Environmental Education and Action Policy

Policy

DOCUMENT DETAILS

Document Owner	Office of the Director
Approval Date	21 March 2018
Release Date	23 May 2018
Compliance Date	01 February 2019
Review Date	01 December 2021
Updated	NA

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

INTRODUCTION

Education Policy in Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong (CEDoW) is developed to support the implementation of consistent and comprehensive practices to guide quality Catholic learning and teaching in Diocesan schools.

Education Policy is developed within the context of documents and frameworks. These include:

CONTEXT

Catholic Schools have a missionary and ecclesial mandate that impels them to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. We are called to respond to the environmental crisis of the 21^st Century by proactively engaging with Pope Francis’ challenge from Laudato Si' for an ecological conversion. This requires a strategic, planned approach whereby sustainable practices and ecological values are promoted and supported across the system of schools.

This involves schools embedding ecological values into school programs and practices that promote an ecological and sustainable culture that encourages everyone to live out his/her ecological vocation and engage in what Pope Francis describes as the ‘core business’ of caring for our common home.

This Policy has been developed to ensure that schools meet their compliance requirements with the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Australian Education Act 2013.

1.0 WHOLE SCHOOL PLANNING

sCHOOLS MUST:

1.1	nominate a Wollongong Environment Network (WEN) Contact to support environmental education and action in the school
1.2	ensure that the Wollongong Environment Network (WEN) Contact participates in Diocesan Environmental Education professional learning experiences
1.3	provide opportunities to share professional learning in order to develop the ecological awareness and engagement of all staff
1.4	develop a School Environment Management Plan (SEMP) that is informed by the six areas of the ASSISI Framework: Whole School Planning; Religious Dimension; Learning and Teaching; Ethical Resource Use; Caring for Country; and Community Relationships
1.5	ensure the School Environment Management Plan (SEMP) includes actions that are informed by the Diocesan Environmental Assessment Tool
1.6	develop and implement school-based procedures for environmental practices for waste management and stewardship of resources and grounds
1.7	discern and plan for opportunities to celebrate and engage in Environmental Action Days of Significance

2.0 RELIGIOUS DIMENSION

sCHOOLS MUST:

2.1	ensure that the Wollongong Environment Network (WEN) Contact collaborates with the Religious Education Coordinator in relation to environmental celebrations and activities
2.2	ensure that environmental activities are linked to the prayer and liturgical life of the school
2.3	ensure that the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (1 September) is celebrated through liturgy
2.4	provide opportunities for staff to engage in appropriate formation and professional learning in Catholic Social Teaching principles, eco-spirituality, eco-ethics and the eco-theology of Laudato Si’

3.0 LEARNING AND TEACHING

sCHOOLS MUST:

3.1	provide regular opportunities for students to engage in ecological learning experiences in outdoor settings within the school grounds or other local contexts

TEACHERS MUST:

3.2	ensure that learning and teaching programs address the Learning Across the Curriculum aspect of Sustainability of the NESA syllabuses
3.3	ensure that the learning and teaching program incorporates at least one unit of work that explicitly addresses ecological themes in:
	3.3.1	each Year in K-6
	3.3.2	each course in Years 7-10
3.4	ensure that ecological activities and practices are authentically linked to syllabus outcomes

4.0 ETHICAL RESOURCE USE

sCHOOLS MUST:

4.1	review the ethical use of resources utilising the Diocesan Environmental Assessment Tool to inform the School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP)
4.2	engage in recycling and endeavour to use recycled products
4.3	utilise the Diocesan Quality Learning Environments Position Paper when establishing or improving any aspects of the school site

5.0 CARING FOR COUNTRY

sCHOOLS MUST:

5.1	utilise the Diocesan Quality Learning Environments Position Paper for the establishment, improvement or maintenance of buildings, grounds and outdoor learning spaces that acknowledge the local biodiversity of the school site
5.2	ensure that there is a physical acknowledgement of the local Aboriginal land on which the school is situated in recognition of the traditional ownership of the Aboriginal people and their connection to country
5.3	utilise the Diocesan Aboriginal Communities Consultation and Protocols Guide in working with and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, students and families to inform the design and/or cultivation of grounds

6.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

sCHOOLS MUST:

6.1	foster relationships with the local Aboriginal community that utilise their traditional knowledge and connection to country to support environmental education and initiatives
6.2	engage in local environmental service and advocacy projects and ensure alignment with Catholic Social Teaching
6.3	provide opportunities to collaborate with parish, parents and community in environmental initiatives and actions

Procedure

There are no Diocesan Procedures for this Policy.

Implementation