Enviro School
“If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.” -David Sobel
Our relationship to our environment is woven into everyday school life at Henderson Valley School. Our aim is to foster a deep connection with the natural world so that our children can emerge as present and future kaitiaki (guardians) of the environment. Awarded with the highest level of Enviroschool status in 2010, as a Green-Gold Enviroschool we connect our tamariki with nature in an ongoing way through sustainability initiatives such as our:
Green Team
Once-a-term Green Days
Garden to Table Programme
School vege gardens and orchard
Community garden
Livestock (currently chickens, goats and bees)
Tikanga Maori
Class composting
Matariki and other cultural celebrations
Community tree planting
Stream water quality monitoring
Package-free lunches programme
Positive behaviour for learning
Native plant ID trail
Regular beach and stream cleanups
You’ll also find environmental themes running through much of what is being taught in class depending on the interests of individual teachers. You can read more about some of these initiatives below.
GREEN TEAM
The Green Team are our enviroschool ambassadors. They assist in taking care of, and learning about our livestock, help with maintaining our gardens and organise the package free lunch prize draw that takes place at a whole school assembly once a term. The Green Team actively promotes green initiatives within the school such as the Green Days that take place each term. In the past they have actioned projects such as the Native ID trail and taken part in community weeding and planting. They are currently investigating the benefits of companion planting in our school gardens.