Devon schools sustainability bulletin #25 September 2016

Your bulletin on composting, gardening, recycling and sustainability in Devon schools.

Devon Schools Sustainability Bulletin #25

September 2016

Welcome to the September edition of the Devon Schools Sustainability Bulletin! You will see this has a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle theme as it is ‘waste less, live more’ week from 19^th – 25^th September. Do pass this on to others who may be interested, and if you are not already signed up you can do so here.

News
Resources
School visits and workshops
Events and CPD
Funding

News

Fundraising event kits

We have 'free to borrow' kits to support give and take and clothes swap events. Raise funds for the school: you could either charge an admission fee for the event or a nominal fee per item taken. For more information contact Recycle Devon via: info@recycledevon.org or 01392 382266

Win a selection of environmental books

We are not quite at 1000 subscribers to the Bulletin, and so are still offering a selection of recycling and environmental

children's books to the 1000th subscriber. Do forward this on to others who might be interested and see if they win the books! Click to sign up.

Entries invited for Extreme Imagination Festival

Extreme Imagination is an annual literary festival based in Exeter. Entries of poems, short stories and illustrations are invited from yr 5 and 6 pupils, and young people from all Devon schools, on the theme of the Environment. Find out more about it and how to enter here.

Resources

3R's 'how to' best practice guides

So you recycle in your school, but what about the more important Rs: Reduce and Reuse? Download these helpful guides for you and your pupils; you can save resources and the school some money.

What you can plant and do in your school garden this half term

This half term is mostly about harvesting and getting beds ready for winter. There are a few fast crops you can sow now such as lettuce, peas (with a cloche), radish, rocket, oriental salad, and spinach. It is also a good time to sow 'cover crops', such as vetch or grazing rye, in any beds that are going to be unused over the winter.

All of the Food for Life/ Garden Organic schools resources, including their fantastic growing manual, can be found here.

Recycle Devon website for teachers

Visit zone.recycledevon.org, the exciting waste, recycling and composting website for teachers. The site features free downloadable teaching resources designed to help staff and pupils incorporate the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) into classroom teaching and the day-to-day life of their school.

Composting in School: A Practical Guide to Composting Food Waste!

The updated booklet Composting in School: A Practical Guide to Composting Food Waste is now available to download. It includes new case studies, a section on reducing food waste and more on composting just raw food waste, which is a good starting point if you are new to composting food waste.

The Compost Curriculum

Once you have your composting up and running make sure your school has its free copy of the Compost Curriculum Handbook. It has primary curriculum linked activities learning about, and using, nature's wonderful compost.

The handbook is free to Devon Schools (sorry not Torbay and Plymouth schools). To request your hard copy contact Heidi Diepold at recycle@devon.gov.uk or teachers can download it from the log in area on the website.

School visits and workshops

Experience the sights, sounds and smells of waste

School tour of a recycling centre and Energy from Waste (EfW) plant. On this eye opening trip schools visit the Recycling Centre in Newton Abbot in the morning and the EfW plant in Exeter. The visit is available for year 4 and above pupils only. A maximum of 35 pupils accompanied by 4 adults. Charges are £3/ pupil, adults are free. See here for details and available dates this term.

Resource Futures waste education workshops

The Devon Waste Education Programme, subsidised by Devon County Council, delivers a range of school workshops. All have strong cross-curricular links including science, maths, literacy, geography and PSHE. See the brochure of activities here. The cost of workshops to Devon schools (excluding Torbay and Plymouth) is £65 + VAT per day. During a day’s visit they can deliver up to three workshops, plus an assembly if required.

Composting as a learning resource

Devon schools are leading the way in composting their organic waste and using it as a valuable learning resource, with a range of support from Devon Community Composting Network (DCCN). We can offer free school visits, support and training to schools in Devon and Torbay (not Plymouth). Composting can provide hands-on learning opportunities for pupils of all ages Whether your focus is mini-beasts, habitats, climate change, gardening or persuasive writing. See the flyer and website for details of the support available or email melissaharvey.dccn@gmail.com.

Events and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Training and events calendar

This section features events and training run by the Devon Waste Education team, Growing Devon Schools and Devon Education for Sustainability Working group members. See the full training and events calendar for other CPD and events in the region.

Growing Devon Schools Forum day

The next Growing Devon Schools Partnership forum day will be taking place on Friday 4th November, at Wilcombe Primary School in Tiverton. For more details see the flyer and the Growing Devon Schools website, and to book email admin@growingdevonschools.org.u k.

Sensory awareness adventures in the natural world!

Growing Devon Schools Partner and Earthwalks Leader Mark Jeffereys is leading this one day training on September 20th near Totnes. Ideal for people working with Early Years / Key Stage 1 / and children with special needs. See here for more details.

Level 2 and 3 Forest School training

Devon Education for Sustainability Working Group (DESWG) member, Tamar Lakes Forest School, Kirkhampton, are running level 2 and 3 Forest school training courses. The training runs through the year with dates in every season, allowing trainees to build up their portfolio with seasonal activities. Alternatively all dates can be booked individually for practitioners to extend their skills or have a taste of Forest School. Contact louise@tamarlakeforestschool.co.uk for further details.

Funding

See below for some funding opportunities coming up. The Zone website also has details of more grants and funding available for schools environmental and sustainability projects.

Cutting Your Wasteline grants

Would you like money to help reduce the amount of rubbish your school creates and / or promote waste and recycling education? Devon Authorities now offer schools in Devon and Torbay (sorry not Plymouth) the opportunity to apply for a grant for up to £1,500. Details can be found here. The next deadline is 7th October if you would like composting equipment, and 4th November for the completed application form. Contact Heidi Diepold on recycle@devon.gov.uk or 01392 382920 for more details.

Learn from other teachers: School skill share visits

Teachers have the opportunity to learn and share practical ideas via a ‘skills share visit’. Devon waste education team will facilitate a visit to a nearby school that is successfully composting and/or recycling to meet teachers and pupils who run the schemes and gain practical ideas to implement back in your school. You can also apply for your expenses. Contact Heidi Diepold on recycle@devon.gov.uk or 01392 382920 and see the flyer.

Avivia Community Fund

The Aviva Community Fund offers support and funding to causes that make a real difference where you live. Schools are eligible for the funding of up to £25,000. Submissions close on 11th October. Find out more here.

Next bulletin...

The next bulletin is due to come out in November after the half term break. If you have any case studies, news, ideas or resources relating to sustainability in schools that other teachers might be interested in, please send a short paragraph (up to 75 words) and a picture to melissaharvey.dccn@gmail.com by Monday 31st October.

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

Contents