Dear Colleen, I just wanted to extend my sincere appreciation for the help and support given to make our ‘Tree Day’ last term such a success. We managed to plant just the trees within two hours, which was a HUGE achievement. Most of the school were able to come together in the paddock next to our school to assist with planting trees and to enjoy the great outdoors. 

It was an honour to have Simon Mulqueen from F. W. Barnes and Sons to drop by to view our tree planting. He was given a guided tour by a few of our students and he was astounded at the students’ knowledge of the environment and their enthusiasm. I think it is fair to say that Simon was very pleased with the planting and spoke of the rare chance it was for him to see his company making connections with children. 

It was a great opportunity to see the students putting their learning into action, and listening into conversations between children from across Prep to Year Six was rather insightful. I feel most privileged to be sharing their environmental sustainability journey with them,  and know from the conversations overheard, they do indeed have a deep knowledge of the earth and environmental sustainability and the important part which they all play in the future of this wonderfully diverse plant that we are most fortunate to call home.

The trees planted in the pad dock will help to increase the native habitat that we began to establish some five years ago. We hope that whilst filtering the carbon dioxide in the air, these trees will also provide a natural sanctuary for the abundant wildlife in our area.

Special thanks must go out to Fifteen Trees for making this possible. It was a great community event, and to quote Tami Vandenberg, one of the parents who helped with the planting, “We are like a colony of ants all working together, busily working away, tracking up and down paths… all for the greater good!”

 Thank you Simon and Colleen, I hope we can work together again in the future.

Sarah Page (Sustainability Teacher).

Thank you to Simon Mulqueen from F.W. Barnes & Son for kindly donating the 250 plants for St Francis Xavier Primary School’s planting day. From all accounts it was a fabulous day with all year levels involved.

Cheers – Colleen