WEDNESDAY, September 4, 2013. Sun Newspapers 19

LEARNING is extended through

to the Alawa Farm Café, where

homemade healthy alternatives are

provided to the usual meat pies and

pizzas.

Students are involved in the menu

choices and participate in tasting

samples of new foods created by the

kitchen/café manager.

Food harvested from the farm

and garden used in the café and the

menu is varied to provide a range of

healthy choices throughout the term.

The menu has included egg

curry and rice, enchiladas, steamed

chicken buns, homemade muesli

bars, vegetable burrito, rice paper

rolls and frozen fruit sticks.

Students are developing

sustainable practices by returning

their recyclable plates and containers

to the café, so they can be washed

and reused.

Children learn that healthy food

can be exciting and tasty.

Parents and carers are also

encouraged to stay for a fresh coffee

or tea which can be purchased from

the café each morning.

Assembly morning provides

parents with special treats such as

homemade scones or muffins.

ALAWA Primary is a small community-

focused school where students have

opportunities to learn through real life

experiences.

Learning the basics of literacy and

numeracy is an important focus in

every classroom, along with hands-on

learning opportunities received through

the school’s kitchen, garden and farm

programs.

The school believes it is important

for students to learn about fresh and

nutritional food that can be grown in

the local environment and the many

benefits they provide.

They gain an appreciation for

nutritious seasonal food and are

encouraged to adopt healthy eating and

lifestyle habits from an early age.

Children use the produce from the

garden to create nutritious homemade

meals in the schools’ kitchen and

transfer their learning to their home.

It is our aim to continue developing

the students understandings so they

can connect with nature, develop

sustainable practices and reduce their

carbon footprint, a critical need for

today’s urbanised children.

After a successful farm was created

in 2004 connecting children to a

rural lifestyle, Alawa school joined

in partnership with the Stephanie

Alexander Kitchen Garden Program

and in 2009 became the demonstration

school for the Northern Territory.

An edible garden and farm

environment was developed for various

poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs, calves,

goats, pigs and a lizard.

This outdoor classroom provides

students the perfect opportunity to

explore, experiment and engage in

hands-on science, thereby promoting

a deeper understandings of scientific

concepts and their inquiry skills.

With the implementation of the new

Australian Science Curriculum, Alawa

is planning to develop an exciting

and innovative learning space where

children can create experiments, test

hypotheses, analyse produce and

species, identify weeds and pests and

generally become more engaged in

science.

The school is extremely proud of

the positive learning environments that

have been created by its talented and

passionate staff.

THE Connecting Positively with the

Community Program provides a

wonderful opportunity for parents

to get involved in their children’s

learning by volunteering to help

out with kitchen, garden or farm

lessons.

Alawa School has a number of

volunteer parents and community

members who assist and are made

to feel welcome in the school, and

we are always after more helpers.

As a school with a rich diversity

of cultural backgrounds, it

has embraced the KidsMatter

philosophy of ‘everyone belongs’

and provides opportunities for

parents to get to know other parents

and be involved in their child’s

learning and school experiences.

This term, students will perform

multicultural dances and songs at

a whole school community event

titled ‘One School-Many Nations’ on

Thursday the 26th September 5pm

to 8pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend

this evening.

AT Alawa, teachers have really

embraced the use of digital

technologies to enhance children’s

learning.

Ms Jeffery has produced an

inviting class website designed to

enable her Transition and Year 1

students to access learning tasks

and information.

It has been a great way to

communicate with parents and for

parents to communicate with the

teacher.

Ms McKinnon’s Year 1/2 class

has been designing QR codes

containing information about the

herbs in our herb garden.

Using hand held devices like mini

iPads, students from all over the

school can now scan the QR codes

to find out about the herbs.

Ms Lacey is creating an exciting

science website to digitally collate

the learning of students in each of

the classes she teaches across the

school.

TODAY’S children often have limited

opportunities to connect and interact

with the natural environment and are

spending more and more time in front

of the television and computer screen.

Not only is this leading to an increase

in childhood obesity, but it reduces

opportunities for children to know

where food comes from and what is

inside the commercially produced food

they eat.

Each week students in years 2-6

receive one session of cooking in the

kitchen and one session of gardening.

Students work in small groups to

achieve set tasks or cook recipes in the

kitchen.

In the garden, they take responsibility

for propagation, growing, harvesting,

watering, weeding, composting,

mulching, pest management and caring

for the animals.

Not only do children learn to love

cooking and develop an appreciation

for healthy seasonal food in the kitchen,

but they learn many mathematical and

scientific concepts.

Each kitchen lesson culminates with

students sitting at the table to share a

selection of seasonal tropical dishes

they have prepared.

This term they have prepared exotic

dishes such as jackfruit curry, banana

palm salad, green banana curry, tropical

fruit jam, chapattis, herb and feta bread

and eggplant fritters.

Science and health lessons are

connected with the farm and garden

and provide children with first hand

opportunities to investigate, explore and

research areas of interest.

For example in science they have

learnt about offspring, life cycles and

how some animals metamorphose and

how some look like their mothers.

In health, students are made aware

of the value of eating fresh, organic

and locally grown food with the aim of

giving students the knowledge to make

healthier food choices both at home

and school.

Engaging education with digital technologies

Leanyer Primary School students had a lovely excursion, learning about the natural habitat and collecting samples.

Alawa Farm Café - nurture, create, enjoy!

Learning in the outdoor classroom

From farm to table

Connecting positively with the community

27 Pett Street, Alawa NT 0810 P 8927 9122�s�alawa.school@ntschools.net

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