Tending To Our Winter Crops

To finish off our enviro lesson today, the middle school tended to our winter crops . We fed the orchard and vege gardens with worm tea. Can you see our baby apples and just germinated broad beans?

Room 16 hunted down worms to go into our vege patches. We found big fat gray excavator worms. Their tunnels will make the soil light for our veges' roots to grow through and easy for water to soak into.

Room 18 also thinned the carrots we had planted last term, so the ones that are left will have space to grow huge. The carrots we picked were sweet, crunchy and delicious.

What's your favourite winter vegetable?

Road Safety Week Link

Sunnyhills School participated in NZ Road Safety Week.  We are featured in the Road Safety Week report which is co-ordinated by Brake.  Click on the link and check it out

Link to check out the report in which Sunnyhills features

Enviro Group Reflecting on the the Presence of the Enviroschool Guiding Principles in our School

The Enviro Group have been reflecting on the the presence of the Enviroschool Guiding Principles in our School.  They looked at changes we have seen in our school since becoming an Enviro School.  They started the session with a revision of what the guiding principles are using our Enviro display in the library.  (The guiding principles are outlined in child speak on this display).  They then brainstormed and categorised their ideas under: Place, Practices, People and Participation and Programmes.

Enviro Group Working on Re Visioning For Sunnyhills

The Enviro Group have been sorting and sifting through all the wonderful ideas that have come from the classes.  From these they will identify our  next projects.

Compost Lasagne

Our Fruit Alphabet

Today in the Junior School, we were learning about all the different varieties of fruit.

We investigated the fruit growing in our orchard, read 'Apples A to Z', ate apples and even created our own fruit alphabet. Did you know xigua is the Chinese name for watermelon?

We're growing our own fruit for a sustainable future. What food do you grow at home?

Travelwise Central Primary Lead Teacher and Student Development Workshop Brainstorming Session

Central Primary Lead Teacher and Student Development Workshop

Before we attended the leadership day workshop we had to brainstorm and prepare our ideas on a road safety issue/problem our school is currently experiencing.  We chose traffic around our school gates.

·         we talked about what we already knew about the problem/issue/activity from observation and experience.
·       Next we thought about possible solutions.
We noted these all down and brought them to the workshop for the planning activity in the afternoon

Year One Classes Road Safety Sessions

As part of 'Road Safety Week' the Year One and Two classes had a class lesson with Constable Merv and Marianne from Auckland Transport.  They learnt how to cross the road safely using a pedestrian crossing and to be aware of sneaky driveways.  Very important messages - especially for all the students who walk to school regularly.

                                                   Messages for drivers around schools

Do the Rot Thing: Compost Critters

This term the middle school are learning about how important our big 5 decomposers are to a sustainable future. Without worms, insects, mould, funghi & bacteria to biodegrade waste, we wouldn't have lovely nutient rich soil to grow our food in. Did you know all food comes from dirt? Doubt it? Ask a middle schooler to tell you how.

Today we went compost diving to find out more about the insects and mini beasts hard at work breaking down our scraps.

Comment below if you've got a worm farm or compost at home ☺🌍

New Worm Bin - Very Exciting!

Last week our new worm bin finally arrived.  Our bin was sponsored by Prolife Foods.  Colin McPike talked to the Middle School about the bin and how to care for our worms.  He then worked with the Room 21 worm bin monitors to ensure they know how to feed the worms correctly and operate the bin.  It is a very exciting addition to our Edible Garden Area

Students listening to Mr McPike

                                                           The Worm Bin Monitors

Stepping Out Programme - Junior School

As part of Road Safety Week all the Junior School classes at Sunnyhills Primary School are learning how to cross the road safely. 

Room 21 Year 2

Constable Merv and Marianne showed us pictures of zebra crossings, drive ways and cars parked on the road. We talked about how we need to - stop, look, and listen at the crossing. Then we talked about how to walk sensibly and cross the road safely. Sometimes we need to hold an adult’s hand when crossing to be safe and it is important that we walk across the road even with if we have skateboards or bikes. It is also important that we use the pedestrian crossings when we cross the road.

We went outside to practice safe road crossing at the zebra crossings, driveways and sneaky driveways. It is important to look front, left and right and behind before crossing.

At the crossing, you need to stop, look, and listen BEFORE you cross the road. You need to check if the cars have stopped by looking at their wheels.

Travelwise Update

Constable Merv worked with the Sunnyhills Travelwise group on Monday.  They have decided to that during Road Safety Week they will conduct a survey and record how many drivers are parked illegally at both school entrances.  This will be followed up[ with a survey to find out how the students get to school and a study of times taken to to walk to school within various circumferences.  Long term the group hopes to encourage more students and parents to walk to alleviate congestion around our school entrances

Black gold for our 'Trees For Survival' seedlings

Our wonderful worms have been happily munching our lunchbox scraps and creating lots of lovely nutrients.

Today the Greenfingers Gang with Mrs Daniel & Mrs Venville used the black worm tea to fertilise the Trees for Survival seedlings. What an awesome use for unwanted banana peels and apple cores!

Meet Bernice

Meet Bernice the butternut squash who has been helping to teach our Junior children all about plant lifecycles this week.

We read about Bernice in the picture book Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow. It's a funny and sweet book about a girl who really likes vegetables. We talked about how plants grow and what they need.

We also sang One Seed by Lairie Berkner. It's got a great enviro message:
https://youtu.be/jDtehB-BpIA

Lastly each Junior class weeded, composted, dug in the soil and planted a winter vegetable in the edible gardens.

We planted:
- kale
- peas
- broccoli
- cabbage
- pak choy
And we even planted butternut squash, so Bernice will have more friends.

We can't wait to watch them all grow and eat them!

The Greenfingers Gang Plant & Harvest

At lunchtime today the Greenfingers Gang planted savoy & globe cabbages for our winter crop. Afterwards, we harvested sweet red capsicums to take home and share.