SUSTAINABILITY
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Greater Dandenong Sustainability Festival 2025
Greater Dandenong Sustainability Festival 2025
What a fantastic turnout at our annual Sustainability Festival at Dandenong Market on Sunday, February 23! A huge thank you to everyone who attended and participated in learning how to do more with less.
From crafting to planting, searching for water bugs to face painting, and enjoying local cultural performances while using pedal power to blend your own smoothie, there were plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved and have a great time, all while picking up tips on living more sustainably. We hope that if you attended, you enjoyed the day and discovered a new way to live more sustainably.
A big thank you to the 35 Year 5/6 students who were rostered to manage our stall throughout the day. They played a key role in helping our community understand how to care for backyard chickens and taught the concept of a wicking bed, using recycled plastic bottles to plant seedlings.
We also want to express our appreciation to all the parents and members of our school community who supported this event. It was lovely to see so many of you there!
The 2025 Sustainability Festival
Join Us at St Joseph’s Marquee at the Sustainability Festival 2025!
Date: Sunday, 23rd February
Location: Dandenong Market, Number 21 Stall
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:45 PM
We are excited to invite you to visit St Joseph's Sustainability Stall at this year's Sustainability Festival! Our dedicated school leaders will be on hand to share information and activities at our Number 21 Stall, and we’d love to see you there at any time between 10 AM and 2:45 PM.
Take this opportunity to:
Visit our chickens 🐔
Get creative with a fun colouring activity 🎨
Pot your very own seedling 🌱
Learn about wicking beds and their benefits 🌿
Chat with our Year 5 and 6 students about the school's sustainability initiatives 🌏
While you’re at the market, you can also explore the Market Place for some shopping.
A big thank you to our Year 5 and 6 students for volunteering their time to work at the stall and showcase our school’s sustainability efforts. We look forward to seeing many families drop by and celebrate this wonderful initiative with us!
We hope to see you there!
The 2024 Sustainability Festival
The annual Sustainability Festival returned to Dandenong Market on Sunday 25 February 2024, celebrating all the ways we can get involved to protect our planet.
Take a look at photos from the event by clicking on the link below and stay updated on future environmental events in Greater Dandenong by subscribing to Our Bright Green Future below.
https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/sustainability-festival
On Sunday 25th February some of our Year 5/6 worked in our Sustainability Stall at the Dandenong Market and showed members of the public how to make mini wicking beds. Everyone enjoyed using recycled bottles to plant spinach or basil. These containers bring water up from underneath the plant which uses water in a more beneficial way for both the environment and the seedlings.
Sustainability Festival 2024
PXL_20240225_003804064.mp4
The Year 3/4 Gardening Program
The Year 3/4 students have successfully concluded their garden program for the year working and learning with Jess from Cultivating Community. Throughout the first semester, Jess taught fortnightly lessons where the students looked at gardening techniques, learned about sustainable practices such as irrigation and organic fertilizers, and gained hands-on experience caring for chickens in the school coop.
To mark the completion of their gardening journey, the students had the opportunity to construct their own pizzas, which were then baked in a special pizza oven. This activity provided a fitting conclusion to their good work and learning throughout the program.
The students thoroughly enjoyed their time in the garden and appreciated the rewarding experience of making and enjoying pizza together.
Looking ahead, the garden program will continue in the next semester with Year 1/2 students. I am sure they will enjoy the chance to participate in this enriching hands-on learning experience.
St Joseph’s Marquee at the Sustainability Festival
Our students helped out on Sunday talking about our Sustainability Initiatives with members of the public. Our school leaders looked after our chickens at the event and showed those attending how to hold and care for chickens.
Our Local Council Member said he was impressed with our student’s knowledge and chook handling skills and could not wait to hold our beautiful silkie. He said the chickens brought back fond memories of his childhood.
Thank you to the parents and students who attended.
Congratulations to our Year 5/6 Leaders who represented our school at the Dandenong Sustainability Festival.
St Joseph’s Marquee at the Sustainability Festival.
Sunday 26th February
Our school leaders have made posters and prepared displays about our Chickens and School Garden. Some students will also help out at our stall on Sunday.
Please come and visit our Number 14 Stall for a short time at Dandenong Market any time between 10am and 2.45pm.
You could also take the opportunity to do some shopping at the Market Place.
Come and visit our chickens and talk to our students who will be available at our Marquee to talk and answer questions about our school sustainability initiatives.
Many thanks to the students who have given up their time and worked so well to prepare for this event.
We hope that many families will drop in on the day!
Our chicks are now about 5 days old. Students can visit the chicks in the Learning Neighbourhood. They are VERY active and VERY cute.
We have Silkies, Buff Orpington, Rainbow Layers, Wheaten Marans, Exchequer Leghorns, Andalusians and Double Laced Barnevelders.
That is quite a few different breeds. Our 3/4 students will visit and learn about the chicks through the school gardening program.
Our Eggs Have Hatched
Baby Chicks At School.mp4OUR EGGS ARE ABOUT TO HATCH!
Hopefully we will have a few chickens from each of the 5 breeds listed below. Which breed is your favourite?
INTERNATIONAL EGG DAY OCTOBER 8th 2021
International egg day .mp4
Eggs are a good source of protein (both whites/yolk). They also contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats and are a great source of important nutrients, such as vitamin B6, B12 and vitamin D.
7 reasons to love eggs on World Egg Day!
7 reasons to love eggs on World Egg Day!
It’s easy to take the humble egg for granted but its presence in our lives today is thanks to the remarkable union of mother nature and human ingenuity at its best.
Unsurprisingly, eggs are a kitchen staple that’s almost inconceivable to go without (COVID lockdowns sent Australians scrambling for backyard hens and ownership jumped from 8.2% in 2019 to 11% in 2021!).
So here's some new insights to help you marvel (even more) about your hen’s eggs:
1. A Pennsylvania State University study revealed that eggs from chickens that range on the grass in addition to a high-grade diet are the most nutritious. These eggs contain more vitamins A, D and E plus more omega-3s than cage eggs.
2. The ancient Egyptians created egg ovens 2,000 years ago to incubate hundreds upon thousands of eggs simultaneously. What’s more, their incubators are still in use today!
3. Eggshell colour along with yolk colour is not an indicator of nutritional content. For yolks, the more plants containing xanthophylls in the hen’s diet, the deeper the orange hue.
4. The Guinness World Records state that the heaviest chicken egg weighing 454 grams was laid in 1956 by a White Leghorn in New Jersey USA.
5. The asymmetrical, oval, tapered shape of an egg enables it to return to the place from which it first rolled.
6. The fact that chickens lay so many highly nutritious eggs today is quite amazing and here's 10 Amazing Health Benefits!
7. Challenge yourself to cook eggs in a delicious, new way using the Australian Eggs e-book, which contains recipes from around the world.
Happy World Egg Day!
CHICKEN PROBLEMS
We have treated the chickens for a worm sickness and I am also providing more calcium in their diet. Let's hope the chickens get better.
CHICKEN PROBLEMS WHAT DO THE KIDS SAY?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gR-VMeamuD4uz5NmX6y-WK4mva--eHaKcvYLrvixsQM/edit?usp=sharing
Chickens Eggs.mp4
Chooks and Coop
During the recent school holidays our chicken coop and chicken run was constructed. Some students wrote texts suggesting their ideal breed for the school. ISA Brown, Australorp, Silky and Buff Orpington were the most preferred breeds. We have purchased some Hy-Line pullets.
This breed is very similar to the ISA Brown and was easier to acquire. The Hy-Line breed is a brown hen that can lay up to 350 eggs per year. They are extremely gentle and good natured. We plan to purchase and raise some of the other breeds from chicks.
Our two hens have settled well into their new home and are very friendly and interested in the students.
One hen has recently laid her first egg and the other is only a few weeks away from laying.
Liam enjoyed the privilege of eating the first egg! He thought it was delicious.
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