Today in the garden we separated Kale seedlings because they had grown and they were fighting for nutrients in the soil.We put three Kale seedlings into pots so they had more space to grow.In three weeks they should be ready to plant.
By Rachel and Josh
On the 24th of April 10 students from years 4-9 represented Bialik College at the Boorandara Sustainability Awards. To start councillors explained the award categories and said how impressed they were with the amazing sustainability actions school students were taking. The very entertaining, and passionate, TV star Costa Georgiadistalked excitedly about sustainability and some of the easy actions you can do to help the environment. The awards were announced…drum roll….. Bialik won GOLD in the Biodiversity category! GO BIALIK, we were so proud!!
The judging panel loved that Bialik students have started to build a frog bog (habitat for local frogs), have grown (are growing) food (Bidgee-widgee plants) to take to Healesville Sanctuary to help feed the critically endangered Orange Bellied Parrot (only about 50 left in all of the world!) and competing the first part of Bialik’s Indigenous Garden to help prevent soil damage and provide habitat for local species. To finish captain Smog Buster gave us a presentation on anti-smoke and being pro green.
Jake Pudel Year 6
“I just wanted to send a short note to thank you for the invitation to attend the Kitchen Garden Ceremony. It was my first visit to the school and I must say I was very impressed by every student and every aspect of the project itself. I was particularly pleased to catch up with some of your students who visit our store on a regular basis who were great ambassadors for the school and took so much pride in showing me ‘their school’!
The official aspect of the day also stood out with the principal’s speech being very sincere and moving and I was grateful for being part of the overall experience. Please convey my appreciation to all those involved in the planning of the day and I wish you all the very best for the future.” – Activities Organiser, Bunnings Hawthorn.
“I was proud to show people all the different plants we have been growing and harvesting. I even explained companion planting!” – Year 5 student.
“It was so much fun serving everyone pizza from the pizza oven, they all said it was very yummy” – Year 4 student.
“The knowledge, passion and confidence of the students demonstrating, how to set up, operate and look after a worm farm was very impressive! They proudly explained how they collect the worm juice; make the worm tea and pointed out the plants they have feed. It is obvious how much the students really enjoy every aspect of the program and its successful incorporation into the school curriculum”. – Parent.
“Someone asked me for the silverbeet frittata recipe they said we had made such delicious food” – Year 4 student.
“The ‘official’ launch of our beautiful Kitchen Garden, was an event during which, we were able to thank our many supporters and donors, whilst showcasing the exciting work of our children. We tasted the many delightful vegetables grown and cooked by our Primary children. The event was made even more inspiring by the work of the students in showcasing, guiding, growing, cultivating, cooking and serving. A special thanks goes to Raphy Shtern who, without any prompting, offered to help clear up the cardboard boxes – a real mensch.” – Bilaik Principal
The year 4 and 5 students, together with their teachers, parents, grandparents and a large member of the community, enjoyed a celebratory afternoon in the Kitchen Garden where they were able to share their experiences of the Kitchen Garden Program alongside each other.
The students also acted as excellent hosts for the school by engaging with the guests as well as serving delicious pizza to everyone topped with grated pumpkin, caramelised onion, lemon zest and rosemary pesto, tomato and mozarella. They also demonstrated activities such as harvesting, worm farm demonstrations and planting seedlings.
The afternoon continued with a blessing for the kitchen through what is called a ‘Mezuzah Ceremony’. This was done by placing a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah and affixing it to the doorframe of the kitchen.
The ceremony ended with the students serving delicious treats that they had been preparing throughout the day such as zucchini and cheese muffins topped with sunflower seeds, pumpkin filo pies, silver beet frittatas as well as mini carrot cakes with cream icing.
It was such a successful launch.
The year 3 students enjoyed a fun and purposeful kitchen lesson during Purim. They all got the opportunity to make and bake Hamantashen. In their groups, they rolled the dough, filled the Hamantashen with delicious jam or chocoloate and baked them. The best part was, ofcourse, eating them and sharing them with their family and friends.
Our year 4 and 5 students began their kitchen classes by exploring the space, asking many questions, providing suggestions with regards to what they wanted to cook and sharing many ideas. They also learned how to tell the difference between a fresh egg and one that should not be cracked open!
Through blind tastings, guessing the produce as well as tasting the delicious soup and working out what they could ( and couldn’t see) when it came to the ingredients, the students were left with questions and excitement for the next lesson.
I can’t wait to see what they will be cooking next lesson…
A very warm welcome to the start of the year and what a fabulous year it is going to be!
Over the summer months the garden has gone from strength to strength. The students were very excited to see that “the corn is over 1m high”, the stunning “sunflowers are standing super tall”, the tomatoes are turning “green to red”, there are plenty of capsicums to enjoy, “wow the cucumbers and so long and fat”, the large variety of flavoursome herbs and “carrots that are all funny shapes”!
During their garden classes students have started to harvest and cook with the a fore mentioned vegetables along with many others that are close to being ripe and full of flavour. The pumpkin and zucchini plants are crawling over the garden with many flowers and new fruits appearing. We say goodbye to our strawberries and hello to the honeydew and cantaloupes.
Students have re mulched and fertilised most of the garden beds and continued to plant more seeds for the autumn crop! They are enjoying diluting the worm juice to make worm tea and creating natural and organic pest sprays from regular kitchen pantry items. Students have started to recognise and document the various insects and arthropods. Students will soon make Scientific keys to help classify and group the different invertebrates.
Scientific understanding of soil composition and texture is vital for a successful garden. Students will soon learn how to test and alter the pH of the soil, determine soil permeability and continue to develop their indigenous garden to help prevent soil erosion.
Please remember to bring along, to your garden and/or Science lessons, bread ties, old stocking, egg cartons and old newspapers for recycling in our garden.
See you in the garden,
Julie