Dear parents/carers of Neighbourhood 1 students,

Building on our explorations of nature from last term, the 1/2 N1 students recently embarked on an exciting excursion to the Botanic Gardens. They had the opportunity to explore a range of diverse plant species and learn about their ecological importance. During the visit, the children actively participated in making potpourri, using a variety of aromatic plants and flowers. They also learned about the process of cultivating plants and each potted an Indigenous plant to nurture and bring back to school. These plants will soon find a home in one of our garden beds – our next step is to explore designing and mapping ideas for garden spaces.

In our ongoing commitment to promoting sustainability and providing hands-on learning experiences, we have begun the next steps of our neighbourhood gardening project. Students have enthusiastically taken up the responsibility of planting and maintaining the broad beans in our school’s garden beds. Weeding and watering has been a recurring need – and it has been heartening to see their green thumbs at work, fostering a deeper connection with nature and responsibility towards the environment.

In connection to this project, the students have been diving into the concepts of measuring perimeter and area. This knowledge has proven particularly useful as they plan the layout for our garden beds. By calculating the area required for planting different species and determining the perimeter for fencing, the children are gaining a practical understanding of how mathematical concepts apply to real-life scenarios. It’s wonderful to see them applying their new-found skills while actively contributing to our school’s green spaces.

Last week, as part of our NAIDOC Week celebrations, our school held a special assembly where our students presented their artworks inspired by renowned Australian singer-songwriter, Archie Roach, and his significant contributions to the music industry and Indigenous rights movement. Their creative responses to provocations about his life, music, and story showcased their understanding and appreciation for Aboriginal culture. 

Effective communication is a vital skill, and we have been focusing on developing our students’ writing abilities. Currently, they are learning how to write friendly letters, understanding their structure and incorporating essential features. In the spirit of expressing gratitude, the students have crafted thank you letters to the volunteers from the North Carlton Railway House Community Gardens, who have been generously supporting our gardening efforts. The students have also spent time in Provocations writing letters of gratitude to other people in their lives.

We are so proud of the students’ achievements and their enthusiasm for learning in our neighbourhood. We look forward to sharing more updates with you in the coming weeks. Thank you to all families for your continued support and encouragement.