BARAMBAH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE

Term 3 Newsletter 13/07/2020 – 18/09/2020

301 A Flat Road, Wrattens Forest, Via . Qld. 4601 email: [email protected] Ph: 41688190 Editors Column Term 3 and we have been open for camps and excursions!! We continued with the Wellbeing Wagon for the first few weeks of term and welcomed our first camp in week 4. After a lot of work to develop a COVID 19 Risk Management Plan and a visit from our local Public Health Unit, we have implementedNEWSLETTER a raft of COVID Safe strategies to ensure we are delivering COVID Safe camps. This has included purchasing hand sanitising stations and signage to support social distancing, and personal health and hygiene practices.

Our animal wanderings this term is the Yellow Footed Antechinus, he has been a very busy visitor to the nursery – eating seedlings and eating into our Unit Support Officer’s containers.

Read on and enjoy 

Sandra

PRINCIPAL’S FOREWORD

We have been very pleased to welcome staff and students from our client schools back to Barambah EEC in term 3! Camps and excursions have recommenced and our centre is operating under the Government approved Industry COVID SAFE Plan for Outdoor Education Providers and the Retail Food Services Industry COVID Safe Plan. The Barambah staff members are enjoying hearing happy student voices and seeing smiling student faces around the centre, and our visiting schools certainly seem to be enjoying being outdoors again!

Whilst running COVID safe camps has meant changes to how we operate, there have been some unexpected and interesting flow on effects. With smaller numbers of students onsite at a time, the birdlife around the centre has sprung to life, particularly in the afternoons when the ponds become birdbaths. Smaller numbers and set seating in the dining room creates more dinner conversation amongst students. Reducing menu options has resulted in less food waste. Enhanced hygiene practices have keep staff and students healthier and happier! We have embedded wellbeing activities into our programs and we are all practising gratitude and mindfulness regularly which everyone is enjoying. We are embracing facing the challenges and seeing the opportunities in these different times.

We have opened our bookings for 2021 and it is great to see schools already thinking about and booking camps for next year. We are excited to offer increased personal challenge and adventure programs next year designed to enhance student resilience and personal and social capability. Journeys involving mountain biking will add another dimension to our program offerings, and provide an option to hiking. We are even offering a bike and hike program option, and all of our programs are aligned to the Australian Curriculum. We welcome enquiries from schools at any time regarding our programs so please get in touch to discuss how we can support school curriculum

delivery. I wish all of the wonderful centre and school staff and students happy and safe holidays, enjoy the chance to refresh and recharge for Term 4!

Barambah Environmental Education Centre Wellbeing Program

With the onset of COVID 19 in early February, our residential centre was essentially closed to school camps. Some clever members of our staff got to thinking what can we do, how can we support school students and staff? Barambah EEC staff put together the Wellbeing with Barambah program. The program was offered to schools within a 100 km of Barambah with the target group being Prep to Year 6. Lessons were a duration of 70 minutes and during that time staff spoke to students about what makes up our wellbeing. Students learnt that wellbeing encompasses our physical health (how we move and what we put in our bodies) our mental health (how we think) and our social health (relationships and how we get on with others). Of course there are lots of things you can do to support your wellbeing like cooking, making, or fishing and the personal list goes on. However in a brief 70 minute lesson Barambah EEC staff focused on 5 simple take away and take home activities. Students learnt about Being in Nature, Movement, Mindfulness, Having Fun and Gratitude. I particularly like ‘Sit like a frog’ as an activity for Being in Nature. Students sit on their lily pad in silence for 30 seconds and then share what they saw, heard and felt. A particularly interesting activity as we visited a variety of schools, some very bushy and forested, some near busy roads, some with mowers cutting grass. Schools visited included, and to the south, Glenwood to the north and schools and Kin Kin to our east. Currently, Barambah EEC has wound back our Wellbeing Wagon travel, however we now incorporate its components into camps that have resumed back on residential site. Randomly till next time, are you really in touch, what phase is the moon in today? Barambah Pete

SCHOOL CAMPS AND DAY VISITS

We have delivered 4 day incursions as part of Wellbeing with Barambah, 6 pre visits and 6 camps, 1 high ropes, 1 Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey and 1 Leadership day incursion.

BOOKINGS FOR 2020/2021

We are currently prioritising 2020 bookings for schools who have camps booked for the remainder of the year and whose camps were postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19.

Applications forms for 2021 can be downloaded from our website www.barambaheec.eq.edu.au or you can contact us on 41 688190 or email [email protected] and ask us to send an application form to you. You can also place an expression of interest for camp bookings in 2021 at any time throughout the year, application packages have been sent out in August 2020 and will be due in October 2020.

We offer great programs that align with the Australian Curriculum - Program Overviews, which outline Curriculum alignment, can also be found on our website www.barambaheec.eq.edu.au and our expert staff members deliver these programs to suit all age groups and abilities.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Professional development is an ongoing part of our professional lives. Everyone at Barambah participates in online training through the Learning Place, and our teaching staff started this term by attending Stanley River EEC to attain their Cycling Qualifications. Cycling Qualifications The development of the Kilkivan to Rail Trail has prompted the teaching staff at Barambah EEC to recently complete professional development in instructing students in mountain bike riding. The qualifications attained will allow staff to guide students on intermediate off road trails, of which there are many near Barambah as well as take advantage of the nearby Rail Trail.

The three day course covered a wide range of topics from basic bike maintenance to instructing novice riders. As part of a Certificate 4 in Outdoor Recreation it will also include communications, minimalizing environmental impacts and recreation planning.

The centre now has 20 mountain bikes of varying sizes that have been recently serviced and are looking for some students to try them out.

Here’s teacher Mark Smith demonstrating his exemplary downhill technique and Steve, Mark and Pete becoming familiar with some local tracks.

NURSERY NEWS Its spring and the plants are starting to show signs of new growth. The frost covers will be coming off in the near future and the shade covers will go back on. Lots of shrubs are in flower and the wildlife is loving it, especially the bees and honey eater birds. We should have a good harvest of seed for the next growing year. Plant sales have been good even with the restrictions of COVID19. I am looking forward to having the students returning to the nursery to help with propagation and potting on. See you next time….Happy gardening Cyndi

P & C NEWS Our P & C is taking part in the Containers for Cash, our caterers are kindly donating any eligible containers to us (we don’t have a lot as we try to promote litter free lunches). If you would like to donate your cash for cans please feel to contact Sandra [email protected] or 41688190 to see how or use our scheme ID C10235423

If you would like to become a member of the Barambah P & C please email Peter Gibson for a membership form [email protected] We meet 6 times a year via phone conference.

ANIMAL WANDERINGS Antechinus flavipes – Yellow Footed Antechinus

The yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), also known as the mardo, is a shrew-like marsupial found in . Description: The yellow-footed antechinus fur colour varies depending on location, but is generally somewhat greyish. Notable features include a white eye-ring and a black tip to the tail. They are always slate grey at the head and shoulder, that grades to russet or yellowish fur, pale at the chin and throat and a darker tone at the rump, flank, belly, leg and foot. The combined head and body length is from 90 to 160 millimetres and weight range is 20 to 75 grams. It has a pointed muzzle and short, broad feet of buff to yellow-brown colour. It has short hair and a moderately long tail. The yellow-footed antechinus differs from its relatives in its diurnal habits. The mating season lasts for two weeks in August. The diet is invertebrates, eggs, and nectar and sometimes-small vertebrates. Habitat: Leaf litter and fallen logs in forests, heath, woodlands and coastal plains. Distribution: Found discontinuously from around the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia to around Eungella in Queensland, with the exception of most of coastal New South Wales and Victoria. Isolated populations occur in north-eastern Queensland and in south-western Western Australia. Breeding: All males die after the mating period and most females die after weaning their offspring, while some females live to the next year to litter another brood. Gestation is 28 days. Antechinus have the biggest litters of any Australian marsupial, averaging eight to ten babies, although yellow-footed antechinus can have 14.

In our next newsletter:-  Nursery News  Wildlife Wanderings

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

Wellbeing with Barambah

WE ARE LEARNING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING: –

 our physical health (body)  our mental health (mind)  our social health (relationships)

Showing gratitude

Being in We can Movement nature do this and exercise by

Being Having mindful fun

www.barambaheec.eq.edu.au

More resources: Wellbeing with Barambah edStudio Access Key S484257988