Being water wise is all part of the fun for the folk at St. Peter’s Primary in East Bentleigh.
Back in 2009, the whole school community participated in an online quiz conducted by Tank A Day. Our multiple entries ensured our school received the ultimate prize- a 50,000 litre water tank! Our first ever water tank was soon joined by three more tanks- 2 attached to the new junior school building’s toilets and one behind the shed, for the kitchen garden.
The Year 6 student action team, The Ten Amigos, are always on hand to make sure plants in the school are well watered- and often have fun in the process (they will never forget the time the tap flew off and they were all covered in cool water on a hot summer’s day)!
Being water smart is not just an area of concern for the Ten Amigos and their leader, Ms Cahill- the SRC saw a need for the whole school community to be more water wise and so earlier in 2012, they took action. The SRC compiled a list of cool and catchy water smart slogans including Splish splash but don’t dash, Tighten the tap andDon’t be funny, flush the dunny! These slogans were printed onto bright card and placed in every toilet in the school and above the drinking taps throughout the playground.
The Year 2 students also take saving water very seriously- 2 students in each class are the Water Warriors and they collect any excess water from the taps, to water the garden with. They participated in an inquiry unit all about water and engaged in a free incursion with representatives from South East Water. As a follow up, the students created entries for the 2012 National Water Week poster competition and although they did not win, a greater appreciation for water conservation was fostered.
In 2012, St Peter’s Primary also hosted the GrUBS in Glen Eira network meeting, presenting to other schools how we reduce our water use plus that of other important natural resources.
To further highlight the importance of saving water, a guest speaker from South East Water has been invited to speak at our annual Sustainable Gardening Day. This will provide an opportunity for the whole school community to share ideas about ways to save water, and through analysing data of our water usage, students and staff will gain an insight into all the great things we are doing to save this precious resource.
