Nearer to Nature: A Seek7 Excursion

As part of their Seek7 project, our Year 7 students had an excursion to Point Walter this week to learn about the water in the Swan River. 

The day was run by facilitators from Nearer to Nature, a government initiative from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions, that aims to educate students about the natural environment through hands-on activities. 

The girls participated in activities such as water quality testing, site surveys and field sketches, and micro and macroinvertebrate sampling. 

This excursion provides the girls with information and inspiration for their own Seek7 projects in which they investigate clean water and sanitation and will create a final project that reflects their research findings.

The girls had a fantastic day. Here’s what a few students had to say about the excursion:

“On our excursion, I learned about how much rivers get polluted by simple things we do in our everyday life. Some of these things include washing your car on the street, fertilising the garden and, for some people, not picking up your dog’s poo. I learned that all these things flow into our river through stormwater drains and pollute our beautiful Swan River. Another thing I learned is that the fertiliser from our gardens goes through the stormwater drains, into the river and fertilises the algae. This algae soon goes wild into an algae bloom, which uses up all the oxygen in the river and blocks sunlight from getting through to other water plants that live down the bottom. Since no more oxygen is left in the river, fish and other animals that live in the water can’t breathe, and because of that, they die. I enjoyed learning about how bad polluting is, making me more eager to help and save our river.” Chloe Theseira

“The most interesting activity was learning about the little micro and macro-invertebrates that call our Swan River home. These little animals live in and around our ocean floor and are big enough to see with the human eye. We learned all about how they survive and some facts about their body structure. The highlight of this activity was when we put on some weighted pants and got into the water. Some of us were lucky enough to catch some with our nets, scoop them into a tray, and examine them. I found this excursion super interesting and hope to learn more about our Swan River in the future.” Sophie Hicks

“I think the day’s purpose is to educate young children about water-wise strategies and our surrounding environment. We are the future, and our actions are the things that will change this planet, so it is important for us to know how to fix it. I think it is also important to know what makes a healthy ecosystem.” Skye Atherton

Thank you to all who were involved in making this excursion possible. It’s great to see so many girls inspired to take action to protect our beautiful Swan River. 

What A Term! So Many Opportunities – Jennifer Oaten

As I look back on the past nine weeks, I am so grateful for who we are as a community and what we have achieved. Through the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm of our students, we have established new connections, immersed ourselves in opportunities and worked through challenges.

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