Green Gold Review Professional Development

 

Today the Waka staff met to review what it means to be a GreenGold Enviroschool, celebrate our journey so far and share evidence against the five Enviroschools Guiding Principles.

See our work in the slide show below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15rbQEON9DBaEet4ZWBH36ZFdyGExzriJ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102612578263898868814&rtpof=true&sd=true 

Taking Action for the Bees

Year Rua thought about how to help the bees

Room Rima - Evie - we can grow flowers for the bees. Faye - when we see a bee we don’t scream or scare them away. Logan - don’t disturb the bees. Rufaro - when bees are passing by stay still. Tom - tell people not to hurt bees. Ben - don’t kill bees. Ethan - don’t take all the honey.

Room Iwa - Sammy - give the bees more flowers. Irina - take care of the bee hives. Kahurangi - make a place for them to live. Hector - plant some bushes. Jayden - we can grow flowers around the bee hive. Ethan J - make more bee hives. Louie - don’t distract the bees. Emma - don’t pick the flowers because they are for the bees. Adrian - give them all the nectar they need. Isaac -squeeze the flowers out for the bees. Amandi - help the bees if they get stuck.

Room tekau ma tahi - Logan - stop picking flowers they are for the bees. Max P - stop trying to annoy bees, because if you annoy them and they sting you, they’ll die. Jax - stop touching bees. Zoe - don’t pick fruit before they are ready. Esther - grow a whole garden for bees; full of flowers. Niko - don’t kill the bees, let them get the nectar and move the pollen. Will - don't go near the hive.

We decided to make seed packets for the sunflower seeds Mrs Daniel had harvested. We're going to grow sunflowers for the bees!

Year 1 Learn about composting with Fredge

 Year 1 have been investigating how important our invertebrates are for composting and enriching our soil. We looked at ways we compost at Waka and fed our growing beans worm tea. We looked at the chickens, who like our worm farms eat our scraps and turn food we don't want into food we do want. Lastly went on a bug hunt. We love spending time in nature.

Room 17 Adopt A Park

 

Year 2 investigating Our PollinatingBees

 We are so lucky at Waka!

The year 2's today walked around the school hunting for bees in action! 

We went to our orchards and saw some fruit on our fruit trees. 

All because of our fabulous Bees and how they pollinate our flowers. 

We drew parts of the flower.

Lastly, we were lucky enough to sample the lemons off the trees outside room 11. 

They were juicy, sweet, and a little sour. 

If we find any children touching the flowers, we will say, "Stop! The bees need them!"

Let us watch these buds bloom over the next couple of weeks. 

Year Rima Eco Warriors Lead the Way

 Our Year 5 Eco Warriors prepared a talk today. They"re going to speak to vlasses  to inform our community that we've removed the recycle bins and convince children to bring a litterfree lunch. Also, thet'll say; if you do bring rubbish to school please take it home to recycle.

Well done year 5 lesders!

Our Sustainable Energy Future

 Now we know about the challenges of climate change, caused by humans burning carbon for their transport, manufacturing and energy needs, it's time to look at what our sustainable future might hold. Check out this video:

Year 5's have been learning about new energy pathways, in which communities can create electricity with solar panels and then store, share or sell back their excess energy.  They explored how electric and hybrid cars are better for the environment than petrol and diesel vehicles.  

We investigated an EV and watched the Tesla lightshow.  EV's aren't just cheaper to run and more sustainable; they're fun too.

Where's the engine???

♻️ Eco Warriors Take Action

The Eco Warriors wondered how to solve the problem of things still.going in the recycling bins that can't be recycled. 

Some ideas they thought of were:

 Talk at hui

Bring a litterfree lunch

Leave recycling at home

Use less plastic

Look for the recycling symbol

Have waste ambassadors stand by the bins

 

We decided to:

Continue the litterfree lunch competition

Take the recycling bins away and tell tamariki to take their recycling home.

Put a notice in the school newsletter 

Thank you to everyone for helping us by bringing a litterfree lunch or taking their litter home.

Big Improvements & Planting with Year Tahi

You may have noticed some changes to our Senses Garden; Mr Dowden has taken down the sides, so our littlest tamariki can have better access  when they are weeding, planting & watering. Thank you Mr Dowden!

Today Year Tahi took advantage of the changes & planted carrot, silverbeet & sunflower seeds.

Kaitiaki of the Mara Kai

 Well done year 5's for being Kaitiaki of our senses garden.

We are learning how to weed effectively by digging down and grabbing the roots.

Whare Heihei Winning Designs

 

Mr Dowden is going to use recycled timber from the library fence and old hei hei area to create the new building.