GO HOLY CROSS!!

 

SAVING THE EARTH... one small step at a time.

 

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ECO TEAM INITIATIVES UPDATE

 

JUNE

 

We are still waiting to hear news of our results regarding EcoSchool status; hopefully it will be soon.

We will post it on our website www.tcdsb.org/holycross as soon as we find out.

 

Our butterfly gardein is coming along. In the next couple of weeks, before the end of the school year, we will be looking for colunteers to help paint the fence, plant our garden before the students do their planting, and donating plants for the garden. If you have the following types of plants that you would like to donate, plese let us know: grey, yellow, or purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, butterfly milkweed, joe-pye weed, asters, liatris, evening primrose, goldenrod, coreopsis, bee balm or wild bergamot.

 

We will also be looking for volunteers to help maintain the garden during the summer months, including watering and weeding. In consultation with out head caretaker, Mr. Calla, we will set up a schedule of days the gate will be open and the hose available. the schedule will also be posted on our website.

 

If you are available for any of these initiatices, please call the school and leave a message for Mrs. Carpino or Mrs. Doumouras, or you can send an email to karin.doumouras@tcsdb.org.

 

THANK YOU

 

We would like to thank all those who made this year's EcoSchool initiative a reality.

Thank you to our EcoTeam members: the students, the EcoTeam staff, Mrs. Vukovic, Ms. Vella, Ms. Kirkland,

Ms. Steinke, Ms. Gomes, Ms. LaFreniere, Ms. Pollock, and Mrs. Doumouras;

the other members of the EcoTeam, Mrs Carpino, Mr. Stadnyk, Mrs. Meotti and Mr. Calla;

and the entire school community - staff, parents and students, without whom it would not have been possible.

 

 

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ECO-TEAM NEWS

 

This year our school has come up with many ways to help our planet. We have started our EcoTeams: the Waste Team, the Energy Team, and the Information Team. In the spring we will be forming a Garden Team.

 

The Holy Cross EcoTeam is committed to making a difference. We know that with small changes we can make big differences. The purpose of this part of the Holy Cross newsletter is to inform our community about some small changes that they could make to help protect our planet. Each month we wil contribute a tip for you to try. We are also interested in hearing from you. We believe that many people are already well on their way to making big changes and we would like to share you good ideas with others. So, of you have a good tip to share, pass it along to lisanne.pllock@tcdsb.org and you may see your idea in the next newsletter.

 

Starting in the month of February, the HOly Cross EcoTeam will be collecting the following:

1. used batteries

2. empty printer cartridges or tonor cartridges

3. old, unused cell phones

 

Green bins will be labelled and placed in the foyer outside th main office. Students and their families are encouraged to recycle these tiems through the school. Batteries and cell phones will be taken to the Bermondsey transfer station for proper disposal; the empty printer or toner cartridges will be recycled at Staples. STAPLES Business Depot's Recycle for Education program is designed to help raise money for schools across Canada. Every STAPLES Business Depot store location across Canada has a recycle bin near the ink and toner cartridge area where customers, students, parents and teachers can drop off their empthy ink and toner cartridges. For every eligible ink and toner cartridge a dollar will be donated to participating schools across Canada.

 

Holy Cross is continuing its quest for EcoSchool Certification. We will be implementing our "Boomerang Days" on the first and third Wednesday of the month beginning in November. Everything that is not recyclable will be sent back home for disposal; reusable containers and bottles are ideal for Boomerang Days. Our ultimate goal is that every lunch be a Boomerang lunch beginning in September 2010.         What does it mean to be an EcoSchool?   Ontario EcoSchools is an environmental program that addresses both the operation of the schools and what the students learn. It has been designed collaboratively by school boards for school boards to incorporate environmental education as well as environmentally responsible action into the school setting. Student success – in both academics and positive contributions to society – is the focus of Ontario EcoSchools. The program aims to influence young people during a formative period of life, and affect an exponential impact as children take a culture of conservation home with them.         TCDSB Environmental Initiatives

The purposes of this project are to:   * Provide teachers with environmental education resource units for elementary and secondary grades based on the Ontario Curriculum. * Provides guides that promote taking individual action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. * Align what is taught in classrooms with school operations (curriculum & facilities). *Save money and reduce our impact on the environment (e.g., conserve energy and minimize waste) at both the Board and individual school levels and provide related opportunities for learning and action outside the classroom to reinforce classroom education.   An independent study of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) EcoSchool program acknowledged that a reduction of 12% electricity consumption and 8% gas reduction can be identified in EcoSchools versus non-EcoSchools. This relates directly to dollars and cents savings. The overall sense of community and environmental awareness seems to increase in EcoSchools which generates a harmonization of students, teaching staff, caretaking staff and the surrounding community.   EcoSchools achieves this by focusing on these four areas: a) Energy Conservation b) Waste Minimization c) Ecological Literacy d) Schoolground Greening   The EcoSchools program also presents a unique opportunity for students to actively apply their Catholic faith. In his January 1, 1990 document, Pope John Paul II called the ecological crisis the “responsibility of everyone” and requested that individuals “recognize their obligation to contribute to the restoration of a healthy environment”. EcoSchools recognizes the achievements of the participating schools through a certification process that awards a gold, silver or bronze level of achievement.