Green Schools

St. Brigid’s Primary School has successfully achieved 5 green schools flags in the areas of litter and waste management, energy conservation, water conservation, travel and transport and Biodiversity. We have also taken part in the green homes programme and again were successful in obtaining a green home flag. Our children and teachers work very hard and always rise to the challenge! We are currently working on our fifth green theme, that of Biodiversity. As always it is a great team effect from all the children and teachers alike. Green Schools is an enjoyable experience!!

Our green schools committee is made up of teachers and pupils. Each committee member is encouraged to voice their ideas and finally to report back to their class teachers. Their enthusiasm is great! Meetings are held in the P.E. hall and targets are discussed. Some of our targets for this year include

1. We set a target, that by June 2016 each class from Junior Infants to Sixth Class would become aware of the term biodiversity.
2. Each class would become aware of the huge variety of biodiversity in our school.

Our new Green Schools Committee had their inaugural meeting on October 20th to discuss the work that needs to be done this year. A boy and a girl from each class were represented. Mr. O Hara and Ms. Fogarty headed up the meeting which was very successful.

Constant monitoring and evaluating of progress in St. Brigid’s Primary School takes place as follows:

• At all staff meetings the green schools coordinator reports on the progress of green schools themes and in particular the current theme of biodiversity. She applauds positive results and makes recommendations in conjunction with the staff where necessary.
• Progress reports from class representatives (1^st – 6^th) at all green schools meetings.
• Publishing results of surveys on green schools notice board.
• The Green Schools Committee feel that though posters, slogans, assembles, intercom notices and class announcements, the students and staff are most definitely more aware of the importance of biodiversity and that our actions may have a positive/negative impact on biodiversity.

Congratulations to St. Brigid’s Primary School as they have received their sixth green school’s flag!

We have been working hard on the theme of Biodiversity for the past few years and our efforts paid off in May when two representatives from the green schools committee were invited to the Helix in Dublin along with two teachers to be presented with the green flag! It was a great day out and the children thoroughly enjoyed it. Throughout the school year the parent’s association and volunteers from the community have been working extremely hard on clearing out and tidying up the school’s wildlife garden and planting garden. A sincere thanks to them and for their dedication to our school.

Action Days are very important in promoting our green school’s theme, so a ‘Green – Biodiversity Day’ was held.

A ‘rap’ was composed by a 6^th class student, Jamie Lee Conway…

Let’s all be cool

And help the Green School.

Let’s dispose of our recyclables

And hop on our bicycle

Because we are the cool Green School.

It’s like a competition

If you put your rubbish in the bin

Everyone will win.

Biodiversity is our aim

Let’s play the game

Green School’s is the name

Don’t put us to shame.

We are all in it to win it

So bin it, bin it!!

So remember: Biodiversity is the great variety of life all around us. We need to create an awareness of our wildlife, including plants, trees and animals and to help give children an appreciation for what we have got on our schools grounds.