Kitchen Garden Launch
On Monday 4 August, National Science Week commenced and the theme for 2014 is ‘Food for our Future: Science feeding the world’. In keeping with this year’s theme, a range of activities were designed, which culminated with the launch of a kitchen garden at the School on Friday 8 August.
Each year, the Australian Science Teacher Association (ASTA) offers funding to help schools carry out their activities. This year the School successfully obtained funding, and with the help of local businesses was able to purchase garden beds, seedling mix, seeds and gardening tools. In addition to this, a donation of fifty native plant seedlings was obtained from NMIT Fairfield campus which will be planted in the garden.
The aim of the kitchen garden project was to involve students, staff and parents and encourage them to grow their own plants and herbs, looking at plant sustainability and plant diversity. The Food Technology team has also been involved and will use many of the plants that will be grown in their Food Technology classes with Year 7, 8 and 9 students.
The Year 8 students have completed a Unit on Growth and they germinated herb and vegie seedlings under various growing conditions. Volunteer students from Years 7 to 12, in conjunction with staff in the Library, have been making biodegradable paper pots out of newspapers during lunchtimes since June.
An ‘Environment Pillar Student Committee’ has been formed and will take over the management of the garden.
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