Community: Eco-School Project

Click HERE for picture 1 of Jessica's brilliant habitat homework.

Click HERE for picture 2.

       Click HERE to read January 2010 Letter from Eco-School Chief Executive.

         As of the 1st January, 2010, the following number of schools had achieved Eco-School status:

Current Green Flag Schools:                                                1,009

Current Silver Award Schools:                                              4,282

Current Bronze Award Schools:                                           3,230

Total No. of Schools Registered with Eco-Schools:          13,241

% of English Schools Registered with Eco-Schools:         60.8%

Total no. of Eco-Schools Registered with The Pod:           4,997

There are nine aspects of being an ECO-SCHOOL.  By clicking on the options below you can discover more!

Click HERE for Water...

Click HERE for Biodiversity...

Click HERE for Energy...

Click HERE for Global Perspectives...

Click HERE for Healthy Living...

Click HERE for Litter...

Click HERE for School Grounds...

Click HERE for Walk to School...

Click HERE for Waste...

ECO-SCHOOL/HEALTHY-SCHOOL MEETINGS

Click HERE to read the minutes of Wednesday, 3rd February at 14.45.

Energy        

From September 2010, energy will be a compulsory topic for all Eco-Schools. Alongside this, we will they are also launching a new energy award to reward schools that are able to demonstrate the energy savings they have made.

Their aim is to showcase the fantastic work that all Eco-Schools have done to address energy reduction.  They will also start asking for our school Display Energy Certificate (DEC) number when when schools apply for Bronze, Silver and Green Flag awards.

More information will follow shortly.

Click HERE to read our Anti-Litter Policy.

Introduction:

As most of you will know, we are an Eco School which means that we are committed to making our school as sustainable as possible.  The children take part in recycling, re-using and reducing wherever possible and the theme of environmental awareness runs throughout our curriculum in all year groups. 

The Team:

We have an enthusiastic Eco Team in our school, made up of pupils from Class 2 - Class 6, plus  Mr. Middleditch, Mr. Clare, parent representatives and a member of Tendring District Council.  We must also recognise the contribution of Mrs Paternoster (previously our Year 4 Teacher), who set up the Eco School project in the first place, leading us to Green Flag Status, before leaving us in July 2009 for the next stage of her teaching career. 

Our Goal:

Our long term goal is to be as sustainable as possible in the way we operate as a school.  We are slowly but surely making steps towards this.  Our short term goal was to achieve Green Flag status, which is a very prestigious award within Eco School circles.  We achieved this at the end of the academic year (June 2009) and are now following a two year cycle before renewing our status.

Eco Awards:

One of the ways we encourage the children to be 'eco-friendly' is to bring in evidence that the values they learn at school are being put into practise at home.  This is usually in the form of a letter from parents, stating all the ways that their child helps the environment.  The child then receives a free reusable bag from Tendring District Council, to promote the use of reusable bags instead of plastic ones.  We are thinking of launching an initiative to see where people are using these bags.  These pictures will then be displayed in school.

To see some photos of these awards being given out, please click here: ECO AWARDS

If you would like any information about our Eco School project, please see Mr Middleditch at school. 

Things we have been doing recently:

«   We are currently growing potatoes outside all our classrooms.  They are growing at different rates, but we are excited about being able to eat them!

«   The Health and Safety/Eco Team are still doing weekly inspections to check that we are all turning off our lights, closing doors and turning off electrical equipment when it's not being used.

«   New plants are ready to go into the Quiet Garden and we are also planning to make a multi-sensory area with pots of plants that excite our senses!

«  Mr. Clare has done a wonderful job of finishing  putting in the posts for our Quiet Garden - this will hopefully help to protect the plants and keep the area separate from the other areas of the field.

«  We are developing the Wildlife Area to include a log pile, and we have fixed the fences to make it available for use during lunch times and lesson times.

Exciting News... We have planted up our second vegetable patch!  Mr. Middleditch and some very helpful children in Key Stage 2 - during the Summer Term - spent hours digging, raking, watering and planting to create a very impressive raised bed.  Our first crop was a real success and now we look forward to seeing the vegetables grow over the next few weeks, as Autumn goes on and the days shorten.  Please do have a look, but ensure that you do NOT touch or walk across the plot as this will spoil all our hard work.

Remember to write to Mr Middleditch about why you should get an Eco Award!

Links to useful websites:

The Woodland Trust:  http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Cherry Tree Primary School, Essex:   http://www.cherrytree.essex.sch.uk/ 

Eco schools in Scotland:  http://www.ecoschoolsscotland.org/    

British Council: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-world-may-2007-focus.htm