Week 5

This week we are lucky to be starting our 'Waste Management/Composting' unit.  This week we have two sessions with Simon Calcinai from KCDC on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.  He has emailed the Te Aramoana teachers and we are going to need the following for some of the activities;

·        Homework: We will be making mini-worm farms during lesson three. Students will be asked to bring from home a clean 2L milk bottle, and some compost ingredients (preferably in an ice-cream container or similar). As backup, I will have spare milk bottles, and we can find some compost ingredients around the school (e.g. leaves, grass clippings, shredded paper…) I will give a reminder during lessons one and two.

AND ON FRIDAY........
Arbor Day
Planting Trip to the Pharazyn Reserve, Waikanae Beach, on the 6 June

Each year, 5 June is Arbor Day. This day is also called World Environment Day. For the seventh year in a row, the Pharazyn Reserve Focus Group has invited primary school pupils from Kapanui and Waikanae Schools to be involved in planting  at the Reserve.

This Friday (6th June) children from each of the Te Aramoana Syndicate classes will travel to the reserve by bus, and parents are welcome to travel by car and join us to assist with the planting.

Before the Pharazyn Reserve was named, it was the Waikanae Waste Water Treatment Plant. Over the last eleven years since decommissioning, the ponds and immediate surrounding areas have been undergoing a natural sanitation process.  The entrance to the Reserve is located at the junction of Rutherford Drive and Paetawa Road, Waikanae Beach, and extends from the eastern side of the ponds to the beach.

The Pharazyn Reserve Focus Group was set up nearly a decade ago from public nominations and since then planting and planning has begun around the pond areas, based on the 20-year Management Plan for the Reserve.

Over the last few years about 6000 grasses and flaxes have been planted by school children along the eastern and southern sides of the southern pond.

This year more grasses and flaxes will be planted in a different area of the southern pond.

On the day

Class groups will spend approximately ¾ hour on site. Along with planting plants and maybe mulching, there will be a talk and planting demonstration. The children will also be given an opportunity to look at how the plants planted in the past few years have grown. Members of the Pharazyn Reserve and supporting groups will be supervising and helping the children to plant.

It will be important that we keep to the scheduled times of arrival and departure as children will be coming and going all day as we have other pre-arranged activities at school. Please note that Rooms 6-7 will need to leave before 9 o’clock so those children will need to be at school early.

Rooms	Leave school by	At reserve	Return by	Teachers
6 & 7	8.50am	9.15-10am	10.15am	Mr Corlett/Mrs Lumsden
5 &10	10.25am	10.40-11.30	11.45am	Miss Shaw/Mrs Cameron
18 &19	11.55am	12.15-1pm	1.15pm	Miss Lake/Mrs Fearon

Children may want to wear older “gardening clothes” to school and change into tidier clothes they have left at school on their return.

What to bring on the day - It can get quite muddy down there so Gumboots/ Jacket/ /plastic bag for gumboots etc.                                       

Parking - Follow the all-weather track through the gate to around the back of the brick building to where you will see the helpers / students.

Safety - Planting will be next to the water in the southern pond. If needed, all KCDC vehicles have first aid kits and KCDC staff  are trained first aiders. Children will be able to wash their hands after planting.