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Case studies

Many schools in the south region have taken environmental education on board as a way to expand learning opportunities while helping our environment.

Rossmoyne PS - Sustainability Sideshow
Rossmoyne Primary School have become involved in a number of environmental projects. In 2006, Amy Krupa from SERCUL visited the Year One classes to talk about the types of frogs which live in the area and to show them a collection of preserved frogs and posters of the Life Cycle of a Frog. The Year 2 students then assisted Amy and the school gardener, Mr Neil Critchley, to set up a school frog pond using a large, unwanted fibreglass fish pond which had been donated by a parent. Rocks and shrubs were added to the area by the Year 2 and 3 students to establish an environment where food and shelter for the frogs would now exist. Eventually frogs from the local area did find the pond but unfortunately most frog activity occurs at night when the students are not present. A beautiful swamp environment has been developed close to classes which has become a resource for teachers and students.

Our Year 7 students worked with the City of Canning Conservation Team in 2006 to plant native shrubs in a rehabilitation project along the shore of the Canning River. They were also joined by the Year 7 students from the neighbouring Shelley Primary School. Members of the Canning River Residents Environmental Protection Association assisted them with their planting of shrubs native to this habitat.

During 2007 and 2008, Amy has performed her frog presentation to our new Year One classes to familiarise them with our frog habitat. The Year Two classes have planted more shrubs around the pond to replace plants that didn’t survive and create a dense plant growth. The Year 3 students are involved in weeding, cleaning up rubbish and watering the new shrubs to help them become established. The frog pond has become a project for all the Early Childhood classes, engaging students in frog studies and creating great interest for students, teachers and parents.

Some Year 7 students have been assisted by SERCUL to prepare and develop a bush area in an under-utilised section of the school grounds behind the tennis courts. They have recently planted shrubs which are native to a banksia or dryandra woodland and are looking forward to seeing progress as the shrubs grow to become a bird, lizard and insect haven. Future Year 7 students will continue to rehabilitate this bush area during the next five years.

Other Environmental Activities at Rossmoyne PS include: the recycling of cans and ice cream cartons; worm farms; a Year 3 vegetable garden and a survey of birds in the school with the location of nests in the grounds.

The school also recently held a Sustainability Sideshow where all classes rotated through activities such as water wise displays, interactive games, a solar car display, worm farming and the building of an Ice Castle. The Ice Castle demonstrated the affects of global warming as it melted away over the day.

Cannington Community College ESC - Horticultural Hands
In December 2005 Cannington Education Support Centre opened it’s first horticulture centre. The horticulture centre is affectionately referred to as ‘The Shed’ at the school. The Shed was developed on wasteland at the south-eastern part of the school. It was specifically designed to allow for wheelchair access by having a footpath, modified garden shed/ classroom and raised garden beds. This means that all the students are able to participate in their classes horticulture program.

The centre now includes; compost bays, a herb and vegetable garden, a sensory garden, an orchard, an indigenous heritage area and a frog pond. Various programs operate from The Shed such as worm farms, pot plant enterprise, vegetable garden, and students from year 9 to 12 working towards gaining a Certificate 1 in horticulture.

Sustainability education is one of the schools priority learning areas. Through the horticulture programs students are gaining a clearer understanding of recycling techniques, water wise practices and biodiversity. The horticultural students also complete community service hours through programs such as Arbor Day with Men of the Trees and National Tree Day with Planet Ark.

Many community groups have worked in collaboration with the school to make the horticulture program a success. Community groups such as SERCUL, Men of the Trees and Wattle Grove plant farm have provided a great deal of support for the school and conducted incursions with our students. A very popular incursion was conducted by Amy Krupa from SERCUL who brought in a river model to help explain waterways to our students. The students also participated in a river food web and learnt about how animals and plants rely on each other in waterways and what happens when an algal bloom occurs.

To find out more about these initiatives, please contact Amy at SERCUL.