WINTERS FLAT SUSATAINABILITY JOURNEY
LETTERS OF SUPPORT on WATER
Student Support statements for Water
Early Years Students
We learnt not to waste the water or people won’t have any left. Iestyn Yr 1
I have learnt that water is really, really important. If we did not have water we would not be
alive and the grass would be dead. Ksenya Yr 2
We have learnt not to waste water and this makes me feel happy. Molly Yr 2
We use water tanks to save the rain water. Monty Prep
At school l have learnt not to waste water and to turn the tap off because we need water for
food, drinking and for the plants. This makes me feel confident about what I’m learning.
Yohan Yr 2
I understand that when you are getting a drink and don’t turn the tap off you are wasting
water. Kiki Yr 2
Australia is a dry country. We must not waste water. We have fixed all our taps to stop
dripping.Robbie Yr 2
When l have a shower l be really quick and when l have a bath l have a small bath. I always
turn the tap off. Sam Yr 2
I enjoyed working with Rob in the sandpit. We learnt about how to collect water and to care
for it. Noah Yr 2
Middle Years Students
At school we have water saving assemblies were we put on plays and sing songs. Gus and
Aleara Yr 4
We have signs all around our school to remind us to turn off the taps when we are not using
them. We also have lots of tanks that we use to water the plants. Eadie Yr 3
We always enter posters into the National Water Week poster competition. We have had
some students win. Lucie Yr 3
We always try to save water at our school. I learnt about the water cycle too. I think it is a
good thing to learn about when you are young. Chloe Yr 3
When you wash your hands or drink from the bubble taps to water goes down the drain but
we save it and use it on the garden. Lulu and Jannali Yr 3
Senior Years Students
Water was brilliant to learn, focus and research about. Especially since we have 5 water
tanks. We try hard to save water. Darien Yr 5
At Winters Flat we try to save water by bringing our own water bottles to schools. If we
forget and use the taps we try not to let them run for too long. Tilly Yr 5
We have lots of education on water and we have had lots of help from Coliban Water. We
learn about how plastics are affecting our water and marine animals. Billa Yr 5
At school we turn off taps after we use them, we have water tanks around our school and if
we don’t NEED water, we simply don’t take it. Jamie Yr 6
At school we have saved an enormous amount of water because we turn of taps when they
are not in use, we bring our own bottles of water from home and we use tank water in our
garden. Maisie and Shae Yr 6
9 February 2016
To whom it may concern
Letter of support ResourceSmart Schools Awards
As part of my role as education officer for Coliban Water and representative on the Loddon Mallee
ResourceSmart consortium I have the pleasure of assisting schools in our region working towards
accreditation in the water module.
During first and second terms last year we were invited to present a number of elements of our
education program over three days at every level from P-6 at Winters Flat Primary School.
Activities included students designing water systems for a community, understanding sustainable
water use and demonstrating a 'catchment' in the school sandpit.
In addition, at the school's initiative, we were given the opportunity to develop a new water audit
activity with a grade 3-4 class. This was a collaborative effort involving Coliban Water and staff and
students at the school. The activity was further trialed at a second Resource Smart School. As a
result we now have an activity beyond our regular program which we can offer to other schools
committing to the water module.
The school participates in the Victorian Government’s Schools Water Efficiency Program which
tracks water use using a data logger. The school has been quick to act on alerts saving more than
1.18 million litres of water to date.
Students from Winters Flat Primary School regularly participate in the annual National Water Week
Poster competition coordinated by the Victorian Water Industries Association and have enjoyed
outstanding success both regionally and at state level.
The school is exemplary in its approach to sustainable vegetable gardening. A regular competitor
in the local Buda Schools Vegetable Gardening Competition the school has hosted the annual
Schools Harvest Dinner where parents and teachers from participating schools come together and
share a meal prepared by students incorporating vegetables grown in the garden. Also the school
is taking a lead in the community by selling wooden crates to promote the use of wicking beds to
reduce water use in the garden.
My association with Winters Flat Primary School goes back fifteen years and in my experience the
school has always been prepared to embrace sustainability in the curriculum and in practice then
model this to the broader community.
I would highly commend Winters Flat Primary School as deserving of recognition through the
Resource Smart Schools Awards
Yours faithfully
Rob Krober
Education Officer
Parent Letter 1: Parent
5/08/15
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my appreciation for Winters Flat Primary School’s effort in
embedding sustainability throughout the curriculum.
The school’s ‘Nude Food’ policy has led to me to always send my son’s school lunch and
snacks without packaging. Having these habits in place extends to making all our family
lunches packaging free. I had become used to seeing students’ lunches ‘nude’ and was
recently surprised to see how much more waste and processed food is around in schools
where this policy is not in place.
I am grateful for the school’s collection of used batteries for the Mount Alexander Battery
Exchange program. I wasn’t aware of how to dispose of used batteries properly, and now I
bring them in to school whenever I find we have some. They keep appearing in old toys and
remotes… We now only buy rechargeable batteries and this also is a direct result of a
former Winters Flat student (now in year 9) energetically explaining to me the harm caused
by disposable batteries and telling me how I could buy a charger and rechargeable batteries
at the IGA.
I think it is great that the whole school composts their rubbish. It heartens me to see food
waste being composted, to see the compost bins in the classrooms, and to see the students
understanding and participating in this process. It was wonderful to see the students
building layers in one of the composting bays, shovelling and chatting. My son’s class has
been responsible for the worm farm and it has been interesting hearing about it from him.
The sense of ownership and valuing of the worm farm that has come from this responsibility
has impressed me. He has explained to me what foods worms don’t tolerate well, and this
has changed what I put into our compost at home.
We still have the poster our son designed for Water week up on our wall at home. I believe
that asking students to design something to inspire others to understand and use water
wisely teaches the students responsibility for teaching others about sustainability as well as
to be mindful of their own practices.
Our family learned about Orphund through Winters Flat Primary, and this led to us donating
used clothes and study materials to them. It also served as a starting point for discussions at
home about consumer goods, and the differences between first and third world lifestyles
and consumption.
My son enjoys the gardening program very much, and I get to hear a lot about the chooks,
and how they are cared for by Terry and the students. I think this kind of experience is very
valuable in building students’ understanding of and care for some of the creatures we share
our planet with. I believe that the awareness of how food is produced that comes from long
term participation in a gardening program, across seasons and years, is a very valuable
understanding for students which cannot be gained from theoretical studies of food
production. I am very grateful that Winters Flat makes this available to the students.
The SAKG cooking program has had a large impact on our family. SAKG has contributed to
my son’s love for cooking. The program has offered him many opportunities to develop his
cooking skills which have meant much to him, including participating in the Festival of Lamb.
Sometimes he cooks dinner for our whole family. His enjoyment of the classes led me to
volunteer as a parent helper. I also learned a lot from the classes, which improved my
cooking skills, and our family eat a more fresh, seasonal and local diet as a result.
Our family enjoyed visiting the Fridge Henge exhibition in the Castlemaine State Festival.
We went more than once, and our son showed us the WFPS fridge and explained what was
in it and why. I was impressed by the health and environmental messages communicated in
Fridge Henge, and particularly by the Winters Flat fridge and how the students had a sense
of ownership of its content.
There are no doubt more aspects of Winters Flat Primary School’s sustainability practices
which have positively affected our life, but these were the ones which came to mind first.
Yours faithfully,
Jane Taylor
Support Letter 2: Parent
To whom it may concern,
Winters Flat Primary School has an exciting and accessible approach to
sustainability that reaches throughout the school. Students not only learn about what
sustainability means in a global sense, but are encouraged to take action within the
classroom, the playground, at home and in the community. Solar panels, water
tanks, 'lights off' signs, a beautiful kitchen garden, a chicken coop, waste
identification charts and a newly planted 'forest' are just a few of the visible signs of
the school's commitment to sustainability action.
I have two children at the school and both have been involved in the Stephanie
Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. As well as cooking beautiful healthy food, an
important part of this program is learning about gardening (planting and caring
for the garden), seasonal changes (what fruit and vegetables are in season), waste
management (water care, composting, caring for chickens) and biodiversity
(observing all the plants and animals around us).
Composting, recycling and waste reduction are a part of the daily classroom routine.
Every classroom has a waste system (compost, recycling and landfill bins) that is
maintained by the students. Students are further encouraged to minimise waste
through a whole school 'Nude Food' policy that discourages packaging in school
lunches. My children have admonished me for putting packaged muesli bars in their
lunch boxes, clearly the idea is reaching beyond the school.
It is exciting to see this sustainability program flourishing. My children turn off lights
around the house, use a shower timer and show an interest in their environment. It's
great to see the students empowered to make changes.
Katie Kilgour
5/7/15
Support Letter 3: Class teacher 3/4
To Whom it May Concern,
As a classroom teacher at Winters Flat Primary School I was asked to reflect on
the impact, achievements and changes that I have witnessed in our school over
the past two and a half years. I thought- ‘crikey’ what on earth could I write??
So I sat down at my computer and spent such a wonderful time trawling
through two years of incredible photographs which was a pictorial testament
to the work that we had been doing and the achievements of the students. As
they say, ‘the pictures tell the story”.
During this time our curriculum focus has been in the area of Water,
Biodiversity, Energy and currently Waste. I feel that the ‘themes’ have been
truly embedded into all areas of the curriculum, Literacy, Maths, Science, Art,
Kitchen/ Garden program and even Health and Physical education.
Curriculums have been built and expanded at each level within our school.
At school level, changes such as installing water tanks fed, from the drinking
taps, sustainable/edible/cultural Gardens developed, Removal of rubbish bins
and the establishment of a 3 way waste system in every classroom/staffroom
established, a culture of nude food prevalent among students and staff, the
establishment of defined areas for each classroom to care for and overall a
general ‘corporate culture’ of pride within our school.
This year the student Leadership has been developed and expanded, with an
expectation on students to take on greater responsibility and roles within our
school community, this has led to a louder student voice and a collective
feeling of belonging and responsibility from all the student body. The elected
students have accepted their roles with full sincerity, and pride, and are
achieving incredible things.
On a more personal level I have to admit that I am a ‘consumer’ and was really
quite ignorant in the area of sustainability so this has been a massive journey
of learning for myself also, with the students leading the way and teaching me
in reciprocity. I am proud to say I now have a recycling bucket and a ‘Chook’
bucket in my kitchen for food scraps.
So…. A journey began!
How exciting to be part of an adventure where students, teachers and families
are all learning from each other.
I am excited to think, where next….
Karen Brooks
3/4 Teacher
Winters Flat PS
Support Letter 4: Parent
6/8/2015
To Whom It May Concern
I would like to express my support for the Resource Smart – Sustainability Program at my
children’s school, Winters Flat Primary School in Castlemaine, Victoria. I have been very
impressed with the opportunities for learning that both of my children are exposed to in
years 3 and 6. Some of the issues they have learnt and have brought home to talk about
include; waste management, renewable forms of energy, global warming and biodiversity.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is another part of the program that
enhances this learning further. Both of my children love it and bring home great ideas and
recipes as well as a better understanding of where good food comes from.
Some more examples of sustainability that the school is promoting include a greater
awareness of unnecessary packaging by encouraging “nude free” lunch boxes, walk or ride
to school days, annual tree planting days, conscientious heating and cooling options,
reduced power usage, solar panels on roofs, rain water catchment, compost buckets in
classrooms, small general rubbish bins, recycling bins, chickens, fruit trees for shade,
awareness campaigns, “care for” areas, that includes picking up rubbish and general pride in
their school surrounds.
These are some of the many ways Winters Flat is encouraging its students to be more
mindful of theirs and their parents’ impact on the earth and I think it is wonderful. Thank
you.
Kind regards
Libby Twigden
Support Letter 5: Parent
7 August 2015
To whom it may concern
I am writing in support of Winters Flat Primary School’s application to the ‘ResourceSmart
School Awards’.
One of the aspects of Winters Flat Primary School that we most value is the school’s ongoing
and genuine commitment to engaging staff and children in a range of environmental and
sustainability issues, including reducing energy and water usage, reducing waste, and
increasing biodiversity in the local school environment.
My children have participated in a number of sustainability themed projects and activities in
the 18 months since coming to Winters Flat. They talk about these activities at home—it is
obvious that they are really thinking about the issues and see them as important, as well as
enjoying what they are doing.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is a powerful way of switching kids on to
sustainability and health issues. It is also provides enjoyable, hands-on learning through
which they can develop a range of social, team work and practical skills. This sort of holistic
and approach to learning is really effective.
It is fantastic that the school’s ‘Leadership Program’ gives individual students opportunities
to take leadership roles in implementing sustainability initiatives within the school, and that
some of the school initiatives are reaching out into the wider community, so that students
can experience how they can be active members of society and help bring about positive
change.
I feel lucky to be part of the Winters Flat community, and hope that the school will receive
support to continue and expand its sustainability program.
Yours sincerely,
Nicola Fortune