St Anthony's students participated in a variety of activities to promote World Environment Day which is an international day of environmental awareness and action that happens on 5 June each year. Ever since its creation, the United Nations has emphasised that WED should be seen as the "people's day" for doing something to take care of the Earth. This year's theme is biodiversity, which is the range of different living ecosystems on earth, including plant and animal species. Recent events from the bushfires in Brazil, Australia and America, to locust swarms destroying food supply across East Africa, and the current corona-virus pandemic, highlight how our changing environment is threatening biodiversity on a huge scale.

At our school some students learnt about different plants and animals that live in various ecosystems across the globe. Year One created their own animals from natural materials and made bird seed feeders from recycled materials. In Year Five, the focus was on Rainforests and the destruction that threatens the biodiversity of these very important ecosystems. Mrs Cordingley organised lots of books for the children to read that were focused on the environment. The library even sold many books to the students for a gold coin as a way of encouraging reusing books that the library no longer needed. Lastly, the whole school participated in a nude food day. We had students using containers and beeswax wraps rather than cling wrap. There were more drink bottles used and fresh fruit eaten which means less packaging going to landfill. 

Our Environment Group spoke to each class to remind the students about our recycling and composting systems. They then went during their lunch break with some infant children to clean the car park and boardwalk outside our school.

Thank you to all of the staff and students for participating in such an important day in the year. 

Mrs Knight and Mrs Newton