Enviroschools : Joining the Network

Te Upoko o te Ika a Mäui has a strong network of schools and Early Childhood Centres working with Enviroschools to foster a generation of people who instinctively think and act sustainably.

The Enviroschoools Programme provides a framework for schools to engage with a whole school sustainability journey. Often the Enviroschools Programme provides an extension for schools that have already engaged in a series of environmental projects and want to embed sustainability into the culture of the school.

Starting Out

Becoming a Friend of Enviroschools Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui

As a Friend, you will receive our e-newsletters once a term. These include support opportunities run by Enviroschools and other providers for teachers and for students. They also include links to stories on our website highlighting cool things schools and early childhood centres in the network have been up to and upcoming funding opportunities. You may also be contacted by our facilitators about additional opportunities and invited to attend teacher or student networking opportunities.

Read on if you are a school that might be ready to take the next step to become an Enviroschool and commit to an ongoing journey with the Enviroschools Programme.

Exploring the Enviroschools Programme

Understanding what's involved

Our brochures provide you with a general outline of what the Enviroschools programme involves. (Please don't print this pdf, we'd rather send you hard copies on recycled paper. Contact Claire, our support person, we can send you some.)

Schools and early childhood centres can also purchase an Enviroschools Handbook and have a go at putting some of the principles in place in their school independently of the Enviroschools team. To order a handbook, email Claire who will send you one with an invoice for $45.

Here are some examples of the kinds of things students in Enviroschools do.

Here are some examples of the ways an Enviroschools Facilitator can work with your school.

Schools that would like to register as an Enviroschool should send staff to an Exploring Enviroschools Workshop. Look on our Upcoming Events page to see when the next workshop will be held and register on-line.

Discuss the commitment the Enviroschools Programme requires with the staff and BOT so that everyone is aware of what they are committing to. Here is a description of what a whole school commitment involves.

Applying

Become a registered Enviroschool

Applying to be part of the Enviroschools Programme and network can vary slightly from region to region. In Te Upoko o te Ika a Maui, we welcome applications to be part of the Enviroschools Programme from any school that has sent representatives to an Exploring Enviroschools Workshop, has good understanding of what the programme involves, and is ready to commit to a long-term sustainability journey.

When’s the right time to apply?

The ideal time to apply is the end of April. This enables us to assess our capacity to work with new schools and take on new schools at the start of Term 3. Schools can then start exploring the programme and engaging in some planning with a facilitator in terms 3 and 4 ready for action the following year. Applications will however be considered at other times of the year.

Ready to apply?

Make an online application.

What next?

Once you are accepted onto the programme we will send you a formal agreement to sign which outlines your school's commitment to the Enviroschools Programme. The agreement is ongoing and an annual review is held each year to reflect on the year, reconfirm commitment to the Programme and set goals for the upcoming year.

There is no cost to joint the programme. Schools and ECEs that are part of the programme will need to purchase a set of Enviroschools resources. The current cost is approximately $200.

(This information was last updated on 17 December 2015.)

Working Towards a Whole School Commitment

There are a number of opportunities for support with environmental education and action in the Wellington Region that might be good places to start an environmental journey whether or not your school is ready for a whole school commitment.

Link in with a local restoration group

Go to the naturespace website to find out about restoration groups near you. This website is also full of information about the restoration process and how to start your own project.

Engage in an integrated unit of work with a sustainability theme

Examples of fully prepared units of work include:

Take Action for Water– Greater Wellington Regional Council. This is an integrated unit of work for yr 5-8 students, where students investigate local stream quality and take action to improve it. It is available on the GWRC website or you can contact the council to see if hard copies of the resource are still available.

Turning on the tap – Greater wellington Regional Council. Another integrated unit of work for yr 5-8 students. This time students investigate the human-made water supply, discover why it is important to conserve water and take action to make better use of their tap water. This resource is also available through the GWRC website.

Check out our resources page for a wide range of other sustainability-related resources available to schools in the Wellington region.

Other support available in the region:

Zealandia / Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Department of Conservation have a variety of resources for teachers

Wellington Zoo take school visits and have resources related to conservation and sustainabilty

Otari Wilton’s Bush is a great place to take students and has an online education kit

Many councils also offer waste programmes to help schools understand the systems in place to deal with their waste. Contact your local council to access these.