The School Garden Needs You!
Dr Stubbs and the Cosmic Composters, including Mr Nagra, Mrs Powis and Mr Coshall, have made great progress with the RMGS garden.
We now have two raised beds and a large pond. The pond has suffered a number of setbacks but at last it is full of water and we have some frogspawn that was donated by Mrs Gower. The spawn has all hatched and the tadpoles are getting nice and big. The Rowan sapling is getting very tall as well and its berries will help wild birds to stay healthy through the winter.
There is still a lot of work to be done before the grand opening on 4 July. The raised beds need filling with earth and the plants that are growing in pots will need to be transplanted into the beds. However, Dr Stubbs is confident that all will be well in time for the opening.
The garden is going to be officially opened by Martin Rapley FRES, who many of you will know because he comes into school every year with his Big Bug Show. Mr Rapley, who worked for many years for the Essex Wildlife Trust before starting his Experience Science Live shows, has been invaluable in advising Dr Stubbs on the kinds of plants and environments needed to encourage wildlife. The emphasis will be on encouraging mini-beasts, especially wild honey bees and other endangered species.
Because the schools very powerful telescope is housed in the garden, Dr Stubbs thought that the garden needed a name that would reflect the use of the garden for astronomy as well as an outdoor classroom for science and other subjects that might like to study flora, fauna and conservation. When it opens, the garden will therefore be officially christened “The Herschel Wildlife Garden”. William Herschel and his sister were pioneering astronomers in the eighteenth-century who devoted much of their time to developing the first powerful, reliable telescopes. Mr Jones has very kindly made a name plaque to be unveiled on the big day.
After the garden is officially opened, Mr Rapley will be hosting two days of outdoor lesson
s themed around subjects as diverse as English and RE, PSHE and of course Biology. However, the garden will not be ready in time without your help. New members are always welcome to join the Cosmic Composters, who meet on in the garden on Friday lunchtimes of Week Two. Also, if you have any unwanted garden tools, flower pots or other items that might be useful please donate them- items can be given to Dr Stubbs in the H Office. We also need plants so if you have any unwanted pond or garden plants or vegetables that you have too many of please donate those as well. Lastly, we really need some old bricks to put in the pond to stand marginal plants on. Your unwanted items will be very welcome.
These are more photos from the garden
The pond
Woodlouse Pill millipedes
Daisy Angle Shades
