May 122023
Sustainable St Albans Week 12th-16th June 2023!
Ideas for SustFest Schools/Youth Activities
A whole week or a few young people on one activity – it’s up to you how much you do for SustFest Schools Week but we’d love to have you on board each year!
- appreciating and protecting nature
- reduce / reuse / recycle
- climate change and climate justice
Debate and Discuss
- get the students to take the lead on what is important to them – student conferences, debates, strategy meetings and assemblies are all appropriate for older students to run
Grow/Eat Food
- dig over veg beds ready for planting
- plant seeds in newspaper pots
- build bug hotels
- plant a tree
- explore vegan cookery
- learn about sustainable fish
Energy
- monitor lights to see if they are switched off
- mount an anti-idling campaign aimed at parents
Nature
- explore a local park or nature area and find nature on your doorstep
- go on a bug hunt
- make pictures out of sticks and leaves
- leaf-rubbing
- bird-watching
Waste
- have a “waste free lunch” challenge and try to cut food waste for the week
- do a litter pick
- use both sides of paper
- read books on eco-subjects including Duffy the Sea Turtle or Hunter’s Icy Adventure and other books in the Wild Tribe series to learn about plastics and marine life
May 122023
Trip to the Church 12.5.23
We went to the Church to visit Margaret today. Unfortunately it was too wet to spot any bees. We checked on the beans that we grew in the Autumn and amended the net , as they had grown so tall. We spotted potatoes, spinach and kale. We are looking forward to our next visit and we hope for better weather.
May 102023
Record of Meetings 10/5/23
Alban City School Record of Meetings
Eco Committee
Date People Present Action Points Discussed Action Taken 10.5.23
Class reps Scarlet, Crimson, Amber, Vermillion, Gold, Saffron, Forest, Sage, Amethyst, Magenta
Staff:
Mrs Boothby (CB)
CB shared information from her online course: -board -blog -when to apply
– questions that will be asked
Year 2 shared the letter they sent to Daisy Cooper and the response they received.
CB told the children we are visiting Margaret at the church on Friday to check on our plants, collect the rhubarb, create more wildlife habitats and litter pick.
We looked at our Green Flag application and discussed questions that could be added to the environmental review.
Eco reps to remind teachers to plan in time to prepare and plant the year group planters in the playground.
We created a yearly report to share with SLT/Governors. Points covered:
Eco Report 2022-2023
Achievements
Eco assembly: We worked together to plan, create and deliver a whole school assembly
Collected apples with Margaret to donate to the local food bank
Made a hedgehog house
Lots of visits to the church: planting, litter picking, tidying, creating wildlife habitats
School has donated 41 trees
Working towards the Green flag
Tally chart for how we travel to school
Things we need to develop:
All classes to develop their year group planters
Awareness of food waste
Next meeting focus:
*Sending in the Green Flag application
*Feedback about sharing the blog with our classes/planters
Mrs Boothby emailed the teachers the points that were discussed. CB to email the report to SLT/Governors
Eco Rep’s to speak to their teachers about the planters. CB to speak to Phase 1.
May 102023
End of Year Report
Eco Report 2022-2023
Achievements
Eco assembly: We worked together to plan, create and deliver a whole school assembly
Collected apples with Margaret to donate to the local food bank
Made a hedgehog house
Lots of visits to the church: planting, litter picking, tidying, creating wildlife habitats
School has donated 41 trees
Working towards the Green flag
Tally chart for how we travel to school
Things we need to develop:
All classes to develop their year group planters
Awareness of food waste
Apr 262023
Important Post!
Year 2 sent a letter to our local MP Daisy Cooper about their worries around deforestation and Climate Change. Daisy kindly responded to our letter!
Thank you Daisy! It is on display on our Eco board and in the Year 2 shared area.
Mar 312023
ECO AT HOME!
Here are some useful eco websites for you to explore at home:
https://sustainablestalbans.org/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/green-tips
Take photos of you litter picking and email to school. Look at this website which we have been taking part in at school:
https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/volunteer/litter-heroes
Water saving ideas and activities:
Please share anything you have created and bring it in to show me!
Mrs Boothby
Sky Class
Mar 242023
KEEP BRITAIN TIDY!
Year 1 started the litter picking off this afternoon!
THANKS FOR YOUR #GBSCHOOLCLEAN PLEDGE!
Thank you to your school for making your #GBSchoolClean pledge. At Keep Britain Tidy, we believe that no one is too small to make a big difference, and when we all come together, that big difference becomes a huge one.
STAYING SAFE
Before you get started, please read our clean-up preparation and safety advice.
It’s important that all litter-pickers have proper equipment ahead of their clean-up.
Mar 242023
Year 2 Take Action!
This week Year 2 worked together to send an email to Daisy Cooper about their worries:
Alban City School
7 Hatfield RoadSt AlbansAL1 3RR
Thursday 23rd March 2023
Dear Daisy Cooper,
The children in Year 2 have decided they would like to make you aware how concerned they are about the effects of deforestation and global warming. We have been researching the amazing Amazon Rainforest as part of our topic. The children have loved exploring the different animals and plants. They have also looked at the dangers of the rainforest being destroyed!
Here are their concerns:
People are cutting down the trees from the rainforests to build homes, planting palm oil plants and using the wood for things like furniture and paper. We wanted to let you know what would happen if this continued. We found out that the number of trees that are cut down every single minute is the size of a football pitch! As humans we will lose oxygen, which is provided by the trees and plants. We need nice, clean air. Important ingredients for medicines are grown in the rainforest.
Animals are losing their homes and food. They might become endangered and eventually extinct! We will not let this happen! Plants will die and we will lose the precious oxygen. The harmful gases from pollution will spread further.
The World is getting hotter and hotter. Global warming is making the world poorly. We must take care of it!
Thank you for taking the time to read our concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Crimson class
Year 2
Alban City School
Mar 172023
Eco Meeting 15/03/2023Mrs Boothby told us how proud she was for our work in planning, creating and delivering our assembly to the whole school. We had biscuits as a treat.We said our next important task is for each year group to update the planters in the playground.Ideas for the class planters:What vegetables are grown in March and April? Beetroot, carrots, turnips, leeks, radishes, spinach, Brussels sprouts, summer cabbage, lettuces, pickling and salad onions, peas, parsnips, broad beans, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower and various herbs.Fruits that are grown in March and April?- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Lemons and Limes
- Pineapples
- Apricots
- Other Seasonal Spring Fruits
- Collard Greens, Kale, and Spinach
- Peas
Remember flowering plants to attract the wildlife!
PTA said they will donate £30 per year group.We have also put posters around the school, which give important messages about:Saving water, food waste, recycling and putting litter in the correct bin.Keep a look out for the eco posters around school!Mar 102023
Amazing Author!
One of our Eco Committee members from Year 6, has written the most inspiring and incredible poem. We had to share it with you all, enjoy!
Nature
Stars up above like embers in the night,
Waterfalls gleaming enchantingly in the light.
Plants swaying elegantly from side to side,
And shells glistening captivatingly at high tide.
100-year old trees,
And naturally beautiful seas.
Are all part of the great outdoors,
That daily makes beauty soar.
So why would anyone burn this down,
And leave the ground all bare and brown.
But this is what us humans seem to do,
Sometimes even thinking of its as a breakthrough.
We don’t seem to care,
About this whole affair.
We’re leading ourselves to extinction,
But there seems to be no distinction,
When telling ourselves what’s right and wrong.
So, unless we make an instant change,
Hope will suddenly become out of range.
Accordingly, I urge you to do so,
And restore the world back to its usual flow.