In 2025, our students proudly helped increase our ResourceSmart Schools Biodiversity score to 51 points, reaching our goal of surpassing the 50-point milestone. Through the leadership of the CHAT Team and whole-school action, students led hands-on projects such as improving habitats, caring for gardens, planting trees, and learning how to protect local wildlife.

This achievement shows how student voice, teamwork, and everyday actions can make a real difference for biodiversity at our school and in our local environment.

We are excited to share that nine new fruit trees have been added to our school garden. These trees will provide fresh fruit for students and support hands-on learning, sustainability, and care for the environment for many years to come. 

Our students have been busy planting a beautiful native garden designed to bloom into a rainbow of colours. With support from Caritas, who generously provided gardening gloves, this hands-on experience helped students connect with nature and deepen their understanding of caring for creation. As part of Season of Creation 2025, students are excited to watch their garden grow and flourish in the months ahead. 

Congratulations to our Grade 5/6 students, who were awarded $500, and our Foundation students, who received $200 as part of Soil Week. The Foundation team impressed judges with their ant colony inquiry, while Grade 5/6 demonstrated outstanding learning and leadership. The prize money will be used to purchase fruit trees for our school orchard, creating a lasting legacy that supports hands-on learning, sustainability, and healthy food for years to come. 

We are delighted to share that our school has been awarded 3rd place in the Gippsland region for the Victorian School Garden Awards! This recognition celebrates our students’ creativity, dedication, and connection to the natural world through our school garden program.

Our garden has become more than a collection of plants — it’s a hands-on learning space where students explore science, sustainability, teamwork, and care for the environment. From planning and planting to harvesting and habitat projects, students have shown incredible enthusiasm and stewardship.

A huge thank-you to our students, staff, families, and volunteers whose passion and hard work made this achievement possible.

Last week, our school joined forces with Warragul Toyota and Habitat Creations to plant 200 native trees and shrubs around our grounds.

With tools from the Baw Baw Shire, gloves and hats from Warragul Toyota, and expert guidance from Gippsland Habitat, students and staff worked side-by-side to restore habitats, support wildlife and create shade for years to come.

Each class 'adopted' their patch of trees, learning how planting helps clean our air, protect soil and boost biodiversity.

A big thank you to everyone involved – together, we have made an impact that will keep growing.

In Visual Art, Foundation students explored the diversity of fish and coral reefs, learning about the vibrant colours and shapes found in ocean habitats. Using air-dry clay, students created fish and coral reef sculptures, experimenting with colour, texture, and form. Their bright and joyful artworks were proudly showcased at the Art Show, celebrating creativity and an early appreciation for marine biodiversity. 

In Visual Art, students explored the morphology and diversity of birds, learning about the features that make different species unique. Using this knowledge, students created vibrant paper mâché birds, carefully shaping and decorating their artworks to reflect a range of Australian bird species. These creative pieces were proudly showcased at the Art Show, celebrating both artistic skill and an appreciation for biodiversity. 

In Visual Art, students explored the morphology of koalas, learning about the features that help this iconic Australian species survive in its environment. Using this knowledge, students created vibrant paper mâché koalas, carefully shaping and decorating their artworks to reflect key characteristics of the species. Their colourful creations were proudly showcased at the Visual Art Show, celebrating both artistic creativity and learning about Australia’s unique wildlife. 

As part of Visual Art, students explored the vibrant work of Australian artist Pete Cromer, using his bold colours and layered shapes as inspiration to celebrate the diversity of Australian birds. Through this unit, students learned how art can be used to represent and value biodiversity, linking directly to the ResourceSmart Schools Biodiversity module. Their artworks reflect careful observation, creativity, and a growing understanding of why protecting diverse species and habitats is essential. Students proudly showcased their pieces at the art show, sharing both their artistic skills and their environmental learning with the community. 

Students in STEM have been busy learning about weed suppression and soil preparation, working together to prepare a large area of our school grounds with mulch. Through hands-on learning, students explored how mulching helps prevent weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil health. Students also rabbit-proofed the entire planting area, learning why protecting young plants is essential for successful habitat restoration. This important preparation sets the foundation for our upcoming Plant a Tree Day, proudly supported by Warragul Toyota and Gippsland Habitat Creations. Students are excited to see their learning come to life as the space is transformed into a thriving habitat for years to come. 

Our Level 5/6 students have been investigating the world beneath our feet through a range of hands-on and community-focused activities. They carried out a science experiment using compost to observe how different materials break down over time, while also comparing soil layers from various areas around our school. Their inquiry extended to researching endangered species, with a particular focus on local wildlife. They also showed great leadership by organising a Platypus Walk for Wildlife and raising money for the World Wildlife Fund, collecting bottles through the CDS program to support their cause. 

Our Level 3/4 students began their learning by reading My Underground Home and then deepened their understanding of the layers of soil. They explored endangered and threatened species unique to our local Warragul area, including the Platypus, Warragul Burrowing Crayfish and the Giant Gippsland Earthworm. Together, the students constructed soil layers for our classroom learning wall, investigating what other objects and creatures could be found at each level. To extend their thinking, they colour-coded the layers and added interesting facts, creating a rich, visual display that showcased both their knowledge of local species and their understanding of the underground environment. 

Our Level 1/2 students have been investigating the layers of soil and what lies beneath the ground. Using the Freeform app on iPads, they created labelled diagrams to show the different soil levels and the creatures that might live within them. Building on this, students moved into the digital space by designing and coding their own animations in Scratch. Their projects brought the underground world to life, combining scientific understanding with creativity and problem-solving as they explored coding to represent what they had learned. 

Our Foundation students have been exploring the fascinating world of ants and discovering what happens beneath our feet. We started our learning by reading Ant’s Guide to Being an Ant, which sparked lots of curiosity and discussion. The highlight was welcoming a real queen ant into our classroom, giving students the chance to observe her and learn about the ant lifecycle in a hands-on way. To celebrate their learning, each student designed and drew their own ant, and together we created a large classroom colony display on our wall. This activity helped students connect their reading, observation, and creativity while working as part of a “colony” themselves. 

We’re super excited to share some amazing news about our recent sustainability efforts!

Thanks to everyone’s incredible support, our Container Deposit Scheme has been a massive success. Our original goal was to collect 1,800 bottles (raising $180), but we went above and beyond—collecting 1,999 bottles and raising $199!

But that’s not all! Through our Walk for Wildlife, we raised an additional $174.05 in donations, bringing our total to an impressive $373.05!

With the extra $193.05, we—the CHAT Team—will be purchasing advanced trees to plant around the school. These trees will provide important habitats for local wildlife and help increase biodiversity on our school grounds.

This is a big step toward creating a greener, healthier environment for everyone at school—and it’s all thanks to the amazing efforts of our school community!

Whether we collected bottles, walked for wildlife, donated, or cheered each other on, we all played a part in making a real difference. Thank you! 🌿🐝🌳

To celebrate World Bee Day, our students took action to support these vital pollinators by planting a selection of bee-friendly plants around our school grounds. We chose lavender and salvia—two beautiful, fragrant plants that are favourites among bees for their rich nectar and vibrant blooms.

These new additions not only brighten up our outdoor spaces but also create a welcoming habitat for bees and other pollinators. It’s a small but important step in raising awareness about the role bees play in our ecosystems and encouraging biodiversity within our school community.

By planting with purpose, we’re helping to protect pollinators and learning how simple actions can make a big difference.

As part of our ResourceSmart Schools journey, junior students created drought-tolerant Mini Worlds using succulents and recycled materials. These hands-on gardens taught students about water-wise planting, sustainability, and caring for the environment in creative, practical ways. 

In Term 1, Foundation students created miniature gardens themed around diggers, farm animals, and fairies. As part of their science learning, they planted seeds and discovered what plants need to grow—sunlight, water, soil, and care. This hands-on activity sparked creativity and curiosity while building early understanding of the natural world.

We’re excited to be planting three new trees in our school grounds, made possible by the generous donation of one of our school families. These trees will not only provide much-needed shade for students but will also help increase local biodiversity by supporting birds, insects, and other wildlife. It’s a wonderful step towards creating a greener, more sustainable school environment for everyone to enjoy. 

Propagating succulents is a fun and hands-on way for students to learn about plant growth and sustainability. Using leaves, cuttings, or offsets, students can create new plants from existing ones. After removing a healthy piece, they let it dry for a few days to form a callous, then place it on well-draining soil. With gentle misting and patience, roots begin to grow and new plants form. It’s an engaging, low-maintenance activity that helps students connect with nature and understand plant life cycles. 

In Term 1, 2025, we began protecting young trees in our Gippy bird habitat from rabbits. Rabbits can damage or kill trees by chewing their bark and stems.

To help the trees grow safely, we installed rabbit-proof fencing around each one. The wire mesh is buried to stop digging and tall enough to block jumping.

At St. Angela’s School, during recess and lunch, our students have been having fun learning about conservation by pretending to be wildlife scientists! They take on roles like wildlife biologists, vets, and conservationists to explore how we can help protect animals and their homes.

Through fun activities, like building animal habitats and learning about endangered species, students are discovering how important it is to care for animals and nature. They work together to solve problems and come up with ideas to make the world a better place for wildlife.

These activities are helping students understand how they can make a difference in the world and inspire others to protect the environment too!