School Programs

Council provides free programs and incursions on a range of environmental topics for schools and kinders in Merri-bek. Students can learn about creating a garden for wildlife, water cycles, ecosystems, climate change and recycling.

Sign up to one of the programs below.

Schools for Wildlife

 

Does your school provide habitat for wildlife? Merri-bek has partnered with CERES to offer the ‘Schools for Wildlife’ program free to our local primary schools. Over three incursions, CERES will work with students to design and create a wildlife-friendly garden at your school.

Applications are now open. For more information, check out the Schools for Wildlife Program on the CERES website, or contact schoolprograms@ceres.org.au to find out more.

Click here to view the program's flyer: Schools for Wildlife Flyer

 

The Schools for Wildlife Program is designed to help students design and create a fully planted, wildlife friendly garden at your school, consisting of online and face-to-face sessions for both students and staff.

 

Water and biodiversity education

Merri Creek Management Committee can teach students about the native flora and fauna of the Merri Creek catchment.

Topics include:

  • Waterwatch
  • Indigenous Gardens
  • Habitat Surveys
  • Food Webs
  • Stormwater and more.

For more information about the sessions available to each year level, visit the Merri Creek Management Committee website. Both incursions and excursions are available (schools must book their own transport). For bookings email JuliaCirillo@mcmc.org.au or call 9380 8199.

Waste and recycling education 

Envirocom provides a range of in-person and online waste education sessions for schools, kindergartens and early learning centres. The sessions are designed to educate students about how waste and recycling impact our environment, and how they can reduce waste at home and at school.

A limited number of free sessions are available per year. Individual or multi-class sessions can be arranged. To make a booking email vic@envirocom.com.au.

Topics include:

Pre school sessions (suitable for 4-year old kinder)

  • Where does my rubbish go?
  • The wonderful world of worms
  • Litter, litter everywhere

School sessions

  • Food for thought
  • It's a wormy world
  • Caught on composting
  • Being resourceful
  • Recycling rules
  • Litter, litter everywhere
  • The wrap on wrapping
  • The science of sorting
  • Working up the waste hierarchy
  • Beyond the bin

More information

If you would like to know more about free sustainability incursions, please visit our Resources for education professionals page. 

In addition to incursion information you will find links to documents which list a huge range of resources and programs on sustainability which have been arranged by year level for ease of use.

Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP)

SWEP is funded by the Victorian Government and allows schools to access their water usage information through an educational online platform. 

SWEP has helped schools to save over nine billion litres of water (over $30.6 million) since the program began in 2012. For more information visit SWEP.