WORM JUICE AT GORE MAIN

Our worm farms are beginning to produce worm juice!  We are so excited!  Last week during the smarts programme we decided to turn the nozzle on our worm farms and see how much juice flowed out.  We got 5 litres.  We put a note in the newsletter asking for 1.5L plastic bottles so that we can bottle the juice and begin to sell it.  We have got a lot of work to do, designing labels etc for the worm juice but we are excited about our new endeavor.

We turned the nozzle on our worm farms and out flowed some worm juice!

Fill up that container!  Yay!  Our worm farm is working!

Worms!

Adding paper to our worm farm to keep them healthy!

Smarts 2013

Gore Main School runs a 'Smarts' programme each fortnight on a Friday afternoon.  The Envirogroup are a team of 'Nature Smart' kids and this time is a great opportunity for the group to come together and implement new projects or enrich existing ones.
Check out our photos to see the things that we have been up to at this time...

Planting out winter flowers!

Adding more colour to the school planter boxes

Good work team!  The polyanthers are planted!

Another project that we have been busy doing is creating a brand new garden just outside the office.  The BOT at Gore Main School approached the Envirogroup with a concern.  Many children were jumping off a ledge within the school and hurting themselves.  They thought we could build a garden around this dangerous area and that this may stop children from hurting themselves  It would also provide some more beautification around the school!  WE LOVED THE IDEA!  The first thing we did was investigate the plot where our new garden would be.  After that we went to the local garden shop and spent time with the shop assistant talking over what plants would be appropriate for the spot.  We really want to encourage native birds into our school so the garden assistant suggested native plants.  We selected some plants ourselves!  We purchased some good soil, dug it in and then with the help or our caretaker Mr Sleeman planted our new plants.  Our garden is not yet finished because it is work in progress but it has stopped children falling off the dangerous ledge.  We look forward to growing our own annuals or little plants to plant in our new garden.  Good work Envirogroup!

Tipping soil in the new garden area!

                                                                           Tidying the soil before the planting!

                                                                   Check out our beautiful new native plants!

                                                                             The soil was sandy!

                                                                                 Digging holes for the native plants!

Planting flax

                                                                                           Putting plants in!

Visit from Pat Hoffman - Envirogroup co-ordinator

On Tuesday the 9th of April the Gore Main School Envirogroup had a visit from Pat Hoffman.  Pat is our local Envirogroup co-ordinator (Southland).  She spent the morning with our Envirogroup and talked more indepthly about Envirogroup 'guiding principles'.  She challenged us as a group to talk about projects we had done and how the guiding principles formed our ideas or outcomes.  For example how does our worm farm meet the guiding principle "Living for sustainability"?   This really made us think and it was very worthwhile.  We had many opportunities to talk and discuss our thoughts and ideas. We went over the silver paragraph with Pat because our goal this year is to achieve Silver!  We thought that we were achieving a lot of the requirements for Silver already!  We thought that an area that we could certainly improve on was including or giving back to our community.  We talked about our vision map and the Envirogroup added some more ideas to our 2013 vision.  The children enjoyed having morning tea with Pat and finishing the day with a "smell scape" (putting things like flowers or twigs into a paper cone, smelling it, then describing the smell of your environment).  Thanks Pat.  Check out our photos!

Pat going over the silver paragraph with the Gore Main School Envirogroup

Envirogroup!

The guiding principles easily fit into the things we do!

Looking through a frame at things...  

The Envirogroup showing Pat around...

The Envirogroup 2013 at Gore Main School!

Tuakana/Teina

As part of the "Milk for Schools" programme Gore Main School has been using the Tuakana/Teina approach to learning (a more able other supporting a less able other).  The Room 8 senior children spent time each day in the junior classroom' Room 2'.  The would drink their milk together and then the older students would guide the younger students through the process of folding and recycling their milk carton!  Well done guys...  this is what the Envirogroup is about... a whole community approach to our learning! Check out the photos!

Fonterra 'Milk for Schools'

The Envirogroup have undertaken a huge responsibility this term.  They are independently running the 'Milk for Schools' programme at Gore Main School.  This is a wonderful leadership opportunity for the members of the Envirogroup and also a good chance to spread messages of recycling, sustainability and responsibility for our selves and environment.

The Envirogroup began the 'Milk for Schools' journey by visiting each class (9 classrooms) to explain the programme and show children and teachers how it would look in their classroom.  They gave each child one of the 180ml milk cartons to drink and then showed them how to fold the cartons and where to dispose of these for recycling!  Each classroom enjoyed the presentation and this has proved successful because everybody seems to know what they are doing!  

The Envirogroup is also responsible for...

• Delivering the milk each morning to every class at Gore Main School (over 200 children)
• Going round the classes to pick up and re-refrigerate any milk that was not drunk (absent kids etc)
• Ensuring the milk fridge is kept stocked and rotated
• Checking the recycling bins and ensuring these are not overflowing

We have received a visit from Fonterra and they have advised us that we are doing everything really well within the school!  Fantastic Envirogroup!  You are amazing leaders!

The Envirogroup with their 'Milk for Schools' cartons.  We also had a visit from a Fonterra Milk Tanker driver who explained the process of Cow to Carton!  

Rueban and Liam

Part of being an Envirogroup member at Gore Main School is to spread the message of 'sustainability' and provide ideas about how we can make our place 'better'.  An easy way to get different messages across to a wide range of people.... is to TALK IN ASSEMBLY!  Rueban and Liam recently performed a small skit in front of a 'full house' assembly.  They spoke about "GOOS" paper (Good on one side) and how we can use paper that has writing or drawing on one side, by using the OTHER side!  They made up a saying "Use the goos!"  It is great to see that many teachers at Gore Main School have Goos paper bins in their classrooms for children and teachers to use.  This is a rich 'sustainable' practice.  Good work!

Script

Mrs M talking…

Liam goes to put paper in green bin

Rueban:  STOP LIAM!  That paper is Goos paper!  Goos paper means   it is still “Good on one side”.

Boys looking at each other

Liam:    Oh yeah… I can use the other side for drawing or writing.

Liam writes on paper and shows it to the audience

Liam and Rueban (loudly):  Make sure you use the goos!! 

›Good on one side

Good

On

One

Side

It is paper that can be turned over and used on the other side for drawing, writing or practising!

Please use the goos!  Reuse paper!