Pupils gear up for 'Sustainability Social' with local litter pick

The annual campaign run by Keep Scotland Beautiful aims to encourage individuals and groups to organise clean-ups of their own communities, with events taking place across the country.

Junior 4 has been learning about sustainability and pupils have seen the impact plastic has on oceans.

During the litter pick, boys and girls noticed plastic bottles which had been discarded near to a burn running through the park.

They were quick to dispose of these to stop the plastic from entering the burn and potentially ending up in the sea.

In all the youngsters filled three bags with rubbish in just one afternoon.

Class teacher Nikki Barrett said: “'Protecting the Planet’ is a core part of the Junior 4 curriculum.

"It has proved invaluable for pupils to put the lessons they have learned in the classroom into practice, both within school as well as further afield.

"Visiting Lennox Park, rolling up sleeves and bagging up litter to leave it in good condition for others, while also helping to protect the environment, has proven to be really rewarding for all involved.”

A key part of the Junior School curriculum is a series of events entitled ‘Sharing our Learning’ where pupils present what they have learnt to family members.

Junior 4 is currently gearing up for a ‘Sustainability Social’ at Gavin’s Mill in Milngavie later this month.

Pupils picked this local, sustainable enterprise as the location for their event as it aligned with the values they have learnt across the ‘Protecting the Planet’ topic.

They are currently in the throes of planning the 'Sustainability Social’ where families will come together over Fairtrade tea and coffee.

On the day the youngsters will share the many things they have learnt, including how to implement small changes to better protect the planet.

Junior 4 used their trip to Lennox Park as an opportunity to visit nearby Gavin’s Mill and discuss logistics for the day with the business owners as they plan for the event.

Head teacher Heather Fuller said: “We are very excited for the upcoming ‘Sustainability Social’ that Junior 4 is hosting to share their learning.

"This is an ambitious and unique project undertaken by our Junior 4, it’s the first time a class has taken the event to an external location and I know the children are very excited to showcase what they have learnt.

“It’s a brilliant example of our pupils leading on their learning and we’ve been encouraged to see how much the ‘Protecting the Planet’ topic has resonated.

"We’ve witnessed real passion in our pupils who demonstrate a great desire to help reduce our carbon footprint in school and to share their understanding so that they can have an impact at home too.

"It’s set to be a really special day and I can’t wait to attend Junior 4’s ‘Sustainability Social’.”

The Junior 4’s ‘Sharing the Learning’ event will take place on Friday, May 27.