Bandonbridge N.S.
Green Schools - Working together for a sustainable future
creative planting
fruit for the birds
Autumn 2021
Green School Committee 2022-23
6th: Hannah Conlon, Molly Tyndale, Ryan Nixon
5th: Lina Beecher, Anneka Cave
4th: Aurelia Zychowicz, Grace Wilson
3rd: Mihai Gheorghita, Saoirse Fairbairn
2nd: Ross Sweetnam, Bonnie Aspell
1st: Maia O'Gorman, Billy Appelbe
This year the Green School committee will be working with Mr. Ryan on the new theme: Global Citizenship - Litter and Waste. During the year, the committee will be leading teaching and learning across the school with the younger classes focusing on the local environment and the older classes learning about how our choices affect the wider world and learning about some of the interesting projects around the globe to tackle the issues associated with litter and waste.
In addition, each classroom will be maintaining an area of the school ground, ensuring it is encouraging biodiversity. Junior Infants are decorating the new bug hotel in the garden area. 5th class are renovating and restocking the original hotel behind the school. They will also be working on weeding and planting the area at the front of the school. Senior Infants have begun adding new planting in the pots at the front of the school. 1st class are working on the Picker Pals project so we look forward to hearing what they get up to. They will also be maintaining the wild flower area too. 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th classes have been harvesting their beds and will be getting those ready for the winter.
The committee is delighted to be working with BEAG, Bandon Environmental Action Group, Bandon Tidy Towns, Muintir na Tíre to ensure our school in committed to the local community.
In the summer term, the committee met to discuss our application for our Biodiversity flag. The committee assessed the work being done in class on the new theme as well as ongoing work on the earlier themes. It was agreed to delay our application until April 2022 to allow more time to work on the theme. Any additional class time is currently being used to keep up with literacy and numeracy, as a consequence of the large amount of time out of the classroom due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
On the return to school in September 2021, 3 new committee members were elected to replace children who have left the school. The children who were part of the committee for the last 2 years explained the work of the committee to date, focussing on ideas which had been put forward but had yet to be worked on.
The committee decided that it was important to proceed with improving the biodiversity in the school grounds through planting: possible vegetable patch, native fruit trees, flowers to attract bees etc.
A parent in the school who is a tree surgeon, Danny Pullin, removed some dead elm trees from the front on the school. They could have blown down in a storm and caused injuries or damage to the fence.
The school received a donation of €200 to fund trees balls under the Bugs, Bees and Native Trees initiative. A parent in the school, Anna Roycroft, met with Ms. Giles to identify areas of the school grounds to use for planting. She will visit a sustainable nursery to source good quality trees to suit the soil, aspect and space available. It was decided to replace some of the trees along the stone wall to the rear of the school. Some of these were vandalised some years ago and it would be good to complete the line of trees. Having removed dead trees from the boundary at the front of the school, it would be good to plant some new trees there: rowan or ash would be good.
It was thought that planting an oak tree on the unused grass area at the front of the school, surrounded by a fairy ring of wildflowers would be a legacy tree for the school. The committee suggested 6th class take responsibility for this area as their legacy to the school.
The Parent Association will take responsibility for co-ordinating this initiative. Trees to be planted early in the new year.
The committee suggested a spring flower growing competition. The children would learn about different spring flowers which attract bees and other pollinators. They learned about what a plant needs to grow. Each classroom used a slideshow to learn about their bulbs, with older classes encouraged to research more information. Classrooms planted the bulbs provided and kept records of the planting and growth.
Classes blogged about their planting and the progress of their flowers to share with the wider community.
Spring 2021
6th class were learning about Invasive Plant Species and their effect on the biodiversity in Ireland. You can click on the links to see some of their work. Maybe it will help you when you are chosing new plants for your gardens and to identify the species which damage our native landscape and impact on native flora and fauna.
Before Christmas, Rang a hAon have worked hard on the area of life cycles which the Green School committee set for them. They have studied both the butterfly and the frog life cycles. They have watched videos, completed worksheets, drawn their own cycles along with making a lovely large poster as part of a team. Please see our photographs below.
Autumn 2020
We had a competition to design a habitat to encourage Biodiversity.
5th and 6th classes designed amazing bird houses. In the spring, they will build bird boxes for the school grounds.
3rd and 4th classes designed a vegetable garden. In the spring and summer, the classes will plant some vegetables in the school.
1st and 2nd classes designed a pond and will be in charge of keeping our school gorounds litter-free.
Junior and Senior Infants learned about mini-beasts found in the school grounds: butterflies, bees, ladybirds, woodlice and snails.
Bandonbridge National School
Green Motto 2019/20
Junior and Senior Infants
✓ Please stay green, to keep our planet clean.
1st and 2nd class
✓ Rubbish needs to go away;
clean air needs to stay.
3rd and 4th class
✓ Don’t use plastic, you’re fantastic.
✓ Keep cleaning until the world is gleaming.
✓ Biodiversity is the way,
so don’t let nature go astray.
5th and 6th class
✓ Plant a tree, to help to save you and me.
Compiled by all classes in Bandonbridge N.S.
in December 2019.
Autumn 2019
The first project is mapping the school grounds, identifying areas of biodiversity within the school grounds and also areas for development over the 2 year programme. Antonia will work with the committee on this activity.
During November, we are working on: Litter and waste.
The Green Committee are going to be out looking for people picking up rubbish and minding the school grounds and the class with the most ‘climate cards’ will get a big cheer in assembly and a certificate. Climate cards will be handed out by 6th class green committee members, Kate C and Elliott.
Classes in the school will be working on biodiversity topics in their classes. Then we will have a competition to select the school's Biodiversity Motto and Illustration.
The children took did a global awareness survey and some of the committee are working on graphing the results.