| In the early 90’s,
Kennington Catholic Parish, Bendigo was expanding at a rapid
rate. There was a need for a new primary school to provide
for the large population growth south/east of Bendigo. A site
was selected at Strathfieldsaye, east of Bendigo and St Francis
of the Fields Primary School opened it’s doors with
an enrolment of 109 children, in Feb. 1994. It currently has
over 300 children enrolled from Prep to Grade 6.
St Francis of Assisi was chosen as the Patron Saint as he
is known for his gentle nature and love of animals and the
natural surroundings.
The school is situated on an old dairy farm of approximately
13 hectares. It is surrounded on three sides by Sheepwash
Creek and Emu Creek. From the outset it was always destined
to become a school that focused on environmental issues. The
school has worked towards enhancing it’s own environment
as well as that of the local community. It was a strong vision
of the first staff and families that the school should use
it’s natural resources and open space to help the students
appreciate and value the environment that they are living
and learning in.
Over the ten years of it’s existence, St Francis of
the Fields has endeavoured to bring this vision to life. Led
by Principal Mr John Hermans and his dedicated staff, along
with enormous support from Parish Priests, Monsignor Frank
Marriott and Joe Taylor, and a very involved parent community,
‘St Franks’ was able to include many environmental
initiatives into it’s curriculum.
Small animals in the classroom, mini beast, bird life and
creek life programmes, chooks and vegies in the one permaculture
complex, a nut and fruit orchard and an extensive recycling
system in the classrooms were some of the early initiatives
of the school.
 The
school offers a P-6 Environmental Education program that allows
all the children to have a hands on approach to the activities
that are conducted throughout the year.
The environmental curriculum is based on:
- waste management and reduction
- water saving awareness
- energy reduction in school, transport and in the home
- community and cultural sustainability
- appreciation of the natural environment, especially the
flora and fauna that live in and around the two creeks that
border the school.
In November 2004, St Francis of the Fields was the first
school in the State of Victoria to be accredited as a Five
Star Sustainable School. The school community is very proud
of this achievement and gives credit to the pioneering families
who saw the opportunity and had the vision to establish a
school that was to be different in some way.
In recent years ‘St Franks’ has taken on major
environmental projects within the school grounds and on adjoining
properties. These projects have been funded by the parents
and friends committee, and by grants, large and small, some
from government and non-government organizations across the
state and nation.
Some of the environmental developments at St Francis of the
Fields have been:
• St Francis Wetlands and animal sanctuary
• Hothouse.
• A water tank was purchased to catch water off the
roof of one set of portables and the small shed. This water
is used in the hothouse for propagating plants.
• A computerised timer was purchased for the hothouse
watering system to save water.
• Most of the property now has new cattle troughs with
under ground pipes to cut down on leakage due to pipe damage
from the cattle.
• Children have made signs to place in each classroom
asking students to turn off lights and computers as they leave.
• Solar light and heat is used as often as possible.
• A walk/bike track was made around the entire school
along the creek’s edge.
• Litter free lunch days have been held.
• The school continues to recycle cardboard and paper
and feed food scraps to the chooks therefore cutting down
on waste going to land fill.
• Gas usage has been decreased by over 3749 MJ.
• Savings of $3541 per year on water bills.
• 22 extra bales of paper are recycled each year.
• Waste to landfill has decreased by over 50 m3.
Achievements in more detail.
St Francis wetlands and animal sanctuary.
The children at St Francis of the Fields were involved in
the study of wetlands and predominantly man made wetlands.
With the worst drought on record affecting our school severely,
the children were made very aware of the importance of protecting
waterways and wetland reserves.
A natural reserve on the banks of Emu Creek was identified
as an area we could develop as a wetlands at the school for
the local fauna. The water supply for the wetlands includes
the stormwater runoff from the car park and the roof of the
basketball stadium which is collected and piped underground
for a distance of 300 metres directly to the wetlands.
The children have been involved in the planning of the site
and the parents had assisted with the construction of fences
and a birdhide. The wetlands indigenous planting program is
due to begin in August 2005 with seedlings propagated in the
school hothouse.
The St Francis Wetlands and Bird Sanctuary will act as a
filtering system for the school’s water runoff before
it flows back into the creek. This is a very valuable learning
facility for the school and plans for the future are to develop
a series of frog bogs adjacent to the wetlands complex.
We now await an Autumn break in the weather so our wetlands,
dubbed ‘ St Frank’s drylands’ ( due to the
drought years) can receive some inflow and attract local bird
life.
Creek Restoration.
It was quite apparent when the school was first established
that the Sheepwash Creek and Emu Creek beds were infested
with introduced understorey plants and grasses. The indigenous
plants had been eradicated through overgrazing, clearing and
neglect. In 2001, the school developed a six year restoration
plan of revegetating the creeks using indigenous plants.
The project was slow and difficult with Central Victoria
being in the grips of severe drought for over 18 months.
The creek was divided into 25 metre sections with each alternate
section cleared. The clearing process involved parents removing
by hand introduced species such as briar rose, hawthorn bush,
black berries, spiny rush, fennel and thistles. The cleared
sections were planted out with indigenous native plants, grasses,
shrubs and groundcovers. The uncleared areas have been left
as habitat for the small animals and birds that live in the
creek. In the next two to three years depending on the seasons,
the remaining introduced habitat will be cleared and indigenous
species planted in those areas.
Hothouse.
 Because
of the large demand for indigenous plants that our revegetation
program required, the school constructed a large hothouse
( 11m x 7m). It was then able to develop a very successful
propagation program. Seed was either purchased from the local
indigenous nursery or collected from local waterways. The
children were involved in the task of planting this seed in
trays and following the process through the stages of pricking
out, growing in pots and hardening the plants off. The children
have been very fortunate to be able to then take this process
even further by planting them around the school property,
in windbreaks, shelter reserves, bird corridors and the creek
riparian zones.
Recently the school became involved with Parks Victoria
to collect seed from the Greater Bendigo National Park. These
Box and Ironbark seeds were then propagated in the school
hothouse and planted back into the local National Park. This
valuable partnership has enabled the school to develop a whole
new aspect of sustainability education by conducting community
planting days in the district.
In 2004, St Francis of the Fields combined with Strathfieldsaye
Primary School to plant 1500 plants in a disused clay pit
in the National Park. This was a great day that involved over
300 children and many members of the community.
Future community planting days will be held along new linear
paths and wetlands being developed by Strathfieldsaye Community
Enterprise.
Agricultural pursuits.
Over the years, St Francis of the Fields has developed
a very successful Murray Grey breeding program at the school.
The cattle are bred and raised on the property and sold to
local farmers or at the Bendigo Livestock exchange. The funds
raised are channelled back into the farm and the school library.
In 2001, the school took the initiative to fence the cattle
out of the creeks. This project enabled the school to create
a unique environmental walk around the entire property. The
school is now able to keep the livestock off the banks of
the creek therefore reducing erosion and enabling natural
trees, shrubs and grasses to regenerate.
Diocese initiatives.
In 2005, The Sandhurst Catholic Education Office made a further
commitment to Sustainability Education throughout the diocese
by developing a partnership with CERES in Brunswick. This
partnership has seen two new schools, St Lukes Primary in
Shepparton and Frayne College ( P-9) in Wodonga begin to work
towards becoming Sustainable Schools of the Future. Over the
next three years more of the Sandhurst Diocese schools will
be given the opportunity to become involved in the Sustainable
Schools Initiative. The diocese is a very large area of the
state ranging from Bendigo to Kerang to Corryong in the Upper
Murray region.
These are very exciting times for the diocese as it acknowledges
the need for Sustainability Education in our schools and works
towards developing curriculum and projects for students.
St Francis of the Fields has as one of its vision statements:
‘That the natural environment should permeate through
all areas of the curriculum’.
It has been a very rewarding experience to strive to bring
this vision to life and all at St Francis of the Fields are
aware that there is now an even more important vision.
'To continue to maintain our programmes and initiatives
and to even further develop environmental leadership of the
children in our care.'
More
info.
For more information please contact Paul Dullard
on (03) 5439 3191, email pdullard@fields.sand.catholic.edu.au
or go to the St Francis of the Fields Primary School website
at http://www.fields.sand.catholic.edu.au/
St. Francis of the Fields Primary School was featured in
the The Age newspaper in August 2003. Click here
to read the article (PDF - 21 Kb).
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