Bush Classrooms by Mrs Birchall and Mrs Sutton
On Tuesday 17th June, Alkimos Primary School hosted a special network meeting focused on Bush Classrooms (Caring for Country together). This engaging session explored how schools are transforming their grounds into 'outdoor, on Country classrooms' to support the Australian Curriculum and foster a deeper connection with our local environment.
Our Science and Noongar language learning program emphasise local native plants and animals within the cultural context of the Country where our school is situated. This approach not only enhances educational outcomes but also promotes staff and student engagement, wellbeing, reconciliation, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation.
In the spirit of 'Dandjoo kaadatj-kadak moorditj-abiny' (growing stronger together with knowledge), the meeting provided a platform for surrounding schools staff to share experiences and best practices in developing and enhancing bush classrooms. Amy Sutton and Judith Birchall shared our school’s journey on how we connect with the local community, the Miyawaki Forest program, how we integrate 2-way science into our learning areas and most importantly showcase our new beautiful creative play space which is the perfect example of an outdoor Classroom.
The workshop was supported by Two-way Science and Sustainability consultants from the Teaching Quality and Innovation Directorate at Statewide Services.
Kind regards,
Mrs Birchall and Mrs Sutton