Green School news:

The Green School Committee have been working very hard during this first term. Here is some of what they have been up to:

GARDENING:

We have a new gardening committee, and we have a plan!

SAVE THE DATE: THURSDAY JANUARY 18^th 1-5pm

BIG GARDEN CLEAN-UP BEHIND THE PARENTS’ ROOM. ALL BIG AND SMALL HANDS-ON DECK PLEASE!!!!

The new gardening committee are asking for help on that day to reclaim the garden into a pleasant space for everyone. Anyone interested in joining the committee contact Ms Carton or Ms Byrne.

COMPOSTING :

Two parents, Aoife and Emer and Ms Carton and took part in a 5-week course provided by Offaly County Council with Craig Benson, a master composter. He visited the school and met with the Green school Committee and the Gardening Committee. We have a new leaf cage where we are gathering all our leaves and making compost for our garden. All our food waste is now composted through the commercial brown bin. We will start on-site composting some of our food waste again when we get a wormery next term. We have gloves, a rake and a fork if people can help.

PLASTIC:
We did a survey of all the plastic we use in the school. We are all trying hard to reduce the amount of plastic we use. We made a big sign for the PE hall asking people to say no to plastic. We met with Jill Bradbury and they are looking at different ways we can reduce the amount of plastic we use in the school lunches. For those people who send in lunches from home, please try to send in healthy food that does not come packaged in plastic. Plastic is especially harmful to our planet because it cannot bio-degrade or rot and stays around for up to thousands of years. At the current trends, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2030. If you need to use plastic, please use it over and over again, and recycle it properly when you are finished.

WALKING TO SCHOOL:
We always encourage as many people as possible to walk/cycle/scoot to school as often as possible. This Thursday 21^st of December 2023, some of the teachers will walk in from Applegreen on the Clara Road. We will leave at 8.30pm. You can join us at any point along the way.

Approximate times are …..Applegreen 8,30; Roundabout 8,34; Entrance to Carraig Cluain 8.38; Srah Industrial Estate 8.40; Knockowen 8.41; Moorefield Cottages 8.43; Moylena 8.47; Maple Grove 8.48; Redwood 8.50; Dolans/Arden View 8.52; Arden View Resource Centre 8.56; Scoil Eoin Póil II Naofa 8.57; St Joseph’s 8.59am Don’t worry, we will be in school in lots of time for the Santa Dash around the school!

RE-USED ART SUPPLIES TORLLEY:

We have a trolley in the corridor outside room 17 where people add and take supplies as they need them. Cardboard that has a white side is particularly useful. There will probably be lots of paper and cardboard that could be used as art supplies in houses after Christmas. Especially if there is white-sided cardboard, please send it in and have you child place it on the trolley outside room 17, if their own teacher is not going to use it immediately. Many thanks.

MINIMISING AND SEPARATING WASTE PROPERLY:
Reduce – use less, buy less, share things.

Re-use – use it again and again.

Re-purpose – use things in lots of different ways.

Repair – Fix things that are broken instead of buying new ones.

Rot – If it is organic, make sure to compost in the brown bin.

Keep remembering that if you are finished with something, try to use it again rather than buying something new. When you’re totally finished with it, please.

recycle it if you can (clean and dry plastics, paper and rolled up tinfoil) and if not, the last resort is the rubbish bin which goes to landfill. We will have a bin competition with the classes in the new year.