Green Schools

2008 - 2009

In February 2009 John Furlong (Windward Energy) came to the school to do a workshop for the children and teachers. We learned some fascinating facts re: energy to help us with the green schools programme. See pictures below:

We are still continuing with good practice that was set up last year. We are continuing with:

• Separating waste
• Composting
• Shredding paper
• Reusing paper
• Recycling
• Healthy Lunch Policy and Lunch Surveys
• Double Sided Photocopying

The Green Team has been selected and see them pictured above.

Back Row L to R: Olwyn, Tom, David (Joint Secretary), Caolach (Chairperson), Cal (Joint Secretary) , Lisa.

Front Row L to R: Evan, Tracey, Megan, Kate, Rachel.

This year we are studing ways of saving energy in our school and community. To start us off, we went on a trip to St. Mary's Credit Union in Navan to see how they save energy in their very energy efficient building. We were very impressed and also inspired us to what can be done. We are saving energy in our school by:

• Lights (turning them off when not needed)
  
• Doors (keeping them closed to conserve heat)
  
• Stand by (no computers are left on stand by)
  
• Heating turned down (to suit the seasons)
  
• Heating on but all windows closed (to conserve heat).

See and read more about our Credit Union trip at Trips

In February the children in Mrs. Curtis's room did some art with Kay (Pete's mammy). They made windmills which was a great way for them to learn all about wind energy.

Read more and see more at Art

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Ms Bernadine Carry, Environmental Awareness Officer visited our school on April 24^th 2007. She talked to us about The Green Schools Programme and explained how important it is to look after our environment. She explained that schools who wish to look after the environment can enter a project called the green flag. She outlined 7 steps necessary to be followed in the project and advised us to register with An Taisce (which we are doing). Green flag 1 is all to do with litter and waste management in the school. We have now started our project and hope to enter it next year.

Bernadine brought us gifts to get us motivated and up and running. She presented us with various books on composting and recycling. She also brought 2 composters and a wormery with worms for our brand new garden. She gave us litter pickers sand refuse bags for litter collection.

Bernadine Carry (Environmental Awareness Officer) with pupils!

You'll be in trouble if you drop litter in Rathkenny with these litter busters about!!

We are getting good use of our composters already!

Green Team 2007/2008

Pictured below:

Green Newsletter 1
September 2007
The new Green Team for 2007/2008 are:

Chairman: Jack Gore.
Secretary: Ben Gore.
Other Team Members: Christopher Meade, Lee Connolly, Aoife Curtis, Stephen Crosbie (all 6th Class), Simon O?Neill, Cal Commons (both 5th Class), Caolach Halligan (4th Class), Megan Lynch (3rd Class), Lisa Gore (2nd Class).
Teachers: Mrs Curtis and Mrs Coogan.
We will be having a green day soon in school (10.00am- 1.00pm).
It will be quite soon and we will give 2/3 days notice.

To be ready we would like you to:
1. Start collecting items to sell on our stalls e.g. toys, books, games, etc. that you don?t use any more- but check with your parents first before donating. Please bring these into school the day before.
2. Pick any blackberries etc. to make jam for the organic stall or maybe you have vegetables or apples in your own garden that you can donate.
3. The food stall would like items with a green flavour e.g. green icing on buns/cakes, cherries and smarties.
4. As regards dressing up you can come all in green or with an outfit made from recycled materials and then you can be any colour, ideas i.e. fairy, robot, pirate, cowboy, flower, bug. You might even like to name yourself. There will be prizes for your efforts. So enjoy getting ready!
5. Shopping costs will be kept very low so get collecting change and bring a safe purse with your name on it that day. There will be a face painting stall run by K.McCabe (Pete?s mum).
6. If any parent or granny wishes to run a raffle or a stall e.g. guess the name of the teddy, please let the school secretary know.
7. If you have any plastic/ paper bags that you don?t want they would be useful as shopping bags on the green day- please send into Cal Commons. Clean jam jars can be sent in to Aoife Curtis and plastic bottles to Stephen Crosbie.

The Green Team

Green Newsletter 2
October 2007

• Our Green Day was a huge success and we all had great fun though we were very busy! The outfits were brilliant but sadly everyone could not win a prize. The judge (Noelle Hickey) found it very difficult to choose winners! Prizes were awarded and a big thank you to Bookwise and Record Sleeve in Navan for sponsoring the vouchers. We raised ?380 on the day!
• At the Green Day we promoted our theme for Green Flag. 6^th class all gave a little talk on our recycling efforts (paper, phones, cardboard, lunches).Paper: We shred all waste paper and it is used by Collon Animal Sanctuary for bedding! If you would like to help us to reduce still more please send your e-mail address in to the school secretary. Our suggestion box is at the front door as are boxes for batteries, stamps and phones so please donate!
• Following a recent survey (see details on overleaf) on lunches our new priority is to achieve wasteless lunches (that is to reduce significantly tin foil, cling film, kitchen roll, cartons, plastic bottles).

We already compost left over food (not meat).

Our suggestions are:

1. Lunch boxes with dividers or your old big lunch box with smaller ones inside to hold biscuits, chopped fruit etc.

2. A reusable drinks container that can be washed (not a plastic bottle) with your name on it.

Last but not least: A huge thank you to all parents, grannies, granddads, relatives and friends that helped out with everything on the day and in the many weeks before green day!

THE GREEN TEAM!

Green Day

Please see photos of the green day below!

Junior Infants!

Senior Infants!

First Class!

Second Class!

Third Class!

Fourth Class!

Fifth Class!

Sixth Class (I think!)

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Our Green Team Slogan/Logo Competition was won by Aoife Curtis and Stephen Crosbie.

Stephen’s entry was ‘Let Nature’s beauty be seen, Keep it green!’

Aoife’s entry was ‘Cut out waste with haste!’

Well done to both of them!

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Our 1st Green Flag Project on litter and waste management was sent to An Taisce in early March. Picture of Green Team with project (Jack Gore missing).

5/5/2008 Our project was highly recommended by An Taisce.

23/5/2008 Our school got its 1st Green Flag today! Jack Gore, Ben Gore, Stephen Crosbie and Ms Coogan attended the award ceremony at TailorsLane in Dublin and we are pictured recieving the flag from Bernadine Carry Meath County Council. We will now put up our poles and look for a celebrity to raise our green flag. See photo below!

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Flag Raising Ceremony

On Wednesday 11th June we had a flag raising ceremony with special guest Mairead McGuinness MEP. Fr. Stanley also attended. It was a very proud morning for us as all our great work paid off. See Photos below!

The green team pictured with Mairead McGuinness, Ms Coogan, Ms Curtis and Susan Gore.

Fr. Stanley with the group.

Maureen gets help with the European Flag from Mairead McGuinness and Fr. Stanley with all her class mates looking on!

Mairead McGuinness enjoys a teddy bears picnic with some of the Junior Infants!

Everyone having fun showing our visitors around our award winning garden!