On Friday 27 March, we had our first 2015 Enviro Council meeting with 22 very motivated and environmentally passionate students.  After introducing ourselves, we discussed why our classes may have chosen us to represent them on our Enviro Council.  The reasons included:
*  We have a passion for the environment and helping it become an even better environment.
*  Students could see that we are people who care.
*  We will be great role models.
*  We are responsible and can be trusted.
*  After our class speeches, students could see we have passion and enjoy the environment.
*  We have a lot of environmental knowledge already.
These genuine reasons make for an exciting year ahead.

Introducing ourselves to each other at our first meeting.

We chose the Cultural Gardens for our group photo.  This was
our first Enviroschool project that students began planning in 1998.

During writing sessions in Room 5, we have been learning about the incredible annual voyage of the small godwit bird.  They travel from Alaska to New Zealand and back to Alaska again to breed.  This is such a long way, about 12 000km one way.  Wow!  What clever birds.  We found out the dangers to the godwits and why people need to know more about them.  We hope you enjoy our posters.

Today was fun for our group who care for the 

backyard garden.  Last week, we harvested the

corn, peeled and and froze it ready for today when we cooked it and ate it.  This corn was really tasty, so sweet!  

We also taste tested two chutneys made from ingredients from our gardens and our Hukanui Honey.  There was a spicy chutney and a sweeter one.  We used apples, apple cucumber, onions, vinegar and honey.  Half of us like one of the chutneys the most and the rest of us liked the other one.

It is great to cook things that we have eaten right by the Living Room where we grow things.

Grandma Sharon helped us.  She also explained the history of corn and where it comes from.  

We are lucky to plant, cook, eat ant learn about foods in our own gardens.

For the fourth year, Fairfield Rotary Club have supported our school's sustainable projects.  Mr Kitto and Mrs Jones from the Fairfield Rotary Club came along to the Year 5 and 6 assembly on Friday 20 March 2015 to present Sarah from the 'Seeds and Backyard Garden Group' with a cheque for $200 to go towards encouraging others to be involved in sustainability at our school and to keep our Backyard Garden going. We are very thankful for this recognition of our community and student work and we enjoyed hearing how the Fairfield Rotary Club helps other groups with their projects.

2015 continues our tradition of student involvement in ongoing and new projects.  The students pictured below are this year's 'Seed Group'.  They continue to help in student gully restoration and propagation of native ecosourced plants.  This action has been sustained for 13 years.  These students also care for our relatively new vegetable and orchard area (started in 2010).  Not only do they plant and harvest their own fruit and vegetables, but they also eat their food and put excess food on the Community Table.  What a great team they are.