Well, I think it's safe to say our Eco-Committee smashed it again this year! They've been an informed and enthusiastic bunch with lots of great ideas!
Back in October, we had our first meeting and chose our 3 topics to cover: Energy, Marine and School Grounds.
In March, we had a fun-filled Ocean Protectors Day, where the children took part in various marine themed activities in class, including creative writing and crafts. Each class was also given a cardboard template to work on which went towards creating a display illustrating the problems with single-use plastics. Everyone came to school dressed in blue and donated money to the Marine Conservation Society. We raised £163.20 for the charity.
Before the Easter break, the Eco-Committee announced their plan to ban glitter in school. Glitter is a microplastic that harms wildlife, especially when it gets into our waterways. This ban led to a Glitter Amnesty. We invited staff and parents/carers to add any jars of glitter they wished to get rid of to a box in reception. We collected up 3 boxes full in just 2 weeks and disposed of it safely so that it couldn't get into the environment.
In April, the Eco-Committee won Thatcham Town Council's Environmental Champion Award. The award was in recognition of the our "incredible ongoing work achieving various awards through both Eco-Schools and Plastic Free Communities". The award was presented by Mayor Mark Lillycrop in a special assembly.
In May, we took part in No Mow May by leaving areas of our school grounds unmown. We also encouraged parents and carers to take part at home.
Outdoor Classroom Day also took place in May. This is something the school takes part in every year. This year, classes made the most of our wildflower meadow and outdoor classroom for their outdoor learning. The children rotated around different outdoor areas taking part in 1 English, 1 Maths and 1 wider curriculum activity.
This month, we are promoting Plastic Free July. Some of our councillors chose ideas from this challenge and we have shared these on our Facebook page.
Throughout the year, we have also been working on reducing the amount of energy we waste in school, focussing especially on classrooms and shared areas. In January, classes worked on energy saving posters which have been displayed by light switches and computers around school. These are aimed at reminding us to switch of electrical items that aren't being used. The Eco-Committee also carried out energy spot-checks each month from January to June.
We also donated 163.8kg of food and essentials to the Food Bank and took part in 30 Days Wild. Whew!
It has been a whirlwind of a year but I think we can be really proud of what we have achieved. Well done team eco! 💚🌍
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