Summer Swan Plants

Swan plants


Monarch butterflies are a lovely addition to any garden. Children love them and observing them is a great way of learning about life cycles. And the best way to attract and feed monarchs is by growing a swan plant. Plant your swan plant in full sun in a corner of the garden. Remember to wait two to three weeks for the plant to get established and any residual spray to disappear before putting any caterpillars on it. Once you’ve got some caterpillars try to limit it to 2-3 per plant. Too many caterpillars will eat the whole plant!


Maraetai Beach School has a wonderful Butterfly Sanctuary behind room 11 and 12 where our juniors enjoy watching this wonderful life-cycle.

Enviro Newbies

Welcome to Benji and Brooklyn our new members to the Friday Enviro Group.

They were soon mix blood and bone with their gloves and apron on to feed the young trees in the orchard.  The other members made them welcome and we went to see the lettuce and beans growing in our new greenhouse!  The worms were happy with lots of food to digest too...

TREES FOR SURVIVAL HALL OF FAME

Some interesting information came to hand today on the formation of Trees for Survival, please have a read!

Trees for Survival and the Business Hall of Fame

Mr Noel Holyoake was recently inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. As part of his citation, Mr Holyoake referred to his founding of Trees for Survival as one of his most rewarding contributions to New Zealand during his long and very successful business career. He remains a member of the Trees for Survival Trust Board, and we value his wise counsel and contribution.  See: http://www.businesshalloffame.co.nz/addresses-and-acceptance-speeches/2016/noel-holyoake/ Further, Trees for Survival  Patron, Mr Rob Fenwick, was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame on the same evening! See: http://www.businesshalloffame.co.nz/addresses-and-acceptance-speeches/2016/sir-rob-fenwick/ Our congratulations go to both, and we are proud to have such esteemed governance.

MBS CARE CODE - Designed by pupils, teachers, the Enviro Group and Debbie Rister

After a lot of discussion and brainstorming between all parties at MBS it is very exciting to see our school CARE CODE come together.  Abbi Tubbs, Debbie Rister and myself have been pouring over amazing mock ups of the logo our school will show itself as an Enviroschool member.

What began as a single idea from myself with the ripple effect and what emerges from the school is now part of a bigger picture which identifies the Maraetai community in it's entirety.  With the guiding principles framing the picture of a seaside community, it certainly contains all the appropriate messages that we hope makes for a simple and clear identity of the school and what this stands for as being Sustainable and Environmentally aware !!

We look forward to our Colgate Friendship Park Bench arriving in the next few weeks.  On returning to school this week a message from Colgate confirmed it's manufacture is in progress.  Watch this space!!

BRONZE GRADUATION

It is with great anticipation that MBS will be receiving this award next Friday at our Celebration of Lee arning Assembly.

Nicky Elmore will be present to present this upon the school.  Nicky is the Enviroschool Facilitator from Auckland Council.

Nicky considers that MBS has all the attributes to move the school forward in the next step and journey with what is/has been happening in the school.

She will arrive on Friday to be taken around the school on a guided tour of the Enviro Group gardens and new greenhouse, the orchard, chicken/hen house area, classroom gardens, Native bush and butterfly sanctuary.  This is similar to the previous visit when the Local Council came along too.

However, this time the Enviro Group will be presenting the Guiding Principles as well and discuss how these are being actioned in and around our school, ie empowered children will be planting and watering and showing other children how this is done.

SPRING LAMB!!

Enviroschools stepped up the pace with all MBS classrooms handing in their Care Codes.

A lot of effort has been put in to get the ideas of 20 or more children on one page!!

There will be a lot of consideration put in to selecting the final Care Code.  This might mean the artistic side of one class and wording from another...  we will see!

SPRING FEELING IN THE AIR!!

Thanks to a brilliant line up of designs for our Colgate Park Bench competition.

Reeth Milsom is the lucky winner and will have his design logo with the Maraetai School values inscribed in Maori on the back of the bench with the sailing ship logo.  There was a lot of discussion around the final piece that is at present being put forward to the manufacturers of these seats.

It has been decided a Friendship Bench is the ideal way to incorporate this into the Junior area for new students to enjoy and share with their friends.  Nicky Elmore our Enviroschools facilitator also agrees this is will be most beneficial, seeing it work well in other schools in the area - who also have a Friendship Bench.  Imagine sitting on a lot of recycling oral care waste, it will be fascinating to see!!

The Care Codes are on their way in classrooms.  We suggest putting the finished articles on show for everyone to share and comment on.  Children have amazing ideas and suggestions