We started this program in 2007 with funding provided by the state government under the “Go for Your Life” banner.  However, the initial funding amount has now run out, and it is up to our school to make the program sustainable into the future.

Our Principal and all of our staff realise how important the kitchen garden program is for our children so it is now funded directly from school funds.

We have seen over the past two years how this program is changing the eating habits of a lot of our children. We watch kids getting involved in and excited about gardening and cooking, knowing in our hearts that this is such a positive step forward for the future health and wellbeing of these children.

The world is changing, and one day we may not have the same structures in place that we have grown up with and have come to rely on for so many things in life. For example, the supply of food from all over Australia and right across the world to supermarkets and supply chains is not guaranteed in a future where the worlds resources are fast running out.

Peak oil and climate change are very real issues, and we would be naïve to assume that life as we know it will go on forever or even until our children reach adulthood.

The kitchen garden program we have running at Wesburn Primary School right now is one of the very real, grass roots ways we can tackle these bigger issues in order to impact positively on our children and their future livelihoods. If they can competently grow their own food and be confident about how to cook it, they have a big head start by having a ready supply of fresh food grown locally and a better chance at pursuing a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Sharyn Morrice

Kitchen Garden Coordinator

Well the answer is child’s play! As well as a strict policy that children do not take wrappers outside the classroom at recess and lunchtime we also have a special extra tactic  – Pick up Five!

Our kids love this game, and they pester our staff on yard duty constantly to play it! It’s a simple game – the students seek out the staff member on duty, and then they run off and hide. If the teacher sees them again in the yard, they call out the student’s name. That student has to go and pick up five pieces of litter, and present it back to the staff member, before binning or recycling it. Then they rejoin the game.  It becomes a great game of cat and mouse for the kids, who love peeking around the corner, calling out our name, and then running off in the opposite direction!

But it’s fun, simple and effective.

Our school Open Day to celebrate Education Week had a brilliant day with students, parents, volunteers and members of the community sharing in a great and informative day around our school focus on the Kitchen Garden and Sustainability. Students, staff and guests rotated through a number of activities, including a solar energy workshop, composting, cheese-making, tree planting (75 planted!), Garden art, Story telling by local elders and of course, cooking up a storm!

The menu for the day was Pumpkin soup, garlic bread, and magnificent pizzas. Every child, staff and guest enjoyed a sumptuous meal together at the end of our two workshops. What a fantastic day!

Special thanks go to our guest contributors and workshop presenters, to all the guests, staff and to Ms Sharyn Morrice for co-ordinating the day. Great job! A special thanks go to parents, Jo and Anita, who also pitched in to help clean up the mess.

What’s happening in the garden?

Due to our fantastic open day, garden classes were something which members of the whole school community took part in last week. It was great seeing so many people, adults and children of all ages busy in the garden, getting dirty and having fun interacting with each other. And it was such a beautiful sunny day as well.
Now that the winter is really starting to set in, the use of a hot house to provide a warm environment for the germination of seeds is highly recommended. Seeds will always germinate quicker if they are kept moist and the temperatures of the soil and air are higher. Seedlings are best kept in the same conditions until ready to plant out, as the warmth will give them a faster growth rate. Before planting you will need to let them harden off outside for about a week. This means giving them time to get used to the outdoor temperature and conditions before planting them into cold soil. In the
absence of a hot house a sunny kitchen or bathroom window sill works well.

I was fortunate to share morning tea yesterday with Heather, Robyn, Tracey and Phil.  They gave up a couple of hours of their valuable time to provide feedback on incursions, excursions, sport, swimming and camps.  Please have a look at the minutes of our meeting (attached) to see what they felt about these important extra curricular activities.  Thank you very much to these parents for sharing their thoughts and suggestions.

I get very stressed when I hear of students arriving at school without having had breakfast.  Even at my great age I have to have breakfast to start the day off right and to give me the energy to do all the things I need to throughout the day.  The word breakfast actually means ‘breaking the fast’, that is, the long sleeping time when your body has not eaten for up to ten hours.  Your body cannot function properly without food so how can children be expected to learn and grow without the right fuel to make it happen.  Please ensure that your children are fed before they come to school.  You do not need to spend a lot of money on breakfast cereals, the cheaper ones are usually the best for you, e.g.  Weet Bix.  And don’t forget that all students are welcome to have breakfast at school on a Tuesday and Thursday morning.  It is free and there is plenty of variety.  The only rule is that they be finished by 8.50 am.

Next time you are up at school please take the time to look at our beautiful shade sails over the playground equipment.  Wowee!  It’s been a long time coming but it has transformed the area into a colourful and fun place to be.

Until next week …

Anne

While it’s been great to have the recent rains, all of us are still aware of just how critical our dam levels are. But it’s great to report just how much of an impact we are all having in saving water. At the school we have been enthusiastic participants in the Water Learn it, Live it! programs, and we know that families at home have also been making significant changes to reduce water consumption, and to Make Every Drop Count!

At school our students do this every day – we used 38% less water over the last twelve months than we did in 2006 – a fantastic result. In total, our inititatives since the start of last year have now saved over 350 thousand litres. Keep it up Wessie! But did you know that you can now save water online? Savewater.Com.Au is running a competition for children to play an educational game about water saving and conservation, and you could win one of five ipods. Have a look at Mission H20 and see if you can help Sprinkles, – the character here – and her family save water. See how you go!

Pastor Luke