What is Eco-Schools? 🌍🌱

Hey Awesome Parents, Teachers, and Students! 🌈👩‍🏫👦

At Bessbrook Primary School we're on a mission to create a brighter, greener, and more sustainable future! 🌍🌱

🔍 Why the Global Development Goals? We believe in the power of education to make a positive impact. 🎓✨ That's why we've embraced the Global Development Goals – a set of 17 goals that unite the world in creating a better tomorrow for everyone. 🤝💙 From ending poverty to protecting our planet, these goals guide our learning adventure. 🚀🌿

📚 Learning Beyond the Classroom Our students are not just learning from textbooks; they're discovering real-world challenges and solutions. 🌐📝 We want them to understand their role in building a sustainable future. 🏫🌳

🌿 Growing with Biodiversity Biodiversity is the spice of life! 🌺🐝🌳 We're teaching our little minds to appreciate and protect the variety of life on Earth. 🌏🌿 Let's nurture a world where plants, animals, and humans thrive together! 🌈🌍

💡 Empowering Future Leaders By educating our students about global goals and sustainability, we're nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. 🌟👧👦 They'll be equipped with the knowledge and passion to make a positive impact on our planet. 🌏💚

Join us on this exciting journey towards a sustainable, thriving future! 🚀🌈 Together, we're shaping minds and making a difference, one lesson at a time. 📚💪💙

Check out this video here from Keep Britain Tidy which explains more!

Linking Generations Workshop

Students in P5/6 took part in an Anti-Ageism workshop with ‘A New Town’ Men’s Shed from Newtownhamilton this afternoon.

They were tasked with creating a number of Eco-items including Bat boxes, bird houses and also bug boxes! It was hard work putting together the timber puzzles and screwing them all together.

Thank you so much to Peter from the Men’s Shed and Linking Generations Northern Ireland for securing funding for this very valuable workshop! They students absolutely loved it and can’t wait to do something similar again. This was a great workshop as a part of Global Intergenerational Week #GIW24

Our Eco-Council will now get to work thinking about the best locations for these on our site.

🌱 Exciting News from the Eco Council! 🌼

🌿 Our Eco Council students have been busy planting a wildflower meadow! They've put in the hard work, and now we can't wait to see it burst into bloom in the upcoming months.

🌸 Stay tuned for a colourful and vibrant transformation! 🌺

Reaching out to the community - Rostrevor Men's Shed 🌎💚

Our Eco-Schools Representatives had a brilliant idea to improve Biodiversity – Bird Boxes!

We reached out to Rostrevor Men’s Shed who have been creating some hard-wearing bird boxes from sustainable materials. They called into school, answered questions and talked us through their fascinating building process and the other projects at the Men’s Shed! They then met with our Eco-Leaders and talking to us about the best places for the boxes, as well as sharing ideas for our upcoming wildflower meadow.

Thank you Rostrevor Men’s Shed, we look forward to installing these and improving wildlife on our grounds.

🌿🌟 Exciting News from Bessbrook Primary School! 🌟🌿

🌍 Our Eco Council and amazing students in P5/6 have been hard at work 🛠️ developing a special Eco Code to guide us on our journey back to the Green Flag! 🚩♻️

🌱📝 Through collaboration and creativity, they've crafted a set of values and actions to help us become even more environmentally friendly and sustainable! 🌳🌟

🤝 Let's give a big round of applause to our dedicated Eco Council and P5/6 students for their incredible efforts! 👏🎉 Together, we're making a difference for our planet! 🌎💚

BIG Garden Birdwatch!

Bessbrook Primary School are taking part in the BIG Garden Birdwatch from 26^th – 28^th January 2024.

Our Eco-Schools students really wanted to push this to help monitor bird populations as we head towards spring.

We need your help too! Please head to: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch to learn more & get involved!

🌬️❄️ Getting set for the winter! ❄️🌿

🌱 P5 students rolled up their sleeves to refresh our school planters, bidding farewell to this season's wildflowers and welcoming vibrant cabbages & primroses to add a pop of color throughout winter. 🌼🥬

🥔 Surprisingly, amidst the greenery, we stumbled upon pristine potatoes, and with excitement, we replanted them to grow anew! 🌱🥔

🚮 After the planting extravaganza, we embarked on a playground and Pond Field tidy-up with a litter pick. Shockingly, we collected THREE full bags of litter! 🗑️♻️

🌸 Stay tuned for more eco-initiatives in the new year as we gear up for the 'Big Spring Clean' to spread the message of environmental stewardship! 🌍💚

❄️🌱 Winter Gardening with Gallagher Gardening! 🌱❄️

🐝 Ciaran from Gallagher Gardening graced us with his expertise, sharing the buzz about the importance of bees and other pollinators even during the winter months. 🌼🍯

🌧️ Through a captivating session, he enlightened us on the art of caring for plants in the winter, emphasizing the significance of maintaining a colourful garden for the well-being of our world. 🌈🌿

🏡 "Looking after the environment isn't hard, it starts in your backyard!" 🌍💚 Let's sow the seeds of change and watch our gardens bloom with vibrancy! 🌺🌟

Eco-Schools Embrace the Spirit of Wellness! 🏃‍♀️🌎

🎅 This festive season, our students joyfully participated in the Santa Daily Mile, promoting active lifestyles that benefit both health and the environment! 🌿🎄

👟 With boundless enthusiasm, our eco-champions donned their Santa hats and hit the track, inspiring a commitment to physical well-being and a greener planet. 🌍💪

🌟 Embrace the magic of movement and join us in fostering a culture of health and sustainability! Together, we're making strides towards a brighter, healthier future.

🌿🏫 Eco Schools Workshop! 🌎📚

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 P6/7 students embarked on a journey to St. Joseph’s Convent Primary School in Newry for an exciting Eco-Schools Workshop. 🌳🍏

🌱 Thanks to mentors from Keeping Northern Ireland Beautiful, our students delved into workshops on healthy breakfasts, home-grown fruits and veggies, and winter gardening. 🍎🥦 They even got hands-on, squeezing their own apple juice and mastering gardening techniques to safeguard fruit trees in the cold! ❄️🍇

🥳 After taste-testing store-bought fruit combos for breakfast inspiration, it was time for the BIG CLEAN UP! 🚮🌍 Pupils from both schools joined forces for a Litter Pick around the Convent in Newry, earning kudos from locals for their fantastic work. 👏 Well done, P6/7!

🌟 A massive thank you to Radius Housing for funding this fantastic project. 🏡 So far, we've planted fruit trees, received lovely planters, and even got wildflower boxes! 🌸🌳

🌳🌱 Tree-planting & building a sustainable future! 🌍🏫

🍏🍐🍇 In the spirit of our Eco-Schools education, we've been busy planting a diverse orchard at Bessbrook Primary School! This morning, our lands welcomed blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, and stunning apple, pear, and plum trees! 🌳🍎

🙌 A heartfelt thanks to Radius Housing, Ben, Sinead & Chris for their incredible support, making our school environment even more amazing! 🌿🌟

🌼🌿 June 2023 - Creating wildflower planters! 🌱🌸

🌍 Back in the earlier months, we delved into the fascinating world of Biodiversity and explored the crucial role of pollinators. 🐝🌺

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 Students from P4-7 rolled up their sleeves, clearing out the planters and giving them a new life by adding thousands of wildflower seeds. 🚀🌼 Watch this space for a burst of colourful blooms! 🌈👀

🚮🌍 Community Litter Pick! 🌳👧👦

👧👦 Students from both P4 & P5 took charge on the Pond Field, making a positive impact by cleaning up litter! 🌿🗑️

😱😮 It was truly surprising to see the amount of rubbish, and what's even more important is that a large portion of it was recyclable! Let's all do our part to care for our green spaces! 🌳♻️

🌳🌟 January 2023 - Radius Housing Planting Project 🌱🏡

👧👦 P5 is actively contributing to our journey to regain Eco-Schools status by diving into the world of Biodiversity—understanding its meaning, exploring its impact, and learning how to nurture it. 🌍📚

🌳 Get ready for a transformation as we embark on a tree-planting mission to enhance the beauty of our playground! 🌳🎨

🏫🌱 This project has two exciting components: Schools and communities. Schools will enjoy an educational package and a newly developed garden on their site. Meanwhile, community groups will have the opportunity to engage in 5 customized workshops, supporting them on their biodiversity recovery journeys. 🌿🤝

How to: Save Water!

How to :Save Energy!

🌈🚶‍♂️ 'Ditch the Dark Day' 🚴‍♀️🌟

To champion safe and active commuting to school, we joyfully marked 'Ditch the Dark' day on Friday, November 18th. 📅 On this vibrant day, we spiced up our uniforms with bright and colourful accessories, and many of us opted for eco-friendly modes of transport like walking, scooting, or biking! 🌈👟

🏆 Excitement soared as we awarded prizes to the most colourfully accessorised uniforms in each class. 🎁✨ It was a fantastic day, and we can't wait to dive into more special events next year! 🎉🌍

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful

Eco Schools Northern Ireland

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)

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