By Callum Ludwig
With National Tree Planting Day coming up, schools around Australia including Warburton Primary School dug in early on Friday 29 July for Schools Tree Day.
Healesville Toyota supported the event, as part of a 23-year-long partnership with PlanetArk, which created National Tree Day.
Sales Consultant at Healesville Toyota James Ong said Healesville Toyota has a long history of supporting tree-planting days.
“We’re always pushing to be involved in community events, it’s cool to come down and see the kids’ appreciation of the importance of trees that make the oxygen we breathe,” he said.
“If the kids and new generations continue that appreciation of the planet, it will be good. We are very happy to support another community event, we don’t want to be just the place that sells cars, we want to be a part of the Healesville community.”
The kids spent from 2pm to 3pm planting over 50 trees and plants, a lot of them native species.
Warburton Primary School Principal Nathan van der Monde said teaching students about this is vital, as they are the future of the environment.
“With the way the planet is, I think it’s really important to teach students about the environment, the importance of trees, the way that everything is interconnected, it’s integral to their learning,” he said.
“Here at Warburton Primary School, we pride ourselves on the fact that we are very connected not only to our community but also to our surrounding environment, as well. Our students are very aware of the importance of nature.”
Mr van der Monde started at the Warburton Primary School recently at the beginning of Term Three.
Mr van der Monde said he thinks the hands-on learning about the environment is much more memorable and meaningful because it’s an authentic experience.
“It’s a task that is having an actual impact. They can put in the theoretical knowledge that they’ve got into practice and see it happen outside, watch it continue to grow and bring the birds and pollinators to our community,” he said.
“It’s also a nice opportunity for them to celebrate the community they are in and the broader community, having parents and friends come into the school and to share the space with them, I think is really nice too, because the learning becomes much more important.”
The trees and plants were planted along the front fence of the school, in their Birds and Bees Corridor, aimed at creating a habitat suitable for the animals.
Mr van der Monde said Warburton Primary School and the Warburton and Yarra Ranges community have real heart and are very intrinsically linked to each other.
“It’s nice to be part of a school that has so much already going for it, I’m here to facilitate and support but realistically, these teachers are incredible. You can see how much Kel [Coordinator of the school’s sustainable garden program Kelly Frost] has achieved,” he said.
“Working with companies like Healesville Toyota means the world to our students, and gives them meaningful real-life experiences, which is what we really want to keep doing because the children are the future of Warburton, so we want to continue that legacy of connection to the community and being the custodians of the natural world around us.”
