Sustainability Options

Over the last few months the kindergarten has been monitored for its energy use by Phil and Nik Greg from Sustainability Options. They also visited our teachers at home to give advice on how they could be more efficient. This has been interesting and we have made changes at home and made a plan for the kindergarten from the information they have given us. They are now offering their services to our community.

If you are interested in a free visit please phone:
07 544 1882
phil.gregg@so.org.nz

*They are an altruistic business with community, social and environmental concerns as key priorities.

Enviro group meeting

Envirogroup meeting is on the 31st October

straight after morning session

bring your lunch

all welcome:)

Bee Aware Month

September is BEE aware month
There are lots of things we can all do in our own backyard that protect the bee natural environment:

• planting plenty of sources of nectar and pollen for bees in your garden such as lavender, rosemary and wildflowers plus a wide variety of fruit trees and native shrubs.
• Limit spraying with chemicals when plants are in flower or when bees are present, or choose organic options.
• Provide fresh water in the garden for the bees to drink.

Ecofest 2014 Omanu School and Gwen Rogers Kindergarten

On Sept 4th, Gwen Rogers was proud to host over 100 people from the community; parents, children, former students, teachers and extended family alike. It was a fantastic opportunity to show everyone what has been going on 'over the fence'! The gate between the school and kindy was opened and lots of people wandered through the grounds, admiring all the beautiful work that has been done in the past few months in the gardens. You made us all proud to be a part of it. Great job!

Flower Fairy Musical

Thought this might be of interest...The Flower Fairy Musical "Looking After the Environment and Each Other" will take place from October 1st - 4th with shows at 1:30 and 6:30 (at Mount College?). For more information on participating or attending contact: Amanda Sloan 575 2911 or dance.amanda@vodafone.co.nz.

CATERPILLAR FEET

Andrew, Macie and Anna on the Walking School Bus

We started with the Walking School Bus shortly after Maggie (Andrew’s older sister) started at Omanu Primary last year. Andrew was still in the buggy because it was too far for his little legs to walk! It started with a few families and has grown over the past year – we sometimes have 17 children on the bus, with 11 families participating on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

We live on Ascot Rd between Gwen Rogers and Bayfair so it’s a fair distance for these troopers, especially in the rain! This is a parent-led program sponsored by Tauranga City Council as part of City on it’s Feet. We join other Mums on our road and ‘pick up’ children along Ascot Rd, Aintree Place, Links Ave and Golf Rd then walk through Waitui Grove to Ranch Rd to get to school.

The obvious benefit is that the children get some exercise on the way to school but there are less obvious ones. We learn about road safety; when it’s safe to cross (especially on Golf Rd), Sneaky Driveways, watching out for cars turning, awareness of other pedestrians, wearing helmets, and staying with the group. More importantly, we have met many families on our street that we never would’ve known so there is a real sense of community. I appreciate the change of pace; rather than rushing to get into the car, the busy roundabout at Golf and Maunganui Road and looking for a park around the school, we walk at our own pace and chat most of the way. It’s lovely getting to know these kids while getting some fresh morning air.

We practise being:

ü  a Friendly Freddy when show courtesy to pedestrians

ü  a Persistent Percy when go the whole way to kindy without giving up

ü  a Confident Cody when we walk together as a group and making friends

ü  an Organised Olly when we get our school bags ready to be on time for the bus

ü  a Thinking Thelma when we look left and right before crossing the road

The preschool version of the Walking School Bus is called CATERPILLAR FEET. In the next few weeks we will be putting up a map of the area for parents to take a look at and decide if they are able to walk one morning a week along a route that leads to the kindergarten with another family. We will also put a big Caterpillar on the wall and the children that walk will stamp their own caterpillar every time they come to school. Keep an eye out for the Caterpillar and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Happy Walking everyone!

Recycling Baby Furniture

My wee guy is out of his cot so it's time to clear out the baby gear. Finding an opp shop that takes things like high chairs (due to their Health & Safety policies), is tricky, but try these options that could make a huge difference to a family in need;

Families Achieving Balance Charitable Trust
They need quality donations of children & men's clothing, tricycles, scooters, prams, buggies & household items.  

Drop at Totara House, 1428 Cameron Rd, Greerton, Mon - Thurs, 10am- 4pm, or 
phone 543 3194.

Tauranga Women's Refuge 
They always need quality household goods to help set up new homes for families from scratch, such as blankets and linen, beds, furniture and whiteware.

Drop at the Community Centre, 60 Pools Rd, Greerton, Mon - Fri, 9-4pm, phone 541 1910.