St. Michael In The Hamlet Community Primary School
St. Michael In The Hamlet Community Primary School
Eco Team
Eco Team
The job of our Eco Team is to try to make our school as sustainable as possible. That means we try to look after the world around us and make sure that we don’t damage it.
The children on our team are chosen by each class in September. Each class votes to choose a boy and girl in their class who will represent them on the Eco Team. They meet to work on what else we can do to make our school more sustainable.
Every year our Eco Team decides together 2 or 3 areas they want to focus on throughout the year. They chose between:
Biodiversity – We share our school with many different species of plants and animals. How do we promote Biodiversity at our school?
Energy – Our School has two main uses for energy: heating and electricity. Can we help lower our school’s impact on climate change?
“Global Citizenship” – Can we take an active role in our community, and work with others to make our planet more equal, fair and sustainable?
Litter – Do we respect our learning environment? Is our school litter-free?
Marine – How does what we do in our schools, homes and streets affect our seas? How we can make positive differences for our seas?
Healthy living – We are part of the environment. How does our school promote choices that are good for us and good for the environment?
School grounds – Our school’s grounds are a fantastic environment in which to let the imagination run wild. How will we make the most of our outside space?
Transport – We can do a lot to improve the way staff and pupils travel. Can we encourage pupils to try new modes of transport?
Waste – This comes in many different forms – food, paper, plastic, electrical, metal – it can all be reduced, reused or recycled. How can we manage waste better?
Water – What can we do to use this precious resource more responsibly?
Elections
The elections for our latest Eco Team have been held last term, in classes from Year 2 to Year 6. Here is a picture of this year’s team! Maybe next year, it could be you?
If you aren’t lucky enough to be elected, have a look at our Sustainability Challenge to see how you can make a difference to our school’s environment and our world!
What’s been happening around school?
Hedgehogs!
In the autumn of 2022, 2 hedgehogs (Alan and Birch) were re-wilded in Tramway Park, just next to our Wild Garden.
This is great news for the biodiversity of our local area!
Alan
Mr Edwards helping to re-wild Alan.
Paul (a volunteer with Jacksons Animal Rescue) holding Birch.
Hog House and feeding station
After being discovered close to school, Alan, who was looking a bit unwell and confused, was passed to an organisation called Jacksons Animal Rescue, based on the Wirral. They look after poorly hedgehogs and help them recover so they can be re-wilded back into their local habitat.
Jacksons were very keen to reach out to the Hog Allies at our school, as we are now a Hedgehog Habitat School! Greer, one of the experts at Jacksons, came into school, to meet our children and to open their eyes to the lives of these very special and increasingly rare little creatures.
KS1 and EYFS finding out what hogs shouldn’t eat
Years 3 and 4 learning about hedgehogs…
Demonstrating how Jacksons help poorly hogs
Having a close look at some spines
In return, many of our Hog Ally Families made generous contributions of wet cat-food and old newspapers. These will be used to feed the poorly hogs and will provide bedding for them to burrow into.
Latest news on Alan and Birch…
As yet there has been no sign of the 2 hedgehogs, but apparently this is great news! Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so unless there is something wrong, we shouldn’t see them out in the daytime.
If you do come across a hedgehog in the day, who isn’t looking very well, please phone Jacksons Animal Rescue (0151 625 5464) who will be able to help.
Check out their website, using the link below, for more information and very cute pictures!
Earth Hour takes place every year in March. In school, classes joined in in different ways and we encourage families to take part at home too.
Reception read a book based on Greta Thunberg and talked about what she said – ‘No one is too small to make a difference!’ – even us! We then used old veggies, rescued from a kindly local greengrocer who was throwing them away, to print pictures of animals and where they lived. Mrs Horscroft left her car at home…
In Years 1 and 2, the children produced these thoughtful pieces of work and Year 1 gave our Earth a well deserved hug!
Some of us joined in at home as a family, turning off our lights to highlight the issue of climate change.
Watch the official highlights here…
Have a look at some of these WWF ideas you could try at home…
During Earth Hour…
COP26
The COP 26 Climate Change conference took place in Glasgow in November 2021. We supported Andy James, on his Camino to COP.
Andy and his friends took part in a long walk to Glasgow. World Leaders met there to decide how they planned to tackle the climate emergency. It’s really important that people let their governments know what they think they should be doing to help! Andy talked to lots of people on his walk to find out how climate change was affecting them already and what they thought could and should be done about it.
Children from across the school sent messages and pictures, on small fabric patches, to express what they care about and to wish Andy well on his journey.
These pictures show him setting off from the Pier Head, wearing some of our patches!
Here’s a message from Andy (Monday 18th October)…
‘Now in the village of Ecclefechan and heading to Lockerbie today. Tonight we are in a village hall a few miles south of Carlisle, 17 days into my pilgrim walk. The children’s patches have been sewn inside the “Coat of Hopes” to protect inked patches from the weather.
Lots of people we meet ask if they can wear the coat. Each time it changes wearer a song is sung that explains its purpose. Each patch represents a message, prayer or wish for the delegates at COP26. I am busy sewing one of my own and have a kit to work from.
Once at COP the coat will be offered to delegates to wear, to feel the weight of the messages, and thereby generate an emotional response. So we hope the children’s patches will not just get to Glasgow but will get to the conference itself.’
And here are some more pictures of Andy’s walk, including some of the ‘Coat of Hopes’. Can you spot our patches?
Our Eco Team completed a series of challenges at home to help act on Climate Change.
After they investigated how we (and other animals) stay warm and explored the draughts around their homes, they came up with some innovative solutions! Can you spot them?
Have a look at just some of the other projects our school has been involved in…
Join the Pod Now run by Wastebuster a not-for-profit community interest company. Look in the Student Zone to find lots of useful information, activities, movies and games to help you learn all about energy, biodiversity, climate science and much more.
