Dear Parents,
As you know, we in St Catherine’s are hoping to be awarded our 4th Green Flag in June 2016. The theme for this 2-year programme (2014-16) is biodiversity.
This term we have two initiatives happening in the school which we would like you to be familiar with and be involved in.
Also, if you have any expertise in the area of biodiversity and/or have ideas, please let us know. It would be wonderful to have parents on board.
1) Biodiversity Day: Wed 17th Feb
The aim for this day is to create awareness of biodiversity throughout the whole school.
We had a similar day last year – the theme was creepy crawlies and the children dressed up.
This year we are going more global and our theme is endangered species. As next year’s green theme is global citizenship (2016-18), we would like the children to start thinking about plants and animals outside Ireland and, for the older classes, the impact we in Ireland have on their habitats even though we are far away.
This is what we have planned for the day:
– The children will be encouraged to dress up as an endangered species, either from Ireland or other areas of the world. (Please don’t all be pandas!) There will be a prize for the best costume in each class, and special prizes for particularly environmentally friendly costumes (i.e. made from junk or recycled materials).
– Each class will pair up with its buddy class and watch a documentary on endangered species.
– A large world map up in the hall where children can show where their dress-up animal comes from.
2) Biodiversity class projects
Between now and May each class will be completing the following biodiversity projects:
JI: Bug hotel in back yard
SI: Bee/butterfly meadow in front yard
1st: Vertical gardening (all over school) – hanging baskets/bottles/bags with bee-friendly flowers
2nd: Bird feeders and bird-spotting signs
3rd: Biodiversity wall display for the hall
4th: Sensory garden
5th: Bat boxes
6th: Guerilla gardening (making seed bombs, and going outside the school grounds to throw them in wasteland areas)
Thanks in advance for your support with all these activities.
Kind Regards,
The Green Committee.
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St. Catherine’s National School, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 4542679