By Tanya Faulkner
A local school teaching its kids the value of the environment, has come away with a grant to improve the schools’ biodiversity.
Park Ridge Primary School is a recent recipient of a 2023 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant, with goals to beautify the school and improve the environment on site.
The total grant awarded is $4,139.73 to go towards the schools’ landcare and biodiversity projects over the coming years.
Park Ridge science teacher Jessica Deans said receiving the grant has been three years’ in the making for the school, and has encouraged them to rethink their school project.
“After talking with my principal, Mr Dale Blythman, about our smaller Rewilding Our School project, we decided to explore a larger scale biodiversity project as part of a 3-year whole school gardening project,” she said.
Ms Deans said the school has collaborated with the Knox Environmental Society and Bird Life Australia to come up with improvements under the new project, inspiring wider collaboration for the students and school community.
“We realised that the plants we had were attracting larger aggressive birds and had minimal habitats for the smaller birds and animals.
“We had several areas earmarked for future planting projects and decided to design an area that would contain local natives, be wheelchair accessible and include different textures in the native plant section.
“The Landcare Biodiversity Grant seemed a natural choice for this project,” she said.
The project pays homage to the natural environment of Knox, with a focus on local flora and fauna to be used throughout the project.
Ms Deans said they also want to use the project as a chance to educate their students about biodiversity and garden maintenance.
“We have selected a range of plants that are threatened or endangered within the Knox area, specific to Rowville that are the right size for smaller bidrs and animals, and with a range of texture types for sensory play for the students.
“We will be building raised garden beds to make them accessible for our wheelchair students.
“We’ve also requested funds for an incursion to educate students about Australia’s Vanishing Species through Black Snake Productions so they learn the purpose of the garden and the need to care for its ongoing maintenance.
“Our Year 5 and 6 students will participate in the incursion and will present what they learn in a newsletter and at assembly for the younger students,” she said.
Knox locals are also set to benefit from the schools’ project, with Park Ridge providing opportunity for threatened species to grow and thrive, which Ms Dean said will help the overall local wildlife.
“We believe it is important to start teaching students about biodiversity and the little ways that we can all help so that the students can have a healthy, biodiverse planet to live on,” she said.
Ms Dean said Park Ridge Primary school has been working on developing a school culture that promotes environmental sustainability over recent years, through the implementation of several groups amongst the pupils.
“We now have The Garden Club; Environmental Leaders, I Sea I Care which has been running for a number of years now, and our Early Act group, who have just used their fundraising to get all of the classrooms new recycling bins for paper and cardboard.
“We have introduced science as a specialist subject this year, focusing on student agency when it comes to environmental issues and the small steps they can take at home to help the planet,” she said.
Not only are students participating in landcare and biodiversity for the school, they are also being encouraged to participate in national environment campaigns to broaden their impact in the community.
MS Dean said the students have taken on several projects this year, some more frequent than others.
“Students participated in Clean Up Australia Day, have developed posters on a range of environmental issues, and have been given the opportunity to be involved in a Think Tank Expo to develop innovations for current and future industries with a focus on sustainable environmental practices.
“Our Junior school have also started running Waste Free Wednesdays and compost collection to feed our work farm at school, which then feeds our veggie garden,” she said.
However, despite the excitement and enthusiasm of their current students, particularly those as part of the Garden Club, Ms Dean said some of the students may miss out on the long-term results of their upcoming project.
“Unfortunately our Garden Club members for this year will only get to see the fruits of their labour when they visit the school.
“The up-and-coming Environmental Leaders for 2024, and our current Year 5 students, will be seeing the project through,” she said.
