General News
19 July, 2023
New funds support thriving school garden
STUDENTS at St Thomas’ Primary School recently received a boost to their efforts to create a community garden.
STUDENTS at St Thomas’ Primary School recently received a boost to their efforts to create a community garden.
The school received funding thanks to a grant from Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants, which provides up to $1000 towards projects inspiring students to care for the environment.
St Thomas’ Primary School teacher Annalise Bouchier said the grant would support the development of the garden, which gives students a wide range of educational opportunities.
“The garden gives students the opportunity to learn more about sustainability and caring for the environment,” she said.
“The students have access to the produce so they learn more about nutrition and healthy eating, which included recently hosting a soup day where we made soup using vegetables grown at the school.
“Once a week classes have the opportunity to get out there in the garden; they love putting on their gloves and raking, planting, harvesting and weeding.”
Ms Bouchier said the funding would go towards supporting the installation of a watering system.
“The watering is a big task at certain times of the year,” she said.
“If we could put in a self-sufficient watering system it would be easier for students to spend more time learning.”
A wide range of foods are grown in the garden, depending on the season, which includes pumpkin, lemons, beans, strawberry and beetroot.
Produce grown from the garden is also available for students and parents at the school office, with donations available to Project Compassion through Caritas Australia, which raises funds to help alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in vulnerable communities around the globe.
Ms Bouchier said the project was not only about giving back and having fun outside the classroom, but ensuring students had the opportunity to learn more about agriculture and the environment in a practical capacity.
“The expected environmental and educational outcomes of the project include observing how living things change and grow, learning the basic needs of plants, biodiversity, and sustainability,” she said.