Parklea Public School is committed to striving towards an ecologically sustainable future for the school and its community. At Parklea Public school, we have taken great initiatives to create a more sustainable school environment. These whole-school initiatives are community based, involving the students, staff, parents and carers.
- P&C working bees: parents are invited to participate in supporting the school's composting practices and maintenance of gardens, at working bees held during school terms.
- Paper and card recycling: each class, the library, O.O.S.H, canteen and administration areas engage in recycling. Paper-based waste is collected fortnightly by Stage 3: Year 5 and 6 students before being emptied into VISY recycling skip.
- Wrapper free: we encourage students to reduce the amount of packaging brought into the school by bringing recess and lunch in reusable containers.
- Compost: each class has a compost bin to dispose of green waste. Stage 2: Year 3 and 4 students collect and empty class compost bins into the larger school compost bin, turning it into compost for the gardens.
- Waste monitors: each class has a student role of Waste Monitor. Their job is to ensure only organic materials are placed in the compost bin and to clean the bin once it is returned by Year 3 and 4 students.
- Environment leaders: students from Stage 3: year 5 and 6 expressing an interest in sustainability and nature volunteer for these leadership positions. Following training, the students select projects around the school to participate in, forming action plans and making recommendations.
- Whole school events: all students K-6 become active citizens through participation in nationally recognised days such as, Schools Clean Up Day, National Tree day and Earth Hour.
School environmental management plans work across the key learning areas of the curriculum and the whole school community.
We start with local sustainability and over time develop student understanding of how their work contributes globally.
Students and staff manage, observe and monitor our school's resources, waste and physical surroundings, then take on activities to protect and improve our school and the local environment.
Your child will develop an understanding about:
- the relationship between human activities and natural systems
- sustainable management of the earth's resources
- the inter-related nature of processes in the natural environment
We encourage you to support your child's 'going green' activities, and to help them to learn to care for the environment as part of their everyday lives.