Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Great things are happening in the gardens of Tacoma Public School. Three days a week at lunchtime students can be found digging, planting, weeding, feeding, watering and harvesting a variety of fruit and vegetables, which are used to make delicious food for the school canteen. Students can also be found feeding and tending to the worm farm.

The school is currently fundraising for a mobile kitchen, which will let students harvest and cook healthy meals together, straight from school garden. What a great way to learn about sustainability and respect for our environment. Giving students the opportunity to grow their own fruit and veggies encourages healthy eating and can have a huge impact on their future wellbeing.

Participation in the green teams is recognised with the Leafy Leader Awards. Students were given the chance to name these awards, and every year a competition is held to choose a winning design from each class. Congratulations to Sarah for naming the award and to this year's talented artists: Maria Susana, Madison, Savanna, Ava, Alannah, Natureh, Simran and Darcy. Congratulations to principal Jeanette Dillon and year 1/2 teacher Donna Andrews, who was a year ahead of me in primary school, for your outstanding work with this program. Thank you also to school captains Amy and June posting me at your assembly last week. I look forward to sharing a home-grown and cooked meal with you soon.