🚴‍♀️ Ride to School Day – A Wheely Great Success! 🚴‍♂️

What a fantastic turnout for Ride to School Day! It was wonderful to see so many students, families, and staff embracing active travel and rolling into school on bikes, scooters, and even rollerblades. The schoolyard was buzzing with energy, smiles, and the sound of spinning wheels.

Over half our students participated, making it one of our biggest Ride to School Days yet. Not only did we help reduce traffic congestion and emissions around the school, but we also encouraged healthy habits and a strong sense of community.

A huge thank you goes out to the families who supported their children on the day.

Let’s keep the momentum going – every day can be a ride-to-school day!

In schools, we can save energy by turning off lights and computers when we're not using them. Using natural sunlight during the day can help too! We can also make sure doors and windows are closed when the heat or air conditioning is on to keep the rooms at the right temperature. Recycling, using energy-efficient appliances, and encouraging everyone to be mindful of energy use can help our school use less power and protect the planet!

Students used the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the L'Audato Si' Goals to focus on energy conservation by creating a pet rock community. Through SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), which aims to ensure access to sustainable energy for all, students explored energy-efficient solutions and renewable energy sources. They incorporated these ideas into their pet rock community by designing small solar-powered pet rock habitats, or creating energy-efficient environments for their pet rocks, such as using LED lights or minimizing energy use in their community activities. 

This term, Year 5/6 students have been learning about managed environments in food and fibre production, where human intervention helps create the best conditions for crops and animals to grow. By studying these systems, students discovered how energy is essential in farming—whether it's used for powering machinery, heating greenhouses, or running irrigation systems. They explored how efficient energy use can reduce environmental impacts and contribute to more sustainable farming practices. This learning helps students connect the concept of energy to real-world applications, preparing them to think about how they can contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future in agriculture.

A smoothie bike offers students a fun, hands-on way to learn about reducing energy consumption. By pedaling to power the blender, students experience firsthand how energy can be generated through physical activity, rather than relying on electricity. This teaches them the importance of sustainable energy sources and how simple actions, like using human power instead of machines, can help reduce carbon footprints. It's an engaging way to highlight the link between energy conservation, sustainability, and health while promoting teamwork and fitness. 

In Term 3, 2024 students at St. Angela of the Cross s in grades 3 to 6 have been gathering information in STEM on how farmers are adopting new sustainable practices in order to nurture the environment, look after the farm animals and surrounding wildlife. 

Students investigated the different structures on a dairy farm, how they’re designed/built, and how the farmer uses them to produce dairy.  Students also explored renewable resources and the technology that could be used on farms.  They then used their new knowledge to build and create Minecraft Dairy Farms. 

What an incredible effort from our students in 2024! Over a third of our school chose to walk or ride alternative transport. Can’t wait to see it improve again for 2025!