Tuesday 30th Jan
A CALL FOR SPADES PLEASE; If you have a spade, please bring it along, Parent Volunteers and members of staff; the Council is providing 19 spades, Baldoyle Community Garden 5, we have another 6 and of course the ground is very soft – it is so wet you see – so it should not be hard to dig but every extra spade will be handy. Please put your name on them (not just a ribbon, as while you may recognise your spade we may not if it gets lost!)
Monday, 29th Jan 2018
Dear Parents and Guardians,
A reminder that this Wednesday is our school tree Planting Day. We will be welcoming children from our neighbouring school, St. Michael’s House who will help us with this project to enhance our area.
We have an extremely rainy January so the park is WET and it may even get wetter on Wednesday! Everyone will need a smile and a change of shoes and socks in a bag as it will be muddy. If you have gardening gloves please bring them too, if not we will provide some. You might ask, why don’t we park on a sunny day in June? Well this is a really great time to plant trees before they start growing and while they are dormant.
Thank you to the over 50 families who are sending a volunteer to help dig the holes and encourage the children; some have signed up for two or even three hours. Volunteer parents will have received an email by now with further details (a few addresses bounced!); if not please email Orla at irishtreetrail@gmail.com. Volunteers, please meet outside the playground in Seagrange Park at your designated time and remember to bring a spade or trowel if you have one or can borrow one. The children will go with their teachers to and from the Park. This is the timetable;
9.30 – 10.30 First & Fifth classes
- -11.30 Junior Infants and Third classes
11.30 – 12.30 Senior Infants and Fourth classes
1 .00 – 2.00 Second and Sixth classes
More details are on Easy Treesie.com on the links below and there will be an item on the Near FM Enviro programme today at 4 p.m. about our event.
Regards,
Orla Farrell, Green Schools/ /Easy Treesie/ Plant-for-the-Planet Programme Co-ordinator &
An Taisce Climate Ambassador.
P.S. If any of our inspiring Plant-for-the-Planet Climate Ambassadors- who along with many of their parents gave up their whole Saturday this time last year to plant the first 300 trees and inspire us all – can find their T-shirt from last year’s Tree Academy, please wear it on Wednesday !
Parents, if you are not available on this day, there are lots of other ways you can take action on climate change the Green Flag way as we do in school by travelling sustainably, refusing/reducing/reusing/recycling/repairing waste responsibly and using energy and water wisely.
Which tree is your favourite? Here is a summary of some facts and interesting benefits of the six different species that pupils will be planting kindly sent on by Kieron of Fingal County Council.
Alnus Glutinosa – Alder
Native to Ireland and Europe
Whips being planted are about 3-5 years old
Grows commonly in moist conditions near lakes, rivers and wet woodlands, roots can prevent soil erosion.
Grows in almost all soils particularly in nutrient poor soils where few trees can thrive.
The catkins provide an early source of nectar & pollen for bees and the seeds are eaten by birds like goldfinches.
The value of the wood from Alder is its ability to withstand rot under water and historically it has been used in the construction of boats, sluice gates and water pipes. An interesting fact is that much of Venice is built on Alder Piles.
Betula Pendula – Silver Birch
Whips 3-5 years old
Native throughout Ireland and Europe
Silver Birch is used to improve quality of soil for other plants to grow; it uses its roots to bring otherwise inaccessible nutrients into the tree which are then recycled into the soil when trees’ leaves shed.
Silver Birch provides wildlife with food and habitat, for example it is liked by more than 300 insect species.
Birch wood is tough and heavy making it suitable for making furniture and toys.
Corylus Avellena – Hazel
Whips 3-5 years old
Native throughout Ireland, Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.
Hazel provides food for the caterpillars of many moths.
Coppiced hazel in managed woodlands provides shelter for ground nesting birds such as the yellowhammer.
Hazel was used for water divining sticks, hurdles and furniture making.
Prunus Avium – Wild Cherry
Whips 3-5 years old.
Native to Ireland and Europe apart from northern parts of Europe due to cold temperatures.
Spring flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen for bees while the cherries are eaten by birds.
The wood is hard, strong and honey-coloured and is widely used in decorative veneers and furniture.
The wood burns well & produces a sweetly smelling scented smoke, similar to the scent of its flowers.
Viburnum Opulus – Guelder Rose
Whips 2-3 years old.
Native to Europe and Asia.
The red berries are important food sources for birds.
The shrub canopy provides shelter for other wildlife.
Flowers are especially attractive to hoverflies and berries can be cooked in jelly or jams.
They are commonly grown as an ornamental plant for its pretty flower heads and bright juicy berries.
Sometimes we plant trees from outside the list of Native Trees because of their usefulness and in addition how they will suit our changing climate. We have chosen the following tree on this basis;
Acer Campestre – Field Maple
Native to Europe
Whips been planted are about 3-5 years old.
Commonly found in woods and hedgerows.
Widely planted in gardens and parks in towns/cities due to its compact growth, its tolerance to pollution and its leaves having a beautiful rich autumn colour.
The field maple attracts aphids and therefore predators i.e. ladybirds, hoverflies and birds.
Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and birds.
Traditional uses include wood turning, carving and making musical instructions, particularly harps.
January 15th 2017
Invitation to Parents and Guardians of St. Laurence NS Baldoyle to Join us on our School Tree-Planting Day in Seagrange Park on Wednesday, January 31st
Dear Parents and Guardians,
While you may know our school has won many green flags, you may not be aware that St. Laurence NS has been a leader in environmental education over many years. In 2017 our school came first in Ireland in the Eco-UNESCO Local to Global competition and we have won Repak and Electricity Association of Ireland national environmental awards as well as many regional awards from organisations such as Irish Aid. For the third year in a row, we are in SEAI’s top twenty schools in the country for our Green Flag Tree project. Our Green Committee has represented the school to audiences of up to 600 people (including Government Ministers and Mayors) at the Helix Theatre and the Mansion House.
One area in which the children at St. Laurence’s have been especially involved has been in a number of tree-planting initiatives. We planted native tree plantations at the front of our Senior Building in 1999 and our Junior Building in 2015. When we ran out of space on our school grounds we teamed up with 8 other schools and planted 300 trees in Seagrange Park, Baldoyle (adjacent to the Senior Building) at our “Tree Academy” last year.
In 2018 we are planning a Tree Planting Day to give all the children in the school an opportunity to plant a tree and in addition will hold a further Tree Academy, which will take place on 7th March. This Tree Planting Day will help towards achieving our sixth International Green Flag, for work on “Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste”. We will work in collaboration with other schools, and hope to plant a total of 3,000 trees this time, one for every primary school in Ireland! The children will plant their trees in Seagrange Park where we hope they will be able to enjoy them for years to come. We are working on this project in partnership with Fingal County Council who will be providing help and trees. Our project will also link with children in over 100 countries around the world as part of a UN-backed project, “Plant-for-the-Planet”.
One of the best climate actions a community can take is to plant trees. Trees not only absorb carbon and other harmful gases while releasing oxygen, they provide a whole host of other benefits, including improving ecosystems by creating habitats and food; reducing flooding (a particular problem in this park) and soil erosion; reducing noise and air pollution; enhancing well-being and local scenery and even increasing the value of property.
The Tree Planting Day event will take place rain or shine so please ensure that your child on this day has
- A rainproof coat
- A change of footwear, such as wellies/football boots or old runners as there will be mud.
- Gloves and tools will be provided – but they can bring gardening gloves from home if they wish Please turn over ………..
While Fingal Co. Council will have prepared the ground, it can be a bit of work digging the holes especially for the younger children and we would greatly appreciate some adult help on the day. If you were free to join us on Wednesday 31st January during the course of the day for an hour or longer please fill out the form overleaf and return it to your child’s class teacher by Wednesday 17th .
Le gach dea guí,
_________________________
Ms. Orla Farrell
Green Schools Coordinator, An Taisce Climate Ambassador
You can find more information about this project on
https://greenschoolsireland.org/
And our school Green web pages on http://room5stlaurence.weebly.com/our-newest-green-flag-project-trees.html
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I, (own name) ___________________ , Parent of (child’s name) __________________________
who is in _______Class, volunteer to help out with the School’s tree-planting event in Seagrange Park on Wednesday, 31st January.
Phone No.________________________ Email address __________________________
Tick the box(es) when you will be available and you will be emailed with further details.
9.30 – 10.30 First & Fifth classes
10.30 -11.30 Junior Infants and Third classes
11.30 – 12.30 Senior Infants and Fourth classes
- 1 .00 – 2.00 Second and Sixth classes
Easy Treesie 