VSGA Award submission Outdoor classroom 2015 St Mary's Primary School Hampton

St Mary’s Primary is a Catholic school including 305 students in Hampton, VIC. We offer an educational experience designed to inspire community values, personal wellbeing and academic achievement. School Motto: Friends, Family, Community – together we grow

School Goal To create an innovative outdoor learning and recreational zone for the school community by start Term 4, 2015 To continue to develop and integrate our new Veggie patches into an active part of school curriculum To complete landscaping of complementary learning and recreational zones surrounding the area of our veggie patches into a dynamic and unique learning and recreational zone within the school grounds

School Attributes & Achievements Our learning platform, aims to develop a deep understanding within all students, taking them beyond simple acquisition of knowledge, to deeper understanding of concepts and ideas. Offering a safe and comfortable environment with a focus on dimensions of learning, students can take away positive attitudes that will make them effective learners for life. St. Mary’s is an outward facing school that values meaningful links with both the school community as well as the wider community. The tireless effrots of our parent group has enriched this community link with local businesses as well as the Hampton Rotary club.

Student involvement The Year 4 Community has embedded their role as ‘caretakers’ for the garden as part of their Inquiry learning. Students have been allotted into ‘Garden Groups’ and have taken on various responsibilities such as sourcing materials, organising fundraisers and investigating environmentally friendly pest control. The students eagerly await the completion of the current landscaping project, so to continue their learning. As part of their exploration of our Catholic Identity and their role as stewards of the earth, the students have made connections from the garden to environmental sustainability as well as our schools carbon footprint. Through the use of our worm farm and compost system students see their actions making a difference to the future of our school and our world.

Parental Involvement P&F school committee successful in partnering with Hampton Rotary group to create 3 x new vegetable patches Parents, teachers and students prepared and planted veggie patch late 2014/early 2015 Volunteer group of parents assist teaching staff with outdoor class lessons plus help maintain garden during holidays and term. (ie weeding, watering, holiday rosters) Coordinated fundraising activities in school community to purchase new equipment, seeds, seedlings etc for development and maintenance of the vegetable garden patches

Parent/teacher presentation to Hampton Rotary Parent runs propogation classSchool community veggie patch planting day

Teacher Involvement Through our school garden the teachers have been able to stimulate authentic inquiry skills within the students. These include: Purpose based reading tasks to research. Daily problem solving. Internet research skills. Extending use of four operations in maths. Budget planning and costing of materials. Communication and group work. Presenting to whole school about the garden project. Meeting with school principal to discuss plans proposed by students.

Community Involvement Special thanks to external organisations who have contributed towards the development of our new veggie patches and further development of our outdoor classroom & recreational area through donations, discounts and their time – Hampton Rotary Club – Melwyn Garden Supplies – The Diggers Club – VGSA Turf grant & Lilydale Turf – Teachers Mutual Fund – Bunnings Thankyou Letters to Hampton Rotary from Grade 4 community

General Appearance St Mary’s Primary Veggie Patches

General Appearance & new developments underway: Outdoor classroom zone Before (June 2015) Planned completion start Term 4

Outdoor Learning Zone Plans – completion due Oct 2015

Outdoor classroom Special Garden Features and new developments Veggie Patches (completed start 2015) Due for completion Start Term 4: Discovery Grove – rocks, native plants, sand. Sensory Garden - smell, touch, feel, sight, sound. Weaving pathway Art corner – painted bollards Ampitheatre Natural turf area Water tanks and drip system installed

Ground Facilities Our new outdoor classroom area will provide a flexible space for learning, plus active and passive play Ampitheatre (teaching area, active performance area, seating, lunch and social zone) Art corner – quiet play zone Discovery grove and sensory garden – interactive and explorative play areas Grassed area – provides alternate natural surface to other hard play surfaces in school yard. Quieter play zone.

Thankyou