St Als open new biodiversity garden

A LOCAL primary school has used a junior landcare grant to enhance the local environment and teach its students about native flora and fauna.

St Aloysius Primary School in Queenscliff officially opened its Biodiversity Garden last week to its student body, teachers and dignitaries.

The garden features a new vegetation zone for local indigenous small birds, and a safe place for insects and honeyeaters.

The chosen area borders a bush food and frog pond area, which is also next to the Swan Bay Ramsar wetlands.

It also features a weaving circle of connection, with stones consisting of student paintings of indigenous fish from the Great Southern Reef.

Students plan on using the garden to collect data for citizen science activities and its Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) units.

STEAM teacher Jo Britt said additional funds from the grant have and will continue to be used to run excursions and incursions to support their learning.

“Further activities included an excursion to the local native vegetation area with the Bellarine Catchment Network, an incursion to build insect hotels, an incursion with a First Nations artist and weaver and an incursion and excursion with Bellarine Birdlife.

“Through a school wide STEAM education unit of action learning, the students will continue to engage with ecological knowledge to develop cross curriculum sustainability values, attitudes and social justice awareness.

“The unit of learning will also involve action plans and knowledge enhancement in the curriculum areas.”