It`s that time of year to get cosy, sip on soup and plan for a term of
Transcription
It`s that time of year to get cosy, sip on soup and plan for a term of
Our work with schools...2 Enviroschools...3 Coming up...4 It’s that time of year to get cosy, sip on soup and plan for a term of winter fun. But it’s not all about being inside by the fire. There are loads of opportunities out there to boost your environmental education programme and get outdoors. Why not look into the Environmental Enhancement Fund to help with that community project? Or borrow a water testing kit to explore your local stream? We live in paradise in the Bay of Plenty. Let’s get out and enjoy it. Have a great term Community Engagement Advisor Bay of Plenty Regional Council Environmental Scientist, Rochelle Carter uses the clarity tube to show water quality with students from Pāpāmoa College. Pāpāmoa College Year 12 Biology students recently got wet during a fun day using the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Water Testing Kits. The students used equipment from the kits to check out the quality of stream water and what lives there. z oprc.govt.n tevenson@b .s . ie to n o ja h p ct a ta Con ct and f your proje o ils ta e d h wit There are kits available to loan for up to two weeks at no charge in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne. The kits include all the equipment you need and easy-to-use instructions. If you would like to use the kits to discover what’s in your local stream with your class, contact your closest Bay of Plenty Regional Council office. Teaching guides are available at www.boprc.govt.nz/teachers Exploring solar energy was one of the key next steps Otonga identified in their Enviroschools reflection late last year. The school and Genesis Energy proudly launched the Schoolgen Programme on the 25th May 2016. Otonga Road Primary School is the first Schoolgen School in Rotorua, and has the largest solar array in the Schoolgen Programme with a total of 120 photovoltaic panels. The solar panel arrays are spread across 4 roofs. So far, 40 percent of the school’s electricity is solar generated. There are 6 single phase inverters giving a total capacity of 30 kilowatts. Clearing two hectares of weeds and establishing over 4,000 native plants in a wetland area has kept students from Te Wharekura o Mauao busy over the past two years. The Wharekura took on this project to restore the wetland next to their classrooms and received support from the Environmental Enhancement Fund. The fund allowed them to purchase necessary equipment, plants and contractors while the students provided hundreds of hours of volunteer time. A Bay of Plenty Regional Council project officer has provided guidance to the Wharekura throughout the process. Kūkūwai (wetland) project has been integrated into the Wharekura curriculum and the wetlands have become an outside classroom for the students to develop skills and knowledge. Many Bay of Plenty schools and communities are keen to actively care for the environment – but need help to do it. Bay of Plenty Regional Council set up the Environmental Enhancement Fund to provide seed funding for community-based projects that; • improve the environment; • raise environmental awareness; and • use the enthusiasm and skills of the community. Students from Te Wharekura o Mauao work on their Kukuwai project with help from the Environmental Enhancement Fund If you would like to lea rn more about the Environmental Enha ncement Fund and how it could aid a school/ community project, ple ase contact our Community Engage ment EEF Coordinator on 0800 884 880 x9135. Teachers re-energise their Enviroschools programmes The Enviroschools Kickstart Energiser Workshop was held in Te Puke to address teachers’ questions on school Envirogroups, as well as planning and vision mapping for the school year. During the workshop, teachers worked through activities they could use with their students and shared activities they had used before. “I enjoyed getting a better understanding of Enviroschools and how it all works. We had great discussions with other teachers,” commented Angela Donlon from Otonga School. Glynis from Waiōtahe Valley School shares their school vision map. Taking the Enviroschools programme to the next level was a popular topic, with teachers providing lots of inspiring strategies on how to embed the guiding principles into school and class culture. The role plays on community involvement and sustaining teacher enthusiasm had everyone giggling! “Ideas were bounced, strategies shared and actions were planned,” noted Janie Stevenson, Enviroschools facilitator. “It was great to see Green/Gold schools and centres sharing with those new to the journey. All had ideas to offer and take home.” Continuing the Green Gold Journey A workshop to explore growing as a Green Gold Enviroschool was a popular event in June with 16 teachers attending. There are two primary and four kindergartens who have reflected at the Green Gold stage of their journey in the Bay of Plenty. Each shared highlights from their Green-Gold reflection, and experiences since. Green Gold is not the end of the journey, but a milestone, and all six are looking at ways they can grow in their practice. Some helpful actions that the group brainstormed: ts in key concep Revisit the ent m on ir y Env the Me in M t ki e -58 of th Unit pgs 51 Recon nect w ith so that e me ac and w xplore guid t ing pr ivities hole s inciple chool/ centre s ally appro t form ach Reflec reen Gold Partner with a community, the G using ragraph organisation or business to Re-estab Pa lish grow a project your bas e Reflect informally Revisit your Next Steps that within your flection were recorded at your last Enviroschool Delve into the Re kit e th of n reflection session io ct se Explore your options The Reflection section of the kit, recommends that “Enviroschools will continue to holistically reflect on their journey at least every three years” (p296 ). The process is very clearly outlined in the ‘Reflect on Change’ section in the Enviroschools kit however please let your facilitator know if you would like support with a structured reflection. Enviroschools Bay of Plenty team PO Box 364, Whakatāne 3158 Telephone: 0800 884 880 Email: [email protected] Website: www.boprc.govt.nz es her anu School inspir Jo Earle from Ōm e play. team during a rol r che tea ols ho Envirosc New Enviroschools Three local kindergartens from the Central Kids Kindergartens Association have recently joined the Enviroschools Programme in our region plus ten in the Waikato. Their centres are spread across the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Manawatu so Central Kids has trained a small team of teachers across these regions to grow the programme within their Association in partnership with local councils. Welcome to Ngongotahā, Ōpōtiki and Fairview Park Kindergartens! Sustainability Options runs an environmental mentoring programme for high schools that compliments the annual Enviro Challenge competition and is open to any high school in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. The environmental mentoring programme works with students to help inspire, encourage and guide them throughout the year with their chosen sustainability projects. It’s free for schools to participate thanks to support from Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council. Students and teachers receive help with project planning, community and council contacts, seeking funding as well as in any other way that will help students bring their sustainability projects to fruition or to keep them progressing into the next school year. If you or your school is interested in the environmental mentoring programme please contact Jo Wills at Sustainability Options on [email protected] or 021 277 7042. From DIY experiments, to professional development programmes, House of Science provides a range of educational tools for the whole community. The Science Resource Library for primary schools is extremely popular. House of Science is administered by Te Taumata in Rotorua and Eastbay REAP in Whakatāne where science kits and PD for teachers are available. For more information contact: Tauranga: Debbie Hindman 027 337 9342 [email protected] Kerry Gosling Email [email protected] or ph 0800 884 881 extn 9154 Janie Stevenson Email [email protected] Steph Macdonald Email [email protected] or ph 0800 884 881 extn 8147 Michelle Elborn Email [email protected] or ph 07 577 7363 Whakatāne: Jude Cornelius-Nuku 07 3084098 ext. 213 [email protected] Rotorua: Caroline Newton 027 2460367 [email protected] The 2016 NIWA Bay of Plenty Science and Technology Fair will be held: For more information visit: www.bopscifair.org.nz