School Highlights

Enviroclub

The first meeting for the year was in Mr Clerke's room on Tuesday 3 February. The District Environmental Council has met with some exciting projects coming up. Participating schools decided to grow seedling vegetables and to share them with other schools at the meeting in Term 2. The Council also looked at energy conservation and producing a short video or powerpoint about all the good environmental work that has been going on in schools to present to a selected audience in Term 3.

On Tuesday28 April the Burdekin Schools Enviro Council met with some exciting prospects being raised at the meeting. A Burdekin Shire Council spokesperson talked about the Low Carbon Diet Project that all schools can be a part of and afterwards school representatives exchanged vegetable seedlings that they had prepared for the meeting. Next term each school will present a video of what’s been happening in their school.

Also in the near future judging will take place for the Green and Healthy Schools Competition. EASS has been successful in the last two years and hopes to pick up some awards again this year.

The judges from the Green and Healthy Schools competition were here on the 9^th June and were very impressed with everything that’s happening at East Ayr School. The judges were also concerned when told of the fate of our 50 plus year old cocky apple tree, however were happier when told that cuttings would be taken to attempt to strike some new trees from the local landmark. Classes and teachers had their photos taken giving their favourite tree a hug before the loppers came in to clear the space to make way for our new hall. Work began on the site last Thursday.

Next semester we should see our solar electricity system installed on the roof of “A” block and our vegetables will be picked and eaten. This unit will provide enough power to run one full block and hopefully monies raised in the future can go to providing more solar panels to extend our capacity.

Our worm farms are also doing well from the food scraps collected from fruit snack times in many classes and at lunchtimes.

Recently our two district Enviro council members Jade Fletcher and Georgie Kiloh presented a short power point presentation of the environmental work being done at EASS to the meeting held at Burdekin Christian College. The Council is gathering support with a number of local community groups coming on board to support the council. The month of September was off to a good start when Georgie Kiloh and Jade Fletcher attended a special meeting at the Council at the BSC Chambers. Here, Mayor Lyn McLaughlinl presented the council with the "Young Legends" Award that the BSC won in relation to the annual Tidy Towns Competition.\

Congratulations to all the Students and Teachers at East Ayr State School on collecting the Minister for Climate Change & Sustainability’s LOW CARBON SCHOOL Award as part of the 2009 Green and Healthy Schools Award.

We received this award for all the tree planting we have done at the Ayr Racecourse. Jade Fletcher and Georgie Kiloh travelled to Townsville with Mr Kiloh to receive this award on behalf of our school.

Well done everyone. This award will be on display in our Office foyer.

Below is a copy of the award as read at the presentation.

EAST AYR STATE SCHOOL

The school was successful in gaining funding from the Enviro Fund program to start its Carbon Sink program. Tree planting days were organised and in December 2008, in extreme heat conditions, students started by planting 5000 trees. For each vehicle used to transport the students to the disused racecourse site 17 trees were planted. This is the recognised standard for 12 months of carbon trade from vehicle emissions.

This amazing school effort will certainly set a standard, not only for local school communities, but around Queensland and beyond to carbon neutralise vehicles.

Recycling

Recycling Programs are up and running with worm recycling bins being placed in all eating areas.

Our aluminium can collection will be collected and weighed each Tuesday and Friday and parents are asked to crush the cans to make it easier for members to bag them.

Keep those cans rolling in as we attempt to beat last year’s record of 2.1 tonnes.

Clean Up Australia Day

Friday 27 February is Clean Up Australia Day for schools, and classes will be cleaning up around our school grounds. Parents are reminded to send along a pair of rubber disposable or gardening gloves for this activity.

Class Gardens

Class gardens will go ahead again this year and if parents would like to get involved, keep in touch with your child's teacher.

Tree Planting

The Prep classes and their buddies recently attended National Tree Day for schools and used the occasion as a fundraiser. Not all money has been returned to date and a reminder to those children in 5A, 5B, 6A and the Prep classes to get your money in by this Friday. All fundraising will cease from this date 28 August. Once that is done we can send away for those well earned prizes.

Vegetable Patch

Our vegetable patch is taking shape with Mr Clerke and Mr Williams planting some peas, tomatoes and spring onions in the last couple of weeks. We also thank Mr. Timms who has done an excellent job rotary hoeing the site in readiness for this year’s crop.

How good is our veggie garden looking at the moment? With our overhead sprinkler system running well the colour of the vegetables shows just how healthy the garden really is.

We thank Mr Timms for installing our latest sprinkler system around the seedling benches at the back of his shed. The fine mist sprays have been set up to keep all cuttings and seedlings moist. Some candlenut seeds collected from our schoolyard have already been potted while more native seeds will be collected in second semester. These plants will help supplement our tree plantings at the Carbon Sink project.

The veggie garden is doing gang busters with a lot of vegetables being harvested lately. Sweet corn, lettuce, tomatoes, eggfruit and peas have been divided up amongst the eager enviro clubbers who have been turning up on a Tuesday afternoon.

Flick the Switch for Earth Hour

For one hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm on Saturday 28 March the whole of Australia is being asked to "flick the switch" for Earth Hour. We are encouraging all East Ayr families to do the same again in 2009.

Earth Hour, the World Wildlife Fund's global environmental initiative, aims to raise awareness of the climate change issue and makes it possible for individuals to take action and reduce greenhouse emissions. It is a global call of action to every individual, every business and every community - a call to stand up, to take responsibility and to get involved in working towards a sustainable future.

All households are encouraged to participate by switching out their lights and turning off non-essential electrical appliances. It is important to register your participation on the Earth Hour website in order to make your action count. For more information on hiow to register and how to participate visit www.earthhour.org/