18 December 2012
A unique learning opportunity has brought Taradale Intermediate students an early Christmas surprise.
Year 7 and 8 students in Room 18 had the opportunity to be part of an award winning international environmental education programme, Project Learning Tree, which involved partnering with an American school to exchange information about their local environments.Project Learning Tree uses the forest as a ‘window on the world’ to increase children’s understanding of the environment and its issues, instilling a sense of responsibility and commitment to take care of their own environment.
The organisation was looking to partner with New Zealand schools and Rayonier Matariki Forests introduced the initiative into Taradale Intermediate.
Room 18’s teacher Viv Le Comte immediately saw the huge benefits the programme would bring to her students and the value of Project Learning Tree’s resource materials.
“We started learning about our local environment and the role forested areas play within that,” said Ms Le Comte. “The children got a really good understanding of forests and forestry practices from Rayonier Matariki Forests and the significant role that forestry plays in preserving rare and endangered species that habitat its forests through the company’s environmental initiatives. We also learned about all the different plants and animals that we share our forests with.”
In term two the children created an environmental exchange toolbox to send to Spruce Mountain Middle School in Maine, USA. The project included maps and information on the Hawke’s Bay environment and the different plant and animal species found there. Personal profiles, interviews with teachers and historical information on the Napier earthquake were written by the children and packaged up with information on New Zealand forestry, school photos and the words to the national anthem.
Ange Vivian, Rayonier Matariki Forests’ General Manager of Support arrived with the box from Spruce Mountain Middle School last week.
“Project Learning Tree had been looking for ways to link with New Zealand schools and we were thrilled to be able to facilitate the programme here. It has been embraced by the children and they were so hungry for information about the environment both in Taradale and Main,” said Ms Vivian.
“It was like Christmas morning in the classroom. The children were really excited to be opening this box that had come from so far away and held all sorts of fascinating things. There were letters from the children telling what life is like in Maine, pictures and information on local forests and the animal and plant life, American money and even a Maine car registration plate.”
Ms Le Comte said the programme gave her students a greater awareness of the environment and really opened their eyes to another dimension of forestry.
Rayonier Matariki Forests will work with Project Learning Tree to extend the programme into more schools around New Zealand next year and Ms Le Comte will continue building on it at Taradale Intermediate.
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Released on behalf of Rayonier Matariki Forests. For more information :
Liane Donovan: DonovanPR – Tel: (09) 522 7125 / 027 2227348