Last year the Green School Committee worked hard drawing up plans to increase levels of Biodiversity on our school grounds.
We wrote a proposal as to how we might achieve our aim and sent it to the BOM.
As an inner city school we have limited opportunities to increase habitats on our school premises. We have a very narrow space on the right hand side of the school that borders St Gerard Street. There were seven raised beds there and we decided that this side of the school needed to become a more established part of our school with the children regularly visiting to enjoy, explore and maintain our new Biodiversity Garden.
As this area borders the footpath we do have a litter issue there as some passer-by’s tend to throw their waste over the wall. It is our hope that now our gardens are becoming more established that this may cease to be an issue. We will have to monitor it carefully.
Thanks to some private donations and money raised by our School Council last year we were in the happy position of ordering plants this week. All children in the school were involved in planting this week.
Unfortunately there weren’t any photos taken before the transformation officially began but take a look to see how we have progressed from having an unused, messy, unkempt area on the side of our school to a garden that we can be really proud of. Prior to the first photos being taken there was a lot of rubbish around and the beds were wild.
August 2018
Early September 2018
Late September 2018
All classes have had the opportunity to go planting over the past week.
Juniors and Sixth have paired up to share responsibility for the Bee and Butterfly Garden.
Seniors and Fifth have also paired up to care for our Spring Garden. They have planted tulips, daffodils and bluebells. We all look forward to see what their garden will look like come spring time.
First Class will care for our Summer Garden. They planted wildflowers this week. They have covered their seeds with a fleece covering for the next few weeks to prevent the birds from eating the seeds.
Second Class will take charge of the Vegetable Garden. They have planted cabbage and onions. These will be ready for picking come spring time when they can then decide what to plant next.
Third Class have planted the Hedgerow Garden.
Fourth Class are taking charge of the Rockery Garden they have planted.
We have also planted a Sensory Garden.
We have had such a fabulous week working on our Biodiversity Garden. The Green School Committee did a super job planning and researching the garden last year and it is lovely to see their plan come to fruition. Sarah, a Mary Immaculate student who is on placement with us this term, was such a wonderful help to us all this week. We really appreciate all her hard work. Thanks also to Sylvia and the PTA for all their help throughout the process.
It is our aim to increase biodiversity in Limerick School Project so the Green Committee have also been very busy this week creating a magnificent Bug Hotel. It is not quite finished yet but we are almost there. If anyone is out walking over the next few weeks and come across fallen pine cones we would greatly welcome some. Sarah, and her friends, were a great help to the Committee with planning and building the hotel.
This is such a fabulous way to start our school year in LSP. We have significantly improved the aesthetics of the side of the school, we have increased levels of biodiversity on the schools premises and we have had such a lovely time planting and being outdoors this week. The garden that each class planted is now the responsibility of that class. It is the hope of the Green School Committee that these gardens become an established part of our school premises and a place the children can enjoy. Without fail, each class thoroughly enjoyed the planting process, and we hope that we can maximise on this new experience that we can provide the children of LSP with.
Please take a look at our garden next week when you are around.