter 1: Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare GroupTo whom it may concern,?Since 1986 members of the Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare Group have worked with Winters Flat Primary School to help restore native vegetation to the public land along the Campbells Creek waterway.At various times, this included teaching the students the importance of caring for our local creeks, identification and appreciation of indigenous plants and animals, how to plant and care for trees, involvement on Schools National Tree Day and introducing students to the formal and informal creek-side walking tracks.Winters Flat Primary School has a good reputation for linking in with?our local community and drawing on its expertise.? Most recently, this is reflected in our Group’s detailed advice given to help design the School’s new Bush Tucker garden.In July 2014, members of the Friends of Campbell's Creek came to the school and worked with the students on seed propagation, returning later with the grown plants to establish them along the creek with the students.Although not directly involved, we applaud the School’s effort with other sustainability initiatives such as their Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, its efforts to reduce waste and energy and increase biodiversity within the School grounds.?Yours sincerely,Shona CornwallSecretary, the Friends of Campbells Creek Landcare GroupSupport Letter 2: local gardening specialistLedbury Garden Design Sue Proeve info@.au PO Box 481 Castlemaine Vic 3450 Mobile 0432 039 050 ABN 82 792 069 105 .au August 5th 2015 To whom it may concern, I have been employed by Winters Flat Primary School as an Integration Aide for the last 2 years on a part-time basis, as well as having a Garden Design business, and I am acutely aware of the need to be sustain-able, both within my business and in my everyday living. I am amazed at how the children at Winters Flat Primary School, from Prep to Grade six, are so involved in promoting sustainability. Below are just some of the examples: Nude Food is promoted throughout the school, to reduce waste Conserving water —the school has rainwater tanks Use of alternative energy (using less fossil fuel)—the school has 24 solar panels Each classroom has a recycling box and a compost bin, the latter ultimately goes into the school gar-den compost bin The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program where produce is grown on site in their extensive productive garden. Children are educated about using food that is in season, therefore reducing food miles The students have assisted in building wicking beds in their school vegetable garden, which reduces water consumption and water evaporation They have planted plants that are of local provenance along the creek bed and within the school grounds, to not only beautify the grounds, but also to restore the local habitat. Children across the school have done research projects in their respective classes eg researching alterna-tive energy, learning to make Bioplastic (with milk and vinegar), worked on a project with Rob, from Coli-ban Water, where the children were given a plan of randomly placed houses, a wetland area, native revegetation, and a river. The children ‘built’ a town, sited a reservoir and had to discuss ways of supply-ing water to communities, removal of waste water, and taking into consideration areas of environmental protection such as wetlands and rivers. It was a project on costing (number of pipes laid) and efficiency (reducing the number of pipes) and being aware of environmental impact on vulnerable areas. The chil-dren took it very seriously and did some great work. These children are becoming responsible citizens not just within the school but also in the community, and I feel proud that this generation are so perceptive and developing a greater understanding of looking after our environment. Sue Proeve Ledbury Garden Design 4962525254000Support Letter 3: Loddon Mallee ResourceSmart Schools Consortium To Whom It May Concern Re: Winters Flat Primary School ResourceSmart Awards Application I have been working with Jeanette McMahon and her team at Winters Flat Primary School since March 2013 on the ResourceSmart program. The school has really embraced the ResourceSmart program and achieved phenomenal success in each module in the last 21/2 years. They have been successful because sustainability has been embedded in the daily activities and curriculum of the school, and implemented by everyone involved with the school. The school is set on a large block of land that has remnant vegetation, a grassed oval, and a number of indigenous and non-indigenous trees and shrubs. Since 2013, the school has conducted a biodiversity audit annually, and the results show that they have improved their score each year. One of the ways they have been able to do this is by planting trees in the community, which they have done in partnership with the Friends of Campbell’s Creek. They have had a kitchen garden program since 2012, but have established more garden beds for food and habitat around the new school buildings, including shade trees and fruit trees. The school has taken a holistic approach to sustainability, and biodiversity is included in the curriculum. The school takes part in National Tree Day and Clean Up Australia day as part of their commitment to improving biodiversity, with these initiatives being led by the Community Leaders Student Action Team. I am extremely pleased to be supporting this application from the school to the ResourceSmart Awards for the Biodiversity module. The leadership shown by the whole school is exemplary, is demonstrated by their achievements, which encourages them to participate and implement a range of activities across the school, and help to embed these practices into their daily activities. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Yours sincerely Ellen White ResourceSmart Coordinator, Loddon Mallee RegionSupport Letter 4: from a teacher2/8/15To whom it may concern,In the second semester of 2014 the integrated theme for the whole school at Winters Flat Primary was Biodiversity.Having explored the importance of healthy waterways earlier in the year (when the theme was Water) I was delighted to recognize the inspiration and learning that had obviously taken place when my students volunteered to conduct the biodiversity audit of the school grounds, understanding it was a requirement of the Resource Smart program.This grade four and five class had some prior knowledge of the concept of an audit having previously participated in the measuring, recording and interpreting of water usage data; and some well-meaning but simplistic ideas about animals and the environment.The biodiversity audit was a complex undertaking. Skill preparation was required in the form of map reading, interpreting scale, estimating area, height, width and volume, understanding and translating percentage and equivalent fractions etc. Students performed a modified audit at home, to practice measuring, counting, estimating and averaging and gave their home garden a biodiversity rating. Difficulties were discussed and consensus reached as how best to achieve consistency in our school audit.We used the Cool Australia audit form, maps of the school and divided the grounds into sections for which one group of students was each responsible. We collated our data and after much hard work, discussion and problem solving we reached agreement on the overall biodiversity score. Students were thrilled with the score which rated our school biodiversity has good to very good but they were in no way complacent and immediately began action plans for improvement.In studying biodiversity, students gained a deeper understanding of ecological concepts such as habitat, ecosystem, species and food chains. They learned about the connectedness, the complexity and fragility of the web of life. They could see for themselves the necessity of habitat to support animal life, that habitat is much more than a tree for a bird and that every creature and every plant is significant, not just the cute and pretty ones.Their action plans included landscaping of particular areas of the school. We accessed the support of a local landscape gardener who helped with feasibility studies and provided practical advice about location, soil management and suitable plant species etc. Having determined approximate costs, students wrote letters of application to the fundraising committee for financial support.This year some of the action plans are well underway even though the students responsible are in different classes with different teachers. Our SAKG gardening specialist is using the action plans from last year and incorporating them into the whole school gardening program. Students are sharing their knowledge, work and inspiration. Everybody’s jumping on board. There is a definite sense of contribution for the greater good of our school, its biodiversity, our local environment and ‘the environment’ in general.Embedding sustainability into the curriculum authenticates our teaching and learning about the world around us. In my experience environmental issues are a real and weighty concern for many children. They are thirsty for knowledge and hungry for the tools, skills and understandings that will enable them to feel empowered to make a positive difference. Our learning about biodiversity in particular, has been, and will continue to be an inspiring and motivating experience. Students are feeling positive and have hope for their future and the future of the planet and so do I.I congratulate and thank the Resource Smart team and the Winters Flat curriculum committee for providing the direction and support to our classroom teachers that is enabling a sound and meaningful, whole-school approach to the teaching and learning of sustainability. It is a serious issue of global significance, integrating it into my teaching has been personally and professionally rewarding.Thank you!Peta FirthGrade two teacherWinters Flat Primary SchoolSupport Letter 5: from a parentDear To whom it may concern,Re: Support Letter for Winters Flat Primary School Resource Smart ProgramIn 2012 Winters Flat Primary School signed up to the Resource Smart – Sustainability program. I was one of the parents that were involved from the very beginning. I was very excited that such an amazing program had started up at my children’s school. Not only is sustainability important for the environment, but for the future of my children and all generations to come. If we educate our children now we can change the direction of where our environmental care is going which will be our children and our future leaders.I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and support Jeanette McMahon for all her hard work. She is a wonderful leader and allows others to step up and lead as well. Her enthusiasm and dedication is infectious and due to her ongoing commitment to having our student’s voice heard our young leaders are stepping up. She has also included our local community and other local schools, so as one whole community we are moving forward together. An incredible achievement!I am a proud aboriginal women and leader within our community and the sustainability program goes hand in hand with our culture and our connection to country. How we are responsible for the care of country is everyone’s business. By working as a whole community and involving our children within our schools we are creating real change. By reducing our energy, waste and water and increasing our biodiversity results are amazing. We are so happy that part of this is to also have an indigenous garden which myself and Aunty Julie has been involved in creating. The Student Leadership Program and the ‘Youth Leading the World’ congress my children have been involved in both. They are passionate leaders and care about the environment and want to actively be involved in this. Winters Flat has encouraged them to do this and the change in them is incredible.Also because of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program one of my daughters wants to be a chef when she grows up and also wants to be involved in a local Indigenous cooking program we have in our community. She has direction now and most importantly knows she not only is good at something but it holistically encompasses her beliefs. All my four children have attended Winters Flat Primary school it is a fantastic school with very passionate teachers. We are proud to be part of this school and so does the rest of the Koorie Community. It has the highest attendance of Koorie kids in the Shire. We look forward to the next chapter of this sustainability journey for myself and my children, we look forward to continue to work with the school to bring about a better tomorrow for everyone.Thank you for listeningBest wishes,Kathryn Coff(mother)Ph: 0432656007Support Letter 6: from a volunteer3/8/15To whom it may concern,I have worked as a volunteer at Winters Flat Primary School for about a year and a half. I work in the garden, kitchen and library.I’ve been very impressed by the overall sustainability at the school. It seems to be across the curriculum.There are compost bins in each classroom and students have the job of taking it to the compost bays to empty them. Lunches are to be unwrapped or if there’s any wrapping it’s taken home again. This means there’s less rubbish around the school, no need for rubbish bins and less paper etc being consumed by households. I think this is a wonderful lesson for children.The Stephanie Alexander Program teaches the students about growing and cooking food. Once again, scraps are collected and taken to the chickens, compost or worm farm.There are recycling bins in each classroom and the rubbish bins are the smallest to encourage less rubbish being produced.Students have made “save energy, switch off lights” signs that are displayed at light switches. This involves them in the whole mind-set of the need to save energy and generally of the environment.Native plants grow around the school and I know the students have been involved in the propagation of seeds for some native planting.All of this contributes to their awareness of the environment and caring for it.Chris HooperParent Letter 7:4/8/15?To whom it may concern,??My daughter attends WFPS, and?I would like to congratulate the school on the efforts they have made in embedding sustainable practices into their curriculum.?The school really "walks the walk" when it comes to these issues, and I have been impressed with their whole school approach, which has been led by some very dedicated teachers. My daughter recently was part of the Youth Leading the World conference, which she thoroughly enjoyed. The conference has helped her?confidence, and she came home both nights eagerly sharing?ideas. She was proud that her school hosted the gathering, and has since been looking up all sorts of related information so she can learn more about the issues. She feels supported in expressing her ideas and?views about the future, and as a parent, that's something I am glad is being encouraged.The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen program has also been an amazing part of her learning. I am continually impressed by the breadth of this program, and the effect it has on students. Being able to be part of the food cycle -planting, growing, harvesting, preparing and eating - has been such a powerful way to teach children, and it always seems that the children are as?integral to this process?as the teachers -?something the school facilitates really well.We have also appreciated the way the school have implemented the Cross curriculum Network meetings - sustainability and Koorie culture focus, recognizing the many aspects of sustainability, and the?significance of indigenous culture - for example? with the Aboriginal perspective on energy from a local elder, and a Acknowledgements to Country smoking ceremony with elders showing the children what plants are used and what they symbolise. Finally, my daughter really enjoys all the sustainable arts projects the school take part in - one that comes to mind was Fridge Henge - which she relished showing her grandparents and talking them through all the various aspects and meanings.?Sincerely,?Lisa D'OnofrioParent Letter 8:5/08/15To whom it may concern,I am writing to express my appreciation for Winters Flat Primary School’s effort in embedding sustainability throughout the curriculum. The school’s ‘Nude Food’ policy has led to me to always send my son’s school lunch and snacks without packaging. Having these habits in place extends to making all our family lunches packaging free. I had become used to seeing students’ lunches ‘nude’ and was recently surprised to see how much more waste and processed food is around in schools where this policy is not in place.I am grateful for the school’s collection of used batteries for the Mount Alexander Battery Exchange program. I wasn’t aware of how to dispose of used batteries properly, and now I bring them in to school whenever I find we have some. They keep appearing in old toys and remotes… We now only buy rechargeable batteries and this also is a direct result of a former Winters Flat student (now in year 9) energetically explaining to me the harm caused by disposable batteries and telling me how I could buy a charger and rechargeable batteries at the IGA.I think it is great that the whole school composts their rubbish. It heartens me to see food waste being composted, to see the compost bins in the classrooms, and to see the students understanding and participating in this process. It was wonderful to see the students building layers in one of the composting bays, shovelling and chatting. My son’s class has been responsible for the worm farm and it has been interesting hearing about it from him. The sense of ownership and valuing of the worm farm that has come from this responsibility has impressed me. He has explained to me what foods worms don’t tolerate well, and this has changed what I put into our compost at home.We still have the poster our son designed for Water week up on our wall at home. I believe that asking students to design something to inspire others to understand and use water wisely teaches the students responsibility for teaching others about sustainability as well as to be mindful of their own practices.Our family learned about Orphund through Winters Flat Primary, and this led to us donating used clothes and study materials to them. It also served as a starting point for discussions at home about consumer goods, and the differences between first and third world lifestyles and consumption.My son enjoys the gardening program very much, and I get to hear a lot about the chooks, and how they are cared for by Terry and the students. I think this kind of experience is very valuable in building students’ understanding of and care for some of the creatures we share our planet with. I believe that the awareness of how food is produced that comes from long term participation in a gardening program, across seasons and years, is a very valuable understanding for students which cannot be gained from theoretical studies of food production. I am very grateful that Winters Flat makes this available to the students.The SAKG cooking program has had a large impact on our family. SAKG has contributed to my son’s love for cooking. The program has offered him many opportunities to develop his cooking skills which have meant much to him, including participating in the Festival of Lamb. Sometimes he cooks dinner for our whole family. His enjoyment of the classes led me to volunteer as a parent helper. I also learned a lot from the classes, which improved my cooking skills, and our family eat a more fresh, seasonal and local diet as a result. Our family enjoyed visiting the Fridge Henge exhibition in the Castlemaine State Festival. We went more than once, and our son showed us the WFPS fridge and explained what was in it and why. I was impressed by the health and environmental messages communicated in Fridge Henge, and particularly by the Winters Flat fridge and how the students had a sense of ownership of its content.There are no doubt more aspects of Winters Flat Primary School’s sustainability practices which have positively affected our life, but these were the ones which came to mind first. Yours faithfully,Jane TaylorParent Letter 9:To whom it may concern,Winters Flat Primary School has an exciting and accessible approach to sustainability that reaches throughout the school. Students not only learn about what sustainability means in a global sense, but are encouraged to take action within the classroom, the playground, at home and in the community. Solar panels, water tanks, 'lights off' signs, a beautiful kitchen garden, a chicken coop, waste identification charts and a newly planted 'forest' are just a few of the visible signs of the school's commitment to sustainability action.?I have two children at the school and both have been involved in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. As well as cooking beautiful healthy food, an important part of this program is learning about gardening (planting and caring for ?the garden), seasonal changes (what fruit and vegetables are in season), waste management (water care, composting, caring for chickens) and biodiversity (observing all the plants and animals around us).Composting, recycling and waste reduction are a part of the daily classroom routine. Every classroom has a waste system (compost, recycling and landfill bins) that is maintained by the students. Students are further encouraged to minimise waste through a whole school 'Nude Food' policy that discourages packaging in school lunches. My children have admonished me for putting packaged muesli bars in their lunch boxes, clearly the idea is reaching beyond the school.?It is exciting to see this sustainability program flourishing. My children turn off lights around the house, use a shower timer and show an interest in their environment. It's great to see the students empowered to make changes.Katie Kilgour5/7/15Letter from Grandparent 10:To whom it may concern,I have helped my three grand-daughters and their classes, in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, over the past few years. In that time, the students have developed valuable skills, such as, plant identification, plant propagation and fertilising?and pruning techniques.The Kitchen Garden Program has been a great way for students to learn the importance of teamwork and to all work in a cooperative way, to plant and care for a vegie?garden,?berry garden and fruit trees and to look after a large worm farm, chooks, frog bog and compost bays.Students have also worked with the local Landcare group?‘Friends of Campbell’s Creek’, to develop skills in hands on experience, with native seed propagation, native grass and tree planting and caring for Campbell’s Creek.Trevor McKay06. 08. 2015??? Support Letter 11: from a parent6/8/2015To Whom It May ConcernI would like to express my support for the Resource Smart – Sustainability Program at my children’s school, Winters Flat Primary School in Castlemaine, Victoria. I have been very impressed with the opportunities for learning that both of my children are exposed to in years 3 and 6. Some of the issues they have learnt and have brought home to talk about include; waste management, renewable forms of energy, global warming and biodiversity.The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is another part of the program that enhances this learning further. Both of my children love it and bring home great ideas and recipes as well as a better understanding of where good food comes from. Some more examples of sustainability that the school is promoting include a greater awareness of unnecessary packaging by encouraging “nude free” lunch boxes, walk or ride to school days, annual tree planting days, conscientious heating and cooling options, reduced power usage, solar panels on roofs, rain water catchment, compost buckets in classrooms, small general rubbish bins, recycling bins, chickens, fruit trees for shade, awareness campaigns, “care for” areas, that includes picking up rubbish and general pride in their school surrounds. These are some of the many ways Winters Flat is encouraging its students to be more mindful of theirs and their parents’ impact on the earth and I think it is wonderful. Thank you.Kind regardsLibby TwigdenSupport Letter 12: from a parent7 August 2015To whom it may concernI am writing in support of Winters Flat Primary School’s application to the ‘ResourceSmart School Awards’.One of the aspects of Winters Flat Primary School that we most value is the school’s ongoing and genuine commitment to engaging staff and children in a range of environmental and sustainability issues, including reducing energy and water usage, reducing waste, and increasing biodiversity in the local school environment.My children have participated in a number of sustainability themed projects and activities in the 18 months since coming to Winters Flat. They talk about these activities at home—it is obvious that they are really thinking about the issues and see them as important, as well as enjoying what they are doing.The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is a powerful way of switching kids on to sustainability and health issues. It is also provides enjoyable, hands-on learning through which they can develop a range of social, team work and practical skills. This sort of holistic and approach to learning is really effective.It is fantastic that the school’s ‘Leadership Program’ gives individual students opportunities to take leadership roles in implementing sustainability initiatives within the school, and that some of the school initiatives are reaching out into the wider community, so that students can experience how they can be active members of society and help bring about positive change.I feel lucky to be part of the Winters Flat community, and hope that the school will receive support to continue and expand its sustainability program. Yours sincerely,Nicola Fortune ................
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