Additional Programs

At Hackham East Primary School, we are committed to doing our bit to make a difference with recycling and to help build sustainable practices across the school that in turn help to educate our students for the future in order for them to impact on their future!

In the past most schools, including HEPS, have put all but paper products into the general waste for cleaners to empty into large skip bins each day. This has all ended up in landfill. Over the past few years various classes have implemented strategies to make Hackham East Primary School more sustainable and educate the students with systems that can be used at home.

This is an ever-changing process with successes and challenges along the way.

Sustainability in 2021 has many elements throughout the school. Each classroom has several bins to take care of. These include a landfill, mixed recycling, soft plastic, 10c recycling, paper and compost bins. Each class is expected to take responsibility for the bins in their own classroom and have class monitors empty the small bins into the larger bins for collection.

Other sustainability initiatives in the school include:

• Classes have re-established garden plots, growing fruit and vegetables from seeds
  and seedlings. They have also looked at tackling problems like pest insects and slugs
  in sustainable, healthy ways.
• A class of students collect the bins from each classroom each week and deposit the
  paper into our paper skip. Paper is recycled through SUEZ.
• Compost – we have 2 compost bins in the school to collect food and plant waste and
  decompose and use to fertilize the garden beds.
• Worms – a worm farm also contributes to our garden fertiliser and soil.
• Green bins – all other food scraps and small paper goes into the green bins for curbside
  collection
• 10c recycling – fruit boxes, milk containers, bottles and cans are collected, cleaned
  and taken to the recycling depot. The money collected is used for resources to
  support our sustainability projects such as the compostable bags for the council
  green bins.
• Soft plastics – taken by teachers and SSOs to local shops for recycling
• Used pens and textas are collected and taken to Ecolateral recycling

We still have a way to go but we are really proud of the way the students are changing their habits and have learnt to think globally, with the understanding that every person can make a difference when they try.

What is the Challenge?
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a literacy engagement program that was introduced by the Premier in 2004 to:

• Encourage students to read more books and enjoy reading
• Improve literacy levels.

The Challenge requires students to read 12 books between the beginning of the school year
and early September.

https://premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/

Contact Deb Scarff in the HEPS Library for further details.

In 2020 we established a school Cultural Hub in a central space to highlight the importance of celebrating and acknowledging the diversity of our school community.

The Cultural Hub is the space that celebrates our ATSI community and is a space for families to meet with the Aboriginal Cultural Education Officer and Aboriginal Education teacher. Many students ATSI and non-ATSI are able to access this space for cultural craft activities 2 lunch times per week.

Our library is the information hub of the school where students and teachers can access resources. Our library collection is continually assessed and updated to ensure the collection is current and relevant for the needs of our school. School libraries play a vital role in the education system and are an essential part of a school setup.

The HEPS library also hosts the Interoception Room and doubles as an inside play area for our students during Recess and Lunch breaks with many activities on offer.

Hackham East Primary School is fortunate to have the service of a Pastoral Care Worker (PCW).

Kiowa (Kay) Woodland has been working at Hackham East Primary School since 2021 and lives in Aldinga with 2 of her 3 children, moving from Strathalbyn.

Kiowa has previously worked as a registered nurse within hospitals, community and more recently as a school nurse. She has also worked in Kindergartens as an SSO and has been involved in lots of community activities over the years.

Kiowa’s role as a PCW is to ensure that students have the best opportunities to learn at their full potential by working alongside staff, students and parents to provide support. This support may be academic, social, emotional or spiritual.

Places you might find Kiowa:

• Supporting in classrooms
• Hosting small group activities
• Supporting in the library
• Supporting in the court yard
• Individual support

Kiowa will be on site Wednesdays and Fridays and can be contacted on 08 8382 3824 or kiowa.woodland637@schools.sa.eu.au.

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions or to book an appointment.

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