Scooter Day

Scooter day was set up to encourage students to travel to school using wheels, in order to reduce vehicle drop-offs,  in turn lowering carbon emissions. It was also a day to promote safety when using Scooters.

Tree Restoration Program - 'Save the trees' - by Andreas Wijngaarden

'Save the trees' - Andreas Wijngaarden

Andreas did this for his movie elective.

Environmental Expo - Immersion

The last session of Raroa's Enviro Expo week -  Rm 20 and 21.

Room 17 Visit the Hall

Room 17 students investigate making alternative containers out of recycled objects.

Environmental Focus - Out the back of Waikuku

Here I am standing not very far from Waikuku Lodge where we are going camping next year. 

100 years ago all this land was in original forest cover - mainly beech and kamahi forest. All the trees were cleared for farming by the late 1920's and the area intensively stocked with sheep and cattle.
 In 1965, in two days over a metre of rain fell. The landscape collapsed and much of the surface slipped and was washed down into the valley. The farmers had to give up their farming and the NZ Forest Service took over control of the land. 
This land is recovering slowly, after nearly 50 years it is covered in succession forest - scrub. It will be another 150 years or so before it will start to look like it was in the beginning.
There are lots of areas in NZ where the clearing of the original forest cover has created erosion problems.

The art programme is developing an environmental theme as its part in the Enviro focus. We will look at the roll of the forest, why trees are important in the environment and man's impact on the landscape.

Nigel Brown will be one of the artist models we will use. He sometimes makes art statements about environmental issues and often uses words in his paintings. 
Also - Eric Lee-Johnson and John Holmwood are two artists that often focused on the old trunks and stumps of what was left of original forest cover in their paintings.

Room 19 and Room 18 - '100 % Pure' Debate'

Room 19 Immersion session.

Room 12 Immersion

Where will we begin?  Room 12 had so much fun at the Raroa Enviro Tour today that we did not want to leave!  We have so many ideas buzzing about that we are going to collaborate on Padlet to share our Aha! moments and our questions from today's tour.

Here are some photos of us getting stuck in:

                 

School Wide Environmental Focus.

Tou rourou, toku rourou, ka ora te iwi

                         (with your contribution and my contribution we will thrive)

This week the whole school is involved in a focus on Environmental sustainability.

The school wide focus commences with the Environment Immersion/ Hook week or Expo week. It involves many contexts:

Conservation; Sustainability; Ecosystems; Biodiversity; Pollution -recycle, reuse, reclaim, Climate Change, Human Impact; Endangered Species Native plant and animal life; Water issues et al.

To promote authentic learning in our school and to make connections with the outside world, we are pleased that the following Stake Holders have agreed to be a part of the event. They will display their resources alongside our Action Stations.

They are:

• Meridian Energy - Mini Wind Turbine and Solar Panel 
• Sustainability Trust 
• Capacity - Aquarius display 
• Sustainable Coastlines - Container 
• NZ Hygiene - Biodegradable products 
• MyMojo - Biodegradable Stationery 
• Emergency Compost Toilets 
• Commonsense Organics - Food 
• FutureInTech - Science Career pathways 
• Goodnature - Science Researchers 
• Lindsays Apiaries Johnsonville - Bee Keeper 
• Forest & Bird 
• Department of Conservation 
• Ignot Metals Porirua 
• WWF Organisation NZ 
• Island Bay/ Taputeranga Marine Reserve

Our aim is to encourage our students to problem solve and to come up with innovative solutions to environmental issues.